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Cass, Thomas Win Modified Features,
Garner New Limited Late Model Champion
At Antioch Speedway
Antioch, CA...October 20...Brian Cass closed the season with his second 20 lap All Star Series A Modified Main Event win Saturday night at Antioch Speedway. The win was worth $1,000. Cass and Kellen Chadwick won their respective eight lap heat races and would line up on the front row for the Main Event. Cass led from the outset ahead of Chadwick, but Chadwick lost the second position to Jeff Decker on lap three. The race had three yellow flags, and Chadwick regained second on a lap 13 restart. However, Cass ran smooth and consistent laps and would hold off Chadwick for the victory. Nick DeCarlo wrapped up his championship season by making a late-race pass on Decker for the third place finish. Decker settled for fourth, followed by Jeffrey Faulkner.
Merced Speedway star Tanner Thomas won the 20 lap B Modified Main Event. The win was worth $400 for Thomas, and it was the second win at Antioch for the teen racer, who normally races at Merced Speedway. 2017 Chico and Marysville champion Philip Shelby set the pace at the start of the Main Event, followed by Watsonville champion Jim DiGiovanni. Shelby seemed to be in control of the race until mechanical issues sent him into the infield off of Turn 3 on lap eight. DiGiovanni suddenly found himself in the lead ahead of Thomas. Thomas quickly moved in on DiGiovanni and began to pressure him late with Merced star Chris Falkenberg a close third. Moments after receiving the white flag, Thomas moved his car to the outside and emerged from Turn 2 with the lead. Thomas won ahead of DiGiovanni, Falkenberg, Tommy Fraser and Adriane Frost.
Mark Garner wrapped up his Limited Late Model championship by scoring his fifth 20 lap Main Event win of the season. Garner came into the night with a slim two point lead over 2017 champion Kimo Oreta, and Oreta emerged with a six point lead after the heat races. However, Garner had a front row start in the race that was destined to go without a yellow flag. He charged into the lead and began to steadily pull away from Mike Walko. Oreta found himself battling closely with Chad Hammer and Ryan Cherezian for third. However, in the later stages of the race, Oreta broke a ball joint and limped across the finish line in fifth. Garner won by about half a lap, followed by Walko. Hammer scored his best finish of the season in third ahead of Cherezian and Oreta.
Anthony Welborn won his second 20 lap Hobby Stock Main Event of the season. Welborn set the pace from the start ahead of Josh Leach and new champion Chris Sorensen. Jesse Bryant came from the back of the pack and had second by lap ten. However, he got out of shape in Turn 4 as he was challenging Welborn for the lead and would fall back several positions. Wellborn held off Leach for the win. Bryant charged back to third, but he was disqualified in post-race tech. Sorensen ended up third ahead of Breanna Troen and Michael Cooper.
David Michael Rosa won his fifth 20 lap Dwarf Car Main Event of the season to wrap up his runner-up season in points. Mario Marques set the early pace ahead of Thomas Leiby. Leiby was pressuring Marques hard until making a Turn 2 pass on lap three for the lead. Leiby began to pull away to a huge advantage. Rosa moved past Marques for second on the backstretch on lap 12, and when Leiby spun in Turn 4, Rosa emerged with the lead. Leiby managed to regain second on lap 14 and pressured Rosa in the remaining laps. However, Rosa prevailed ahead of Leiby, new champion Mike Corsaro, Marques and Giovanni Bertolli.
This brings an end to the 20th Anniversary season of Oval Motorsports promoting the Antioch Speedway, which has concluded its 58th season. For news on scheduling and other happenings, go to www.antiochspeedway.com.
Unofficial Race Results
All Star Series Antioch Speedway
A Modifieds
Heat Winners (8 Laps)-Brian Cass, Kellen Chadwick. Main Event (20 laps)-Brian Cass, Kellen Chadwick, Nick DeCarlo, Jeff Decker, Jeffrey Faulkner, Duane Cleveland, Mike Salazar, Raymond Lindeman, Anthony Slaney, Brian Lewis.
B Modifieds
Heat winners (6 Laps)-Jim DiGiovanni, Trevor Clymens. Main Event (20 Laps)-Tanner Thomas, Jim DiGiovanni, Chris Falkenberg, Tommy Fraser, Adriane Frost, Ryan DeForest, Trevor Clymens, Jay Bryant, Chuck Golden, Matt Taylor.
Limited Late Models
Heat Winners (6 laps)-Kimo Oreta, Mike Gustafson. Main Event (20 Laps)-Mark Garner, Mike Walko, Chad Hammer, Ryan Cherezian, Kimo Oreta, Mike Gustafson, Lori Brown, John Evans.
Hobby Stocks
Heat Winners (6 laps)-Josh Leach, Anthony Welborn. Main Event (20 Laps)-Anthony Welborn, Josh Leach, Chris Sorensen, Breanna Troen, Michael Cooper, Luke Brignoli, Jake Mercieca, Don Phillips, Jake Fletcher, Jesse Bryant DQ.
Dwarf Cars
Heat Winners (6 Laps)-Thomas Leiby, Mike Corsaro. Main Event (20 laps)-David Michael Rosa, Thomas Leiby, Mike Corsaro, Mario Marques, Giovanni Bertoli, Jesse Pfeiffer, Chris Becker, David Rosa, Roberto Monroy.
Oliver, Castleberry, Lawrence Win Gold Fever Taxi Cab Open At Marysville Raceway
Marysville, CA...October 20...Rod Oliver won the 20 lap Limited Late Model Main Event Saturday night at Marysville Raceway. This was the annual Gold Fever/Taxi Cab Open event that has its Origins at the track going back to the 1980s. Oliver is a regular competitor with the DIRTcar Late Models at Antioch Speedway and finished second in points this season. He pocketed $500 for his win. He scored the win with Quincy star Jeff Olschowka not too far behind him in second. Placerville regular Jay Norton was a strong third. Defending race champion Matt Davis finished fourth as Kiely Ricardo rounded out the lead lap finishers. Wayne Trimble, Eddie Gardner and Ray Trimble completed the finishing order. They ran two eight lap heat races with Ray Trimble and Dan Brown Jr scoring the wins, but Brown suffered a mechanical problem in the process to end his night.
Multi-time Super Stock champion James Castleberry scored a thrilling victory in the 20 lap Super Stock Main Event. Castleberry and recent Petaluma Speedway Adobe Cup/Bob McCoy Memorial winner Mike Learn battled closely to the finish line with Castleberry collecting the $500 first prize. Chico champion Corey Hall finished a solid third ahead of Brent Lawrence, Richard Vander Ploeg and multi-time Petaluma champion Steve Studebaker. Petaluma regular Shawn McCoy was a lap down in seventh, followed by Rod Oliver, Michael Helton and Steve Hammett. Eight lap heat race wins went to Learn and Vander Ploeg.
Brent Lawrence turned in an impressive performance in winning the 20 lap Street Stock Main Event. The win paid $400, and the race went without a yellow flag after 2 restarts. Lawrence won by over a straightaway ahead of Brent Hall. Steve Hammett was a solid third as Steve Studebaker and Luke Warmwater rounded out the Top 5. Placerville regular Orville Owens settled for sixth, followed by Kevin Lesch, Shawn McCoy and Corey Hall. Brent Hall won his eight lap heat race with the other heat victory going to Lawrence.
Chase Grigsby won a close battle to the finish for the 20 lap Pure Stock Main Event win. Grigsby and Ryan Peter had a near photo finish at the checkered flag with Grigsby prevailing for the $400 victory. The eventful race had nine yellow flags for the 17 car field, and multi-time Chico champion Brian Compton was a close third, followed by Chase Richards, Rich Lindgren, Kyle Cheney, past Antioch champion Brad Myers, Rich Zoller, Marysville champion Shannon Collins and Richard Vander Ploeg. They all finished on the lead lap. The field was divided into three eight lap heat races with wins going to Peter, Grigsby and Ted Ahart.
Brian Compton collected the $250 first prize for his 20 lap Hobby Stock Main Event win. The multi-time Chico champion got the win ahead of Kyle Cheney and new Orland Mini Truck champion Keith Ross. Jesse Van Roekel settled for fourth ahead of Myers, Devin Ryan, new track champion Shannon Collins, Darren Ballentine, Sebastian Davis and David Caluya. The Hobby Stocks also had three eight lap heat races, and Myers easily won his heat. The other wins went to Cheney, in a close battle with Tim Brookshire, and Ross.
The Gold Fever H&H Trucking Sprint Car Spooktacular will close the 2018 season next Saturday night. The Winged 360 Sprint Cars will be competing along with the Crate Sprints, Wingless Spec Sprints and IMCA RaceSaver Sprints. For further information, go to www.marysvilleraceway.com.
Pit Stops
The All Star Series racing season at Antioch Speedway was extended one more week, which meant that last Saturday night would be the point season finale. It also included the added bonus of double points. Management decided to schedule this date after they had cancelled the September 29th event in order to work with Watsonville for the Pat & Jim Pettit Memorial Shootout. This meant the fans got one more chance to see the A Modifieds, B Modifieds, Hobby Stocks and Dwarf Cars. However, the main attraction for those who enjoy close point battles was the Limited Late Model division.
After 17 events, Mark Garner managed to hold a two point lead over Kimo Oreta going into this race. If you can go an entire season and be that close in the battle, it's something to be proud of. Both drivers had done an exceptional job all season long. Among the highlights for both drivers were the six wins and four second place finishes earned by Oreta and the four wins and four second place finishes earned by Garner. Garner, however, had a knack for winning heat races, and that served to help keep him in this race when his Main Event didn't always go the way he had hoped.
The eight car field meant that there would be two heat races, and the two drivers ran separate races. For Garner, it was cause for concern when he started in the second row in a heat race that featured previous Main Event winner Mike Gustafson. Not only did Gustafson win this race, but Garner could only manage a third place finish. This also meant that with double points on the line, he would be surrendering the point lead going into the Main Event if Oreta could do better.
Oreta had a front row start for his heat race, but he found himself in a spirited battle with the El Camino of Ryan Cherezian. Cherezian was not about to give up the lead too easily, and a couple of times Oreta found himself making contact with the front wall as he tried to get by on the outside. It was on the final lap when the 2017 division champion made his pass to get the heat race victory. Therefore, Oreta held a six point advantage over Garner going into the Main Event.
it was quite a contrast in demeanor between the drivers heading into the night. Garner was nervous and excited about his opportunity. For years, his family had chased a championship at Antioch Speedway. Though his father, Jerry "The Maverick" Garner, won the 1969 NASCAR State of California Stock Car championship, he wasn't quite able to win the track championship. Mark had been knocking on the door for several seasons, and he did win the 2015 championship at Merced Speedway. For the final two point races at Antioch, Mark changed the body on his car to the body he ran in 2015. It may have been just the lucky charm he needed.
Oreta, on the other hand, was quite relaxed headed into the night. If he won or lost, he had a good time. He would just let the results sort everything out. In his still relatively young racing career, Kimo has won three Hobby Stock championships and taken his spot as the all time winner in that division's Main Event history. He also caught the eye of speedway legend Larry Damitz. The two drivers began parking together, and Damitz served as a mentor to Oreta as he moved up to the Limited Late Model division.
After his "Rookie Of The Year" winning season in Limited Late Models in 2016, a year that saw him win his first Main Event in the season finale, Oreta was picked to drive the Sun Drop Racing #15 car last season after the passing of Damitz. He ended up winning the championship. He led the point race going into the previous event, but Garner did just a little bit better to take a two point lead going into the final race. Oreta's heat race effort put him into the lead going into the Main Event, but the night was far from over.
Garner had a front-row start for a Main Event that was destined to go without a yellow flag. He charged into the lead and swiftly took command ahead of Mike Walko. For Garner, there was a feeling that the night was his. There was a feeling that his father was riding in the car with him, and it left him fighting back tears at times as he led the way. The motto for Mark since his father passed away in late 2015 was all for a reason. His father had taught him about racing, and he has been teaching his sons. It's all about family with Mark, and he was wanting to make his father proud. Though he is the champion now, it's a good bet that Jerry is proud of him no matter what.
Oreta had only one chance to win the championship. He had to move from his fifth position into second. Even if he didn't pass Garner at that point, he would still have enough points to win the title. There was a problem, however. Garner was gone. Walko had a solid hold on second and Oreta was mired in a third place battle with Chad Hammer and the familiar #12 El Camino of Cherezian. Nothing Oreta could do seemed to get him by Cherezian, but there was another problem. He had a busted A-frame. He was lucky to get to the finish line in fifth, and he had to be towed off the track after the races.
It has been a long road for Garner to the Antioch Speedway championship. He set about making this his goal in 2015. He won the Merced title that year. Each year he got close, but there always seemed to be a problem at the most inopportune time that would drop him back in the battle. It's quite refreshing to look at the Limited Late Model battle this year and see how hard the drivers had to fight to ultimately win the championship. It was not easy. Garner earned the honors with his fifth Main Event win of the season. He can now call himself an Antioch Speedway champion.
For a while this season, Mike Walko was in the same battle. In recent seasons, he had been competing at Marysville Raceway with a wing on his car. He had wanted to come back to Antioch for a few years, but he finally had the opportunity to make his return this season. Walko was a model of consistency and had a better Top 3 Main Event finishing record than anybody after the first dozen races. Unfortunately, his luck started to go down just a bit after that. Still, he had four Main Event wins and four third place finishes to his credit. In the finale, he used his fifth second place finish of the season to secure third in the standings in a good late-season battle with Cherezian. All in all, not a bad return for Walko, who started his racing career at Antioch Speedway in 1982 in the Stock Car class.
Last season, Chad Hammer started his career in the Limited Late Model division. It was certainly a learning experience, but he ended the season as the "Rookie Of The Year". He was looking for better results this season, but sometimes the going was just a little bit tough. On one occasion, he ended up on his lid, but he never gave up. Chad saved the best for last as he held off a determined Cherezian and Oreta for his season best effort in third. It certainly gives hope that he could put that #94 car into the Winner's Circle in 2019. It would be wise not to count him out.
The next close battles in the standings were for second place in both the the Dwarf Car and B Modified divisions. The championships in the other four divisions competing that night were already secured. This also meant that Mike Corsaro would be the Dwarf Car champion for the second consecutive season. He managed to put the icing on that cake with his fifth feature win of the year at the previous race. This still left the matter of second between David Michael Rosa and Mario Marques to be determined.
Thomas Leiby was back at Antioch. It had been a while, but Leiby is a competitor in both Dwarf Cars and Wingless Spec Sprints. He remarked prior to the race that he was looking forward to competing a bit more in 2019. Just 20 points separated Rosa from Marques. Marques trimmed four points off of that with his second place heat race finish as Rosa got à third, and he was looking to do more damage in the battle as he raced into the early Main Event lead. However, after his heat race win, Leiby had his sights set on a feature triumph.
Leiby charged around Marques on the outside on lap three to gain the lead and began to pull away rapidly. This was his race to win. Marques had his hands full trying to hold off Rosa for the second spot. Had they finished in that order, Rosa would hold on to his career-best second place point effort, but the second generation competitor had his eyes on a bigger prize this time. Rosa began to pressure Marques hard for the second position and moved by on the outside down the back stretch on lap 12. Moments later, Leiby did the unthinkable. He spun in Turn 4 and surrendered the lead to Rosa.
Leiby gathered it back up and was soon challenging Rosa yet again in a bid to regain the lead, while new champion Corsaro was a close third. However, Rosa was not about to let this one slip away. He hit his marks and drove a solid race down the stretch for his fifth feature win of the season. This would also seem to set Rosa up as a driver to contend with in the 2019 championship race. Marques would finish fourth in the feature, and though he didn't quite get the job done in his quest for second in the standings, third was still his best effort. Plus, he won his first career Main Event earlier this season.
The B Modified battle was also close as Chuck Golden held a 16 point advantage over rookie Ryan DeForest for the second position. DeForest managed to trim four points off of that with his third place heat race finish, and he ran strong early in the Main Event. In fact, DeForest was in the Top 5 and as high as third at one point. Though he slipped back to sixth in the final run down, the second generation competitor still managed to move past Golden for second the standings by a mere two points. All in all, not a bad job by DeForest, who also got his first feature win earlier this season.
However, the show was at the front of the pack in a good battle between Watsonville champion Jim DiGiovanni and Tanner Thomas. DiGiovanni only gained the lead when 2017 Chico and Marysville champion Philip Shelby pulled up lame in Turn 3 after leading the first eight laps. DiGiovanni took control from there, but Thomas began to close in on him. Making things even more interesting was Thomas's fellow Merced competitor, Chris Falkenberg, who moved into third and closed in on the lead duo.
DiGiovanni was running well and protecting his line on the bottom, but Thomas made his move on the outside. It was reminiscent of the effort his father Darren put forth in Street Stocks some 24 years ago when he came from the back and made use of the outside groove in victory. Tanner drove around DiGiovanni on the outside in Turn 2 on the final lap and earned the $400 first prize. DiGiovanni would have to settle for second ahead of Falkenberg, while Tommy Fraser finished fourth. Watsonville star Adriane Frost drove a solid race and finished fifth.
The B Modified rumors are becoming fact. We had heard that Cameron Swank had purchased a B Modified, and he confirmed the rumors by bringing that car out for the final race of the season. He drove a solid race and completed all 20 laps. He also sold his Hobby Stock to Jake Mercieca, who made his debut. Speaking of Hobby Stock drivers looking to move up, we also got confirmation on another driver.
Chris Bennett has made a splash in the Hobby Stock division as a Top 3 driver in points in 2017. He also finished as high as second in the Main Event this year. Chris, who has been driving the Bob Hansen Tribute Car in Hobby Stocks, has also purchased a B Modified for the future. However, he's not completely moving away from the Hobby Stocks. Bennett confirmed that he still has his first Hobby Stock Main Event win within his sights, and he's not giving up on the class just yet.
The rookies of the Hobby Stock division at Antioch Speedway have done a great job. With all of the experience that Chris Sorensen, 2017 champion Cameron Swank and Michael Cooper have, just getting a win in this division is not an easy task. Between these three drivers, there were 20 Main Event wins. Sorensen, who won his second division championship, also finished second nine times, which meant frequently you had to beat him to get the win.
Last season, it's very likely that Sorensen would have won the division championship. Had the schedule remained as posted early in the season, Sorensen would have likely pulled it off. But when a date was added as a makeup late in the season, Sorensen had to skip that show due to a planned cruise with his wife Robbee. Knowing it was over, he skipped a race in Antioch late in the season to go to Watsonville, which was a move he probably regretted after he destroyed his car.
But that's where "The Iron Man" Fred Baker of BRC Race Cars comes in. Baker put a new car together for Sorenson for his return, and Chris responded with an impressive 22 Top 3 feature finishes. He began to pull away from everybody else in the standings as the season went on, and he won the title by over 200 points.
Being a rookie in the division can be hard enough, but battling these three drivers to get a win is even tougher. However, the division's top four rookies all shined through with at least one win. Matt Wacht, who disappeared from the scene in the later weeks, Breanna Troen, Josh Leach and Anthony Welborn all got wins. Troen, who ended up with nine Top 5 finishes, is the "Rookie Of The Year" this year. She did a fantastic job.
We knew that Sorensen, Cooper, Swank and Troen would be the Top 4 drivers in the standings, but Welborn and Leach still had to settle the matter of who would finish fifth. Welborn wasn't leaving anything to chance as he won his heat race to start the night off. However, so did Leach. This, thanks to luck of the draw, put them both on the front row of the Main Event. Welborn proceeded to lead early on with Leach in pursuit. Placerville racer Jesse Bryant was in town and seemed a bit faster than everybody else. He rapidly worked his way up to the front of the pack and was threatening Welborn for the lead when he spun on lap 11. Leach continued to pursue Welborn.
However, Welborn wasn't making any mistakes down the stretch, and there wasn't much Leach could do but chase him across the finish line. This would be the second win for Welborn this season, while Leach was settling for his second runner-up finish. The two ended the season in a tie for fifth in points. Bryant had charged back up to third, but he failed post-race tech, giving Sorensen his 22nd Top 3 finish of the season. Troen finished fourth, which was her fifth straight Top 5 finish.
The Hobby Stock division was relied upon very heavily on the schedule this season. They ran a total of 28 races, 27 of them for points. The car count never dipped below 10, and the roster of cars goes well into the 40s. One would have to believe that with a more reasonable schedule, car count could grow in this class and even produce the need for B Mains on some occasions. Now in their 24th season at Antioch Speedway, the Hobby Stocks continue to be one of the more popular classes.
The curtain on the 2018 season fell with the A Modifieds competing in a $1,000 to win feature. With the absence of Bobby Motts Jr, whatever mathematical chance Nick DeCarlo had to lose the title went away. He knew he was the champion. This puts him in elite territory as the only driver in this division to win championships at Antioch, Petaluma and Watsonville. Nick was quite impressive this season with a division-leading eight feature wins and four second place finishes. He is certainly a deserving champion. Despite the fact that he missed the final race of the season, 2017 champion Motts will finish second, while Sean O'Gara will end up third. Sean missed the final race as his father, past Vallejo Speedway Stock Car racer John O'Gara, was having surgery. We wish John the best and a speedy recovery.
There was still a close race between past champion Kellen Chadwick and David Zeiter for fourth in the standings, but Chadwick had a strong performance to settle the matter in his favor. Chadwick was a five-time feature winner, though he didn't race regularly. Had he done so, it would have been a very interesting battle between he and DeCarlo at the top of the list. As it was, Kellen had his eyes on the big first prize in the finale. Though Zeiter would settle for fifth in the standings, he is the top rookie in the class. He did a great job all season long as he got better with each start.
Brian Cass was in contention for his second win at the previous race, but he would be forced to settle for second that night behind DeCarlo. On this occasion, Brian won his heat race to join fellow heat winner Chadwick on the front row for the feature. People might have been looking at the #83 car of Chadwick and figuring he would burst into the lead at the start, but the red #55 of Cass was just a little bit faster. Cass led all the way and drove a pretty flawless race in victory.
Chadwick had a battle on his hands at times with DeCarlo, and he briefly surrendered second to DeCarlo on a restart. However, Kellen wasn't letting that stop him. He moved back around DeCarlo on a later restart and would notch his fourth second place finish of the season. DeCarlo settled for third for the fourth time this year. The three drivers ran well at the front of the pack. Having won the DIRTcar Late Model championship for the fourth time, Jeff Decker finished fourth in the Main Event, followed by Petaluma Speedway point runner-up Jeffrey Faulkner.
One of the things that can be beneficial to Antioch Speedway in regards to getting new drivers into racing and eventually up into higher levels is the return of the Four Bangers/Hornets division. In the past, the track has gained several new drivers who moved up into other divisions after getting their feet wet in this entry level class. In fact, drivers have been moving up from this class at other area tracks, including Merced Speedway and Ocean Speedway.
We've put out feelers to find out who might be interested in building cars for this division should it be added to the schedule in 2019. Of course, some of the responses have talked about how things went wrong before and other such things that are certainly not helpful to the conversation of the future. While it is understandable that people might be unhappy, what matters now is if there is interest in making something of it. We are aware of the social media effort that was made to get something started at the end of last season, but unfortunately it never really got off the ground.
One of the reasons this division would be useful in the All Star Series lineup is the fact that it gives the track another division to shuffle around. That would mean that certain divisions might be able to have a few more nights off to help boost their car counts. Plus, you're bringing in new drivers in this class. It's only something being considered, and we would be interested in pursuing the class for future dates provided enough drivers express interest that would merit going to track management about bring it back.
The thought process is that there would be at least eight to a dozen drivers who would build cars. Then, just how many dates should be booked for such a revival? In the interest of helping grow the car count, you certainly don't want to overbook the division, so a schedule of somewhere in the half-dozen to ten race area seems like the best place to start.
We've heard responses from Jennifer Corder, Michael Christopher and Dan Myrick of the Central Valley Mini Stocks group that would be in support of the effort, but certainly more local support would be needed before this could be pursued. One intriguing proposition was offered by Steve Perry through Fernandez Auto Wreckers. Steve could help get cars for the new drivers at a reasonable cost. This is what it would take to help build up this class, and we're certainly not talking about as much money to build one of these cars as it would be for any of the other classes.
Back in 2003, Lance Cline stepped forward to help get this class started. At the time, there was a bit of criticism. Antioch Speedway had a thriving Mini Truck division then, and people were wondering whether this division should even be attempted. Cline built the first ten cars for this effort, and it had its first season in 2004. Car count grew rapidly, and there were 20 cars at one point. Of course, as has sometimes been the case in certain divisions, a few loud and critical drivers spoiled it for the rest of the group, and the Four Bangers never quite reached their full potential.
We're only looking at ways to help the cause, and bringing in new drivers that can eventually move up into other divisions is something worth looking into. Some people will say that you have the Hobby Stocks for that, and that's true to a point. In many cases, the people getting into Hobby Stocks had that connection already, but with the Four Banger division, people even watching from the stands who have no connection to another car might find an easier path to get behind the wheel. It's just something that we are looking at, and nothing may come of it. If we don't find that there's enough interest to pursue the topic with management, we won't bring it up. Also, if enough interest isn't expressed soon enough, it may be too late.
When the Hardtops showed up to Antioch Speedway for the Chet Thomson Memorial race three weeks ago, they brought a 12 car field. There has been an effort to establish a Bay Area Hardtop effort separate from the existing California Hardtops. In reality, the California Hardtop group got their start because Antioch Speedway management gave them their first dates some 10 years ago. However, the group has grown, and a large section of drivers call the Sacramento area their home. These racers are hoping for more of a presence at tracks such as Placerville and Roseville, though they would support Antioch on some occasions.
It was Dave Mackey and Tommy Thomson who proposed the possibility that a Bay Area movement might be worth pursuing heading into the 2017 season. They were buoyed by the 14 car field that came out in support of the Chet Thomson Memorial Race in 2016. However, a few things happened that put the Bay Area movement in jeopardy. Some cars weren't quite ready yet in 2017. Tommy Thomson had health issues put him on the sidelines for several months. Was there enough interest to make this happen?
Though some may not consider Mackey the actual leader of the movement, he did bring enthusiasm and one of the nicest looking race cars to the track. Dave believes strongly that Bay Area Hardtops could have a presence at Antioch Speedway as their home track. The division struggled through most of the 2017 season, hitting their high water mark with eight cars for the Thomson Memorial in September of that year.
Oval Motorsports continued to support this division by giving them dates, though there was sort of a "show me" attitude given by track management. At the second race of the season this year, there were seven drivers on hand, and it was quite a battle between Terry DeCarlo and two-time Chet Thomson Memorial winner Jason Armstrong for the victory. DeCarlo eventually prevailed. A few requests to postpone the Chet Thomson race into October finally saw management make the move. It was believed that car count would be bigger if the date were moved, and 12 cars were on hand for this show.
A look inside the numbers found that there were eight Bay Area Hardtop drivers and four California Hardtop regulars enthusiastically supporting. The race was quite eventful between the leaders, and DeCarlo ultimately prevailed in à race car that had the body from Southern Oregon Racing Hall Of Famer Harold Hardesty. DeCarlo's win came ahead of Kimo Oreta, Armstrong, Ken Retzloff and Ron Ruiz. Doug Braudrick was the final lead lap finisher in sixth.
But the numbers told the story. Eight Bay Area Hardtop competitors were there, which included Dave Mackey, who led over half of the race. DeCarlo, Oreta, Retzloff, Braudrick, Thomson, Steve Cloyes and Gene Haney were also in competition. There are other Bay Area competitors, which includes Dan Williams and Spenser Nice, who we're not there. Does this most recent showing give the Bay Area Hardtops enough of a chance to get dates at Antioch Speedway in 2019? We certainly hope so.
In contemplation of the future of this division, there are some things to take into consideration. The Northern California area has seen over 20 different Hardtop competitors race at least once during the course of the season. One place that this division fits in nicely is on nostalgia nights. Events such as the Tilford Tribute Race at Placerville, the Johnny Soares Classic at Petaluma, the Ted Stofle Classic at Merced and the Chet Thomson Memorial at Antioch are natural fits for these beautiful old-time race cars. The Bay Area Hardtop effort isn't likely to push for more than a half-dozen shows at Antioch, eight at the most. You need to be very careful how often you race. For one thing, it greatly affects car count. Secondly, the California Hardtops have to book dates too, and the more races that are at Antioch, the more likely that the northern competitors won't be in Antioch. So all of this becomes a factor.
The Hardtops certainly give the fans a good glimpse of the old style of racing, and though it's been called an exhibition race, don't tell that to the competitors. Anybody watching the most recent Hardtop event at Antioch knows that these drivers were racing hard for the trophy, which was provided once again by Pete Paulsen, who is another driver with a Hardtop that would certainly support Antioch if it were race-ready. Perhaps the best term for the style of racing these drivers provide is either cautious racing or respectful racing. Yes, they race hard, but there's always a thought about not running your fellow competitor too hard and risking damage to the cars.
On the West Coast, only two of the five Hardtop movements have championship races. Those would be the PRA Hardtops in Roseburg, Oregon and the Bakersfield Hardtops. The California Hardtops, Bay Area Hardtops and OTRO Hardtops compete for trophies. The Hardtop movement is probably at its strongest point of the last 30 years with more people expressing interest in getting cars than has been seen in quite some time.
The Nostalgia racing effort has always had the Vintage Midgets, but the Legends Of Kearney Super Modifieds have quite a roster of cars now. There's also the Valley Sportsman division at Merced Speedway, which will be running their 20th year of the revival next year. In fact, Antioch Speedway fans remember the days of the old Sportsman division, and you could hear a few people pointing out that it would be nice to see that division brought back to Antioch Speedway again. The first thing you would need is for local area drivers to build cars. However, one also has to wonder if a nostalgia night could be booked sometime at Antioch in 2019? It could be something that would have Vintage Midgets and Super Modifieds, Hardtops and perhaps even a visit from the Valley Sportsman racers.
The Super Modifieds will make a visit to Stockton 99 Speedway this weekend as part of the Open Wheel Extravaganza. The Gunslinger Sprint Cars will have a big purse. It is their season finale. It's interesting to note the names that are from the NCMA that currently run the Gunslinger Sprint Cars. Drivers like recent winner Gordon Rodgers, Justin Kawahata, Jerry Kobza, David Burchett and Audra Saselli have all raced with the NCMA, which just wrapped up its 30th Anniversary season.
If you're keeping records, Eric Humphries, Kawahata, AJ Russell and Rodgers are the four winners of the four races held so far. In addition to the Sprint Cars and the Super Modifieds, there will BCRA Midgets, Vintage Midgets and Focus Midgets on the pavement of Stockton.
Missing from the pavement here in the later part of the year is the annual Vintage Classic that ran at All American Speedway in Roseville. Due to the situation regarding the race track's continuation and the change of promoters, there was no room for a Vintage Classic at Roseville in 2018. The central location of Roseville made it the perfect place, and talk of moving this event to Madera or Stockton met with luke warm response. There were some people who were key in making the Vintage Classic such a special event, including Bonnie Chisholm. Could this race return in 2019?
The bigger concern you have is the longer you go without having this event, the easier it is to put it in the past. After the one year absence, it would certainly be in the best interest of the movement to begin putting things in place to make it happen again. There are some cost factors that didn't exist in the past that would come up now. Would this race even be a possibility? We don't know. We haven't heard much talk, but seeing Super Modifieds, Hardtops, Vintage Sprints and Vintage Midgets all in one place for a weekend of fun always made Roseville a great place for nostalgia fans to go.
Stockton isn't through with the open wheel excitement. First, however, Marysville Raceway will have the second weekend of their Gold Fever program on Saturday night. The Winged 360 Sprint Cars will be competing along with the Crate Sprints, Wingless Spec Sprints and IMCA RaceSaver Sprints. Management in Marysville and Chico had to shuffle things around this year in an attempt to try and gain more interest. The Wingless Spec Sprints and Crate Sprints no longer competed at both tracks in 2018. It was decided that Spec Sprints would race at Chico while the Crate Sprints would compete at Marysville. There didn't appear to be a change in car count for either group, but at least it didn't fall any further.
What was interesting was Marysville decided to try the IMCA RaceSaver Sprint Car class, which has been successful at Hanford and other tracks in that area. Could it work in Marysville? Ultimately, it has struggled to get started, and one might have to question if it would have been better putting the effort into building up the Crate Sprint and Spec Sprint classes rather than adding a new Sprint Car division to the equation.
In any case, the Gold Fever Sprint Car Spooktacular, as it's being billed, will bring down the curtain on the 2018 season at Marysville this Saturday night. The track is offering a $2,000 to win prize for the Winged 360 Sprint Cars. Meanwhile, the Wingless Spec Sprints will get $500 to win, but it becomes $750 to win with 10 or more cars. Likewise, the Crate Sprints will pay $400 to win and jump to $500 to win with 10 or more cars. The bar is set a bit lower with the IMCA RaceSaver Sprints at $600 to win, but they need at least six competitors to show up.
Two big Sprint Car events will happen in November. Kicking things off on November 2nd and 3rd will be the Annual Gary Patterson Tribute weekend, and track promoter Tony Noceti is pulling out all the stops for this one. On Friday, there will be an autograph session with many legends on hand.
The Friday night portion of the show will feature a $2,500 to win Winged 360 Sprint Car race along with the C&H Hunt Wingless Spec Sprint season finale and the Dwarf Cars. On Saturday, the Sprint Car Challenge Tour will have a $5,500 to win race and $400 to start purse, while the King Of The West Sprint Cars will race for $4,000 to win and $650 to start. The show is sure to have a huge car count all the way around.
This will be the 11th and final race of the 2018 season for the Hunt Spec Sprint Series. Dwarf Car super star Shawn Jones set his sights on the Spec Sprint title and has been very consistent with seven Top 5 finishes, including one win, in his 10 starts. He holds a 63 point lead over Troy DeGaton, who has four Top 5 finishes. 2017 Petaluma champion Ryon Siverling holds third ahead of Nick Larson and Cody Spencer.
This is the premiere series for the Wingless Spec Sprint division, and a car count reaching into the twenties is anticipated for the big Friday night showdown. There have been two repeat winner this year with Bradley Terrell and Michael Faccinto, who is driving for Barry Pries. The other winners include Casey McClain, Jake Morgan, Matt Stewart, Kalib Henry and DJ Johnson. After 10 events, 63 different drivers have earned points.
The King Of The West/NARC Fujitsu Sprint Car Series has a close battle after 15 races. Five-time winner Kyle Hirst holds a slim 16 point advantage over four-time winner Shane Golobic. One-time winner Bud Kaeding is just over 50 points behind Golobic and just under 50 points ahead of Chase Johnson in the third position. One-time winner Colby Copeland is fifth. Other drivers on the feature winner's list include Justin Sanders with two, Willie Croft, Mitchell Faccinto and Copeland with one each.
The Elk Grove Ford Sprint Car Challenge Tour, presented by Abreu Vineyards, has become the premiere Winged 360 Sprint Car Tour in California. The competition level has been so tough in the Sprint Car Challenge Tour that they didn't even get a repeat winner in the Main Event until the ninth show of the season. The two-time winner honors fall on point leader Kyle Hirst. Hirst leads Sean Becker by 98 points in the championship chase, while Becker is 26 points ahead of Willie Croft. Justin Sanders and Justyn Cox are the current Top 5 in points.
The drivers are competing for some nice point find money at season's end. First stands to win $10,000, second gets $9,000, third gets $8,000 and on down $1000 each until you get to 9th. At 10th, it's $1,500, and everybody above 15th gets at least $1,000. With that kind of prize money to divide, it's no wonder these Sprint Car Challenge Series shows usually get at least 40 cars at every event, which is expected to be the case for the Saturday finale. Joining Hirst on the winner's list are Mitchell Faccinto, Dominic Scelzi, Willie Croft, Giovanni Scelzi, DJ Netto, Justin Sanders, Tim Kaeding, Sean Becker and Rico Abreu. Who will win the Patterson on Saturday, November 3rd?
Not to be forgotten in the mix is Ventura Raceway. Not only do they have the big Thanksgiving event coming up in November, but they are also running a VRA sanctioned event this Saturday night, which will include the Sprint Cars, Senior Sprints, Dwarf Cars and the California Lightning Sprints. On November 21st and 22nd, which is Wednesday and Thursday, the USAC West Coast Sprint Cars and Midgets will be invading. It is also a National Midget event. The Sprint Cars will be competing for $1,500 to win on the 21st and $3,000 to win on the 22nd. There is also bonus money at stake if any driver can win both the Sprint Car and National Midget Main Events on Thursday.
Sonny Sell would probably love to run the Thanksgiving Thunder event at Rocky Hill Speedway this year. We close this column with the latest update from the historic 70 year old facility. The track had been in disrepair as it sat idle for two years, but Sell gathered a crew of volunteers together to whip things back into shape. They pulled out the bleachers on the hillside to put new ones in. They've done weed abatement and other things that will make racing in 2018 a possibility. Of course, there are traditional races that turned out to be pretty big through the years at Rocky Hill, which included the Veterans Day and Thanksgiving Thunder shows. What will happen at the Porterville track in 2019? Stay tuned.
Marysville Raceway Unofficial Race Results October 20, 2918
Limited Late Models
Rod Oliver
Jeff Olschowka
Jay Norton
Matt Davis
Kiely Ricardo
Wayne Trimble
Eddie Gardner
Ray Trimble
Super Stocks
James Castleberry
Mike Learn
Corey Hall
Brent Lawrence
Richard Vander Ploeg
Steve Studebaker
Shawn McCoy
Rod Oliver
Michael Helton
Steve Hammett
Donny Richardson
Street Stocks
Brent Lawrence
Brent Hall
Steve Hammett
Steve Studebaker
Luke Warmwater
Orville Owens
Kevin Lesch
Shawn McCoy
Corey Hall
Pure Stocks
Chase Grigsby
Ryan Peter
Brian Compton
Chase Richards
Rich Lindgren
Kyle Cheney
Brad Myers
Rich Zoller
Shannon Collins
Richard Vander Ploeg
Jose Hernandez
Ted Ahart
Paul Stevens
Cody Lesch
Nick Baldwin
Jason Leonard
Jim Brookshire
Hobby Stocks
Brian Compton
Kyle Cheney
Keith Ross
Jesse Van Roekel
Brad Myers
Devin Ryan
Shannon Collins
Darren Ballentine
Sebastian Davis
David Caluya
Jim Brookshire
Luke Caper
Gary Flower
Mike Stoeckle
Bill Clark
Ukiah Speedway Unofficial Race Results October 20, 2918
Fall Classic
Bombers
Main Event
Jeremy Doss
Erick Ray
Rich Lavellee
Simi Tour
Dustin Kuhl
Tim Walters
Jimmy Sorrels
Josh Morrison
Ericka Ray
Jim Redd
Jeff French
Robert Byers
Scottie Cape
Charlie Tour
Doug Portlock
Jimbo Kollenborn
Bob Mook
Trevor Abella
Ron Duke Sr
RJ Randall
Trevor Kollenborn
Bo Robertson
Sam Brown
Trystan Mucci
Forrest Kuecker
B Main
Jeremy Doss
Trevor Kollenborn
Ron Duke Sr
Ericka Ray
Jimbo Kollenborn
Scottie Cape
Trevor Abella
Bo Robertson
Doug Portlock
Limited Modifieds
Andy Vanderveer
Jason Philpot
Sierra Furia
Clay Caturegli
Steve Taylor
Cole Brown
Shelby Helm
Kolby Berry
Kevin Coburn
Roy Ingalls Jr
Tyler Caturegli
Tyler Shipley
Kobe Taylor
Gene O'Dell Jr
Kylei Keown
Sami Nuno
Mike Lovell
Pro 4 Modifieds
Saturday Main Event
Ron Portlock
Johnny Barker
Mike Peterson
Marty Lewis
Timber Haskins
Andy Leuzinger
Wade Eldredge
Ashley Aceves
Sunday Main Event
Andy Leuzinger
Marty Lewis
Mike Peterson
Ron Portlock
Timber Haskins
Irv Eldredge
Ashley Aceves
Johnny Barker
Legends
Scott Sabol
Jeremy Doss
Jaden Fisher
Colby Furia
Dylan Washburn
Rob Lathrop
Steve Sprague
Brett Freeman
Jammers
Justin Moran
Dennis Anderson
Danny Helm Sr
Christian Sanchez
Gene Odell Sr
Lesa Underwood
Matthew Fuhs
Donovan Arreguin
Sassy Velter
Brandi Robertson
Tim Ratzlaff
Madera Speedway Unofficial Race Results October 20, 2918
Pumpkin Smash
Enduro
Craig Mastropierro
Gene Etheridge
Shawn DePriest
Loren Chitwood
Mark Odgers
Ken Winland
Dave Ski
Sean {Twiggy} McMahon
James Cook
David Mcewen
Mike Mulville
Dave & John Helmuth
Raymond Tevis
Robert Hardt
Tony (Antonio) Mentzer
Marshal Weaver
Mark Andressen
William Didrickson
Robert Smith
Jason Sitton
Ryan Hart
Barrel Race
Richard Fox James Cook
Ken Winland
Sean {Twiggy} McMahon
Robert Smith
Mike Mulville
Tony (Antonio) Mentzer
Toyota Sedans
Tim Curtis
Mike Marley
Greg Tyler
Kyle Labrie
Buddy Tevis
Andrew Davison
J.J Brandsen
Kurt Davison Jr
Jason Lawton
Manny Gonzales, Jr
MST
Dillon Tucker
Ryan Reynolds
Shaun Reynolds
Patrick Geiger
Jason Kerns
Dave Lander
Bert Stephens
Hobby Stocks
Chuck Dozhier
Steve Schermerhorn
Ivan Scorsur
Tulare Thunderbowl Unofficial Race Results October 20, 2918
Trophy Cup Winged Sprints
A Main
Willie Croft
Colby Copeland
Ryan Bernal
Buddy Kofoid
Jac Haudenschild
Giovanni Scelzi
Shane Golobic
Justyn Cox
Cory Eliason
Carson Macedo
Tim Schaffer
Bud Kaeding
Dominic Scelzi
Mitchell Faccinto
Terry McCarl
Kalib Henry
Aaron Reutzel
Colton Heath
Jason Solwold
Tanner Thorson
D.J. Netto
Rico Abreu
Craig Stidham
Blake Hahn
B Main
Results are not official
1 #14 Kasey Kahn
2 #75 Sean Becker
3 #83 Kyle Hirst
4 #00 Jason Statler
5 #21 Carson Macedo
6 #16 Andy Gregg
7 #0 Bud Kaeding
8 #56 Justin Sanders
9 #18T Kalib Henry
10 #3C Tanner Thorson
11 #91 Chase Goetz
12 #33S Cam Smith
13 #5V Austin McCarl
14 #4 Chase Johnson
15 #7Z Zane Blanchard
16 #7 Justin Peck
17 #22M Mason Moore
18 #7C Tony Gualda
19 #31C Matt Peterson
20 #74 Colton Hardy
21 #63 Geoff Ensign
22 #3X Kaleb Montgomery
23 #94 Steven Tiner
24 #21X Cole Macedo
C Main
Zane Blanchard
Chase Goetz
Geoff Ensign
Colton Hardy
Devon Borden
Ryan Smith
Mathew Moles
Robbie Price
Jace Vander Weerd
J.J. Hickle
Scott Parker
Dustin Freitas
Collin Markle
Brock Lemley
Kyle Offill
Tucker Worth
Danny Faria Jr.
Grant Duinkerken
Vaughn Schott
D Main #1
Robbie Price
J.J. Hickle
Dustin Freitas
Collin Markle
Reece Goetz
Tanner Boul
Cole Danell
Jarrett Soares
Travis Cuelho
Pat Harvey
Jeremy Chisum
D Main #2
Devon Borden
Scott Parker
Brock Lemley
Vaughn Schott
Michael Ing
Cody Lamar
Chelsea Blevins
Billy Butler
Jared Faria
Mark Herz
Steven Ingraham
D Main #3
Ryan Smith
Mathew Moles
Grant Duinkerken
Jace Vander Weerd
Blake Carrick
J.J. Ringo
Koen Shaw
Burt Foland Jr.
Kurt Nelson
Tulare Thunderbowl Unofficial Race Results October 19, 2018
Winged 360 Sprint Cars
A Main
Jac Haudenschild
Tim Schaffer
Cory Eliason
Craig Stidham
Buddy Kofoid
Giovanni Scelzi
Terry McCarl
D.J. Netto
Ryan Bernal
Carson Macedo
Blake Hahn
Willie Croft
Colby Copeland
Colton Heath
Tanner Thorson
Aaron Reutzel
Kasey Kahne
Austin McCarl
Justin Sanders
Kyle Hirst
Chase Johnson
Shane Golobic
Cole Macedo
Andy Gregg
B Main #1
Chase Johnson
Shane Golobic
Kyle Hirst
Tim Schaffer
Rico Abreu
Zane Blanchard
Mason Moore
Justin Peck
Steven Tiner
Bud Kaeding
Tucker Worth
Cole Danell
Grant Duinkerken
Michael Ing
Matt Peterson
Mathew Moles
Kalib Henry
Robbie Price
Austin Wheatley
Jimmy Trulli
Brock Lemley
Colby Johnson
B Main #2
Ryan Bernal
Tanner Thorson
Carson Macedo
Tony Gualda
Sean Becker
Andy Gregg
Justyn Cox
Geoff Ensign
Cam Smith
Kyle Offill
Chase Goetz
Colton Hardy
Jason Statler
Ryan Smith
Scott Parker
J.J. Ringo
Kaleb Montgomery
Devon Borden
Bradley Terrell
J.J. Hickle
Reece Goetz
Jason Solwold
C Main
Michael Ing
Ryan Smith
Cole Danell
Jason Statler
Jace Vander Weerd
Vaughn Schott
Tanner Boul
Billy Butler
Jeremy Chisum
Danny Faria Jr.
Dustin Freitas
Koen Shaw
Jarrett Soares
Collin Markle
Jared Faria
Blake Carrick
Steven Ingraham
Burt Foland Jr.
Dalton Hill
Mark Herz
Pat Harvey
Dominic Scelzi
D Main
Jared Faria
Dalton Hill
Mark Herz
Pat Harvey
Tulare Thunderbowl Unofficial Race Results October 18, 2918
Winged 360 Sprint Cars
A Main
Mitchell Faccinto
Giovanni Scelzi
Dominic Scelzi
Cory Eliason
Rico Abreu
Justyn Cox
Tim Shaffer
Jason Solwold
D.J. Netto
Shane Golobic
Tanner Thorson
Bud Kaeding
Ryan Bernal
Matt Peterson
Buddy Kofoid
Steven Tiner
Kasey Kahne
Willie Croft
Kalib Henry
Jac Haudenschild
Kaleb Montgomery
Cole Macedo
Colby Johnson
Blake Hahn
B Main #1
Rico Abreu
Jac Haudenschild
Buddy Kofoid
Ryan Bernal
Kyle Hirst
Jason Statler
Chase Johnson
Carson Macedo
Austin Wheatley
Craig Stidham
Terry McCarl
Zane Blanchard
Jace Vander Weerd
Andy Gregg
Blake Carrick
Aaron Reutzel
Tucker Worth
Chase Goetz
Collin Markle
Brock Lemley
Ryan Smith
Tony Gualda
B Main #2
Blake Hahn
Cory Eliason
Bud Kaeding
Mitchell Faccinto
Geoff Ensign
Colby Copeland
Steven Kent
Justin Peck
Austin McCarl
J.J. Hickle
Danny Faria Jr.
Reece Goetz
Jarrett Soares
Steven Ingraham
Vaughn Schott
Jeremy Chisum
Mason Moore
Robbie Price
Chelsea Blevins
Sean Becker
Justin Sanders
Landon Hurst
C Main
Zane Blanchard
Reece Goetz
Jace Vander Weerd
Jeremy Chisum
Scott Parker
Kurt Nelson
Jimmy Trulli
Mathew Moles
Colton Hardy
Tanner Boul
J.J. Ringo
Koen Shaw
Cole Danell
Travis Cuelho
Jared Faria
Colton Heath
Grant Duinkerken
Dustin Golobic
Kyle Offill
Devon Borden
Pat Harvey
Burt Foland Jr.
Cam Smith
Dustin Freitas
D Main
Colton Heath
Mathew Moles
Dustin Freitas
Grant Duinkerken
Michael Ing
Dalton Hill
Mark Herz
The Editor's Viewpoint
I suppose if I'm really honest, one of my favorite things to do in racing is to announce. I really didn't start out looking in that direction. I was so concerned with starting my magazine and writing that I didn't think about it so much. Even when David Vodden literally handed me a microphone at Petaluma and walked down to the snack bar to leave me to announce, I wasn't thinking about it.
By the time John Soares went after Antioch Speedway in 1997, I knew that if I was fortunate enough to be hired by him, I would love to announce. And what was nice was John took a chance on me. I'd like to think I had a pretty darn good reputation in the sport by then, but you still need that person who says, "Yes, this is my announcer. This is the person I want doing this."
Back in 1998, John had Jack Menges, a long time family friend, announcing and doing some of the media. He and I both had the same duties, though Jack was writing in the newspapers and I was writing for the racing publications. Jack was a nice guy. When the Enduro/Street Stock race came up in October of 1998, Jack couldn't do the show. He had something else planned. This was the first time that I ever got to do a solo announcing gig. My announcing gig this last Saturday night was almost 20 years to the date since that time.
I just spoke with Jay Banks, and this is the first time that he and I ever really had a good conversation. He seems like a nice guy to me. I told him how back about 40 years ago, I used to run Hot Wheels on the coffee table before coming out to Antioch Speedway. I would announce it like a real race. I suppose I was an unusual kid. I would keep track of the races, keep points and all of that. I'm talking about my Hot Wheel races. 25 lap Main Events, eight lap heat races, four lap Trophy Dashes, 12 lap B Mains and time trials. The whole show. Of course, in my pretend world, all of the underdogs were running at the front of the pack.
There was definitely a time when I thought I would never get to announce at Antioch Speedway again. Really, prior to 2015, I didn't know if I would ever be back at that race track again. I would have been okay with that too, but the one thing that going back to racing reminded me of was all of the friends that I have made through the years. I'm very fortunate in that. I had hopes in 2015 that maybe I might be back at Antioch full time in 2016. Things didn't quite work out as hoped, but I made the journey to Oregon and have been busy for the past three years helping turn around the program at Southern Oregon Speedway. I've been lucky to work with a guy like Mike McCann, who has spent over half of his life promoting racing in Oregon and California.
It was because of what we were able to accomplish at Southern Oregon Speedway with the Hall Of Fame there that I began to think long and hard about doing something at Antioch Speedway. That was my field of dreams. Why couldn't there be a Hall Of Fame there? Fortunately, because I had some good support and a nice road map laid out for me by what Curt and Denny Deatherage had done at Cottage Grove Speedway, we made it happen at Antioch Speedway.
The trip might have been done on October 14th. That was when my ticket had been reserved to send me back up to Oregon. But on Friday before Hall Of Fame Night, I extended it one week. Wade had a busy work schedule and was unable to do the race on the 20th, so John hired me for the night. An opportunity to announce at Antioch Speedway? Sign me up. Honestly, it felt like I had never left.
There were some things wrong with the PA system. Well, the wireless microphone was no longer there. This was what John Myers and I used for the Hall Of Fame ceremony, but Wade took it with him. So, I went to the flea market on Saturday hoping to pick up something that would work. The microphone had the range. I could take it all the way to the infield where Paul takes the winner's photos, and it still worked. Problem was, the noise level wasn't good enough. I tried to do my intro with that microphone, but people said they couldn't hear me. So, I just set it aside. With the right tweaking of the PA equipment, it might have worked, but I didn't want to risk messing something up.
I always say it's a product of me not having a life that I'm able to get on the microphone and start reciting statistics and all of that. I started the show for àbout 10 minutes or so during mud laps. I was talking about the battles in all five of the All Star Series divisions. I went through the list of how many wins drivers had and other driver's best finishes and that sort of thing, and I was able to get through things okay.
When I walked away from the booth, I was already hearing people say they liked the way I was doing things. It's still a humbling experience to me. You have to earn the kind of respect that you get, and it means something. I'm not joking when I say that the Antioch Speedway history and its heritage means that much to me. It meant that much to me during the 10 years I was away from the sport. I always compiled the statistics for my records and kept track of things from afar. I even ghost wrote for the track during the entire 2010 season. So, even though I was away, I wasn't that far away.
After doing the 10 minutes, I knew things would work out. I had never done the Race O thing before, although I know it was big for years. That wasn't a problem. Well, it was and it wasn't. There's been a money giveaway that rolls over each week when nobody claims it. But, Linda Gustafson informed me that it had been given away the week before. We had shirts and hats to give away, which were pretty nice. I wish I could have set one of those shirts aside for myself, but those were for the fans.
It was only after everything had been given away that Wade showed up with the money and asked me if I had given it away. Well, no I hadn't. I was told there was no money. So, Wade counted the money, put it in an envelope to give to John or whomever. He asked for the microphone for a moment, which I was happy to do. He thanked me for filling in for him and thanked the fans and mentioned the places people could go to get information on the web. Standard stuff. Wade has put in at least five years at the speedway, and I can respect that. I've always gotten along well with him and made an effort to help when I could.
So, Curtis was up there with me testing the PA equipment during the week and assessing what was there and what was not. Everything seemed to be functional. I tried not to mess with any of the settings so as not to mess something up. There was no wireless microphone, but I saw no reason to have John go get one for the night. It was only when Curtis's assistant pointed out that he had gotten a wireless unit from the flea market that I decided to go ahead and get one myself. It was a cheap enough investment. Of course, it didn't work out so well due to the low noise level, which Wade had a nice little remark to make. I'm not so sure I couldn't get that to function if I had more time to work with sound levels, but like I said, we had a good enough stationary microphone to not mess up the settings.
Well, the National Anthem test that I did during the week seemed to be okay. I should have played it all the way through, which I didn't. It was the Lee Greenwood version, which John Myers had used in the past. On race day, of course it went wrong. Why not? We had a few little gremlins rear their ugly head, including the scoreboard going out. Wade did come up and fix that for us, which was nice. So, we get a couple of lines through the National Anthem, and the CD stops playing. Okay, I've been here before. I start singing and the crowd sings with me. Then, the CD started playing again, and I hit stop. I'll finish this one myself. You have to improvise in a moment like this, because the crowd expects to hear the National Anthem. I can assure you, I didn't come out there to sing it. At least it worked out in the end.
Then, I believe it was the six year old son of one of our security guards, had a birthday. The father had a birthday cake, which he brought up to the booth. I was expecting the boy to be up there and we would sing happy birthday, but he went over to the side of the grandstands closest to the entrance. This is the area in which I used to sit for many years. So, I decided to lead the crowd in singing Happy Birthday. There was one large Antioch Speedway shirt sitting in the booth, and I gave it to the young boy as a birthday present.
This was when I started having people stopping me as I walked back to the booth and being very complimentary of the job I was doing. It does mean something to know that the thing that you work so hard at gets that kind of appreciation. To me, Antioch Speedway deserves the best. And if I can't give them the best, get somebody else who can. But, they deserve the kind of effort that engages the crowd and lets them know about all of these great racers. That's what I've always tried to bring to the track.
Let me tell you, the race track was hooked up and racy for the night. The Main Events went in pretty rapid succession. We had some exciting moments, such as when the leader spun out in the Dwarf Car Main Event and then challenged the eventual winner in the end. Or, the moment Tanner Thomas made the last lap pass to get the lead in the B Modified feature. Or, Mark Garner winning his fifth Main Event of the season to secure the Limited Late Model championship. There was a lot of excitement to call, and I had a blast.
To be honest with you, if I'm involved in the sport, I would like to be announcing as well. But, to help keep the show going at Southern Oregon Speedway, I've done other things. I take a lot of pride in that too, because we've had success. I can't stay tethered to the booth in this particular situation, but working with a guy like Bryce Burtner, I know the microphone is in good hands.
So, the night went well. There was some criticism about adding a race to begin with. Also, people were wondering why it needed to be double points. In the end, it all worked out. A few positions changed hands, but it didn't affect the championship battles. The Limited Late Model race got very interesting early on, because Garner lost the point lead after the heat races. Knowing how fast Kimo Oreta is, I myself had doubts that Garner could pull it off. Sure, he could win, but my thought process was that Oreta would be right behind him at the finish. It didn't work out that way. Kimo is a good competitor, and he gave it his all. That was demonstrated early on when he won probably the most exciting heat race of the night. He'd been put into the front wall twice too, which may have had an impact in why his car broke in the Main Event.
I'm not going to comment too much on what's going on behind the scenes right now. My heart goes out to John after his wife of 58 years, Donna Soares, passed away. Under those circumstances, I don't know how you move ahead, but he has a desire to continue doing what he's doing. He's always taking the risks and paying for whatever losses out of his own pocket. The fairgrounds has the highest price of any other place in the state when it comes to that race track. It's not easy to keep a race track going in 2018, and you need to know that the person in charge will be there for the long haul.
There are other factors that go into this fairgrounds track. They've got their hands in other cookie jars these days that many promoters would prefer be left alone. It makes it harder to run the race track these days. One of my concerns is somebody with less experience coming into that track. If they absorb five or six bad weeks in a row, will they keep going? If they're not making enough money out of what they're doing, will they walk away? And if there becomes a revolving door promoter situation, which is a possibility, look at some of the other tracks that have suffered that fate. Do I need to spell it out? Running a race track is not a slam dunk.
I'm not going to comment on who may or may not come in there to try to do this race track. I don't know enough about any of that. I support John because he has shown the dedication that it takes to run a race track for 20 years. At one time, he was running three different tracks. He literally saved Merced Speedway from going dormant in 2010, which probably would have happened had he not stepped in. People want to point out every bad thing that he's done, and I'm not saying he hasn't made mistakes. But, you don't see a lot of people pointing out the good that he's done. That frustrates me.
I don't know where the future goes for Antioch Speedway or for me for that matter. A lot of things have been talked about that I can't comment on right now. However, I may have some things to say in the near future. People are going to ask me what I'm doing, and right now what I'm doing is writing. It's what I do, you know? There are some things that need to be wrapped up with the blog and some things that need to be done to wrap up the 2018 season at Southern Oregon Speedway as well.
Would I come back to Antioch Speedway? For those of you who know me, what do you think my answer is to that? I'll leave it with that cryptic response. I do sometimes look at the exit from all of this just because it takes a heavy toll on me. Then again, in the proper location where having a life at least one day during the week is a possibility, who knows? The important thing to me is that racing goes on at Antioch Speedway.
But, here's something I need to add. I care a great deal about Southern Oregon Speedway too. Whether I'm here in the future for the next year or five or gone tomorrow, I want the track to continue. I've made friends here, and I do like the people in the Medford area. I'm very proud of the hard work that I have put in here working side-by-side with Mike McCann. Mike is truly one of the great promoters, and he's not a guy who goes out there looking for the glory or anything. He just wants to know the job is getting done. He's left his mark on the sport. There are things people enjoy today because he got them started at certain tracks.
We have accomplished a lot in three years, but we haven't accomplished as much as we would have liked. There's more to be done up here. I do get a sense that people are understanding that we're not the bad guys here. We're the people working hard to make it better. And I can see people wanting to come back on board again. That matters. The track, or any track for that matter, doesn't have a fighting chance unless the racers step in and believe in it.
Siskiyou Motor Speedway could be in jeopardy. There may be a change in the works there, which I don't know enough about to comment too much. I will say this about the Siskiyou County Motorsports Association. Had it not been for them, there probably wouldn't have been 19 consecutive seasons, or whatever it's been, of racing. They stepped in and fought for this track after the 1990s saw a series of revolving-door promoters threaten the existence of the place.
Not only is there the question of the future of Siskiyou Motor Speedway, but what's going to happen with Diamond Mountain Speedway in Susanville? What is the future of Merced Speedway? One thing I will say about Merced is that at least the fairgrounds is committed to keeping racing going. The circumstances that have led to the situation was the loss of Ed Parker. it wasn't a question of the track not carrying its own weight. I do believe Merced Speedway will be back.
Racing in 2018 is not a slam-dunk folks. It can go away very quickly. That's the reality. There are tracks that open and close. You know, they wanted to get rid of Dave Swindell at Hanford. They succeeded. How steady has that race track been since his departure? Compared to what they had, I don't know that that race track is as good as it once was. It certainly had a stronger program back in his days.
I always go by the saying that as long as the gates continue to open, there's a chance for good things to happen. There are things I'd like to see done to improve the communication at Orland Raceway, for instance. However, Rich Hood stepped up and put his money where his mouth is. They are three seasons into this thing and it seems to be getting better. Progress. I have respect for Mr Hood.
Hayfork has racing because they have formed another association to keep it going. I certainly wish they would be more forthcoming with results. Orland, which doesn't do very well, does much better than Hayfork. It's hard to help get the word out when you don't know what the word is. But you know what? At least Hayfork has racing with the return of Mountain Valley Raceway this year. It can get better, because at least there's something out there to improve upon.
We've also seen over the last month that Rocky Hill Speedway is coming back. This race track has had a long heritage of over 70 years. And during the last 25, there's been difficult times. The track sat dormant for over a decade. People brought it back, but then there were more hard times. Sonny Sell has stepped in because he cares about that place. There's been a beautification effort made. New bleachers will be going up along the hillside. Progress. Though there are no official statements about what the future is, I won't be surprised to see some racing in 2018. Sonny is being cautious, and I totally understand that. He doesn't want to make promises he can't keep. I think he's got the right idea.
In my world are the big four tracks that I enjoyed as I was growing up in the sport. Antioch Speedway, Merced Speedway, Watsonville Speedway and Petaluma Speedway. And when you look at that lineup, you have to understand that two of those tracks could be taken away from us in the not-too-distant future. The good news is I've heard that Ocean Speedway and John Prentice will be back for at least three years of keeping the Watsonville track going. Rick Faeth at Petaluma signed an extension through 2022. Progress. The gates continue to open. Merced Speedway will have somebody in charge in 2019. Mark my words. We'll find out who that will be, but it will live.
When pushing for change, you have to be very careful. The change you get may not be the change you really need. The stability you had may go away, leaving the future in doubt. You can take a look at the sport in California. Take a look in Oregon as well. Yes, there are some tracks doing really good numbers, but the majority of tracks take it week to week. They have big nights and they have quite a few low nights as well. It's not a slam dunk running a race track in 2018. There are many factors that challenge racing that weren't there 20 years ago.
So, this is why I'm reluctant to see a movement to make a change at Antioch Speedway. When you're talking about an unproven entity on this level, you don't know how it can go. I can appreciate that some of the people looking have done things on a level lower than this, but this is a whole new ball game. There are more expectations here. It's a higher price tag. You also have to pay your drivers in all classes these days. You're running professional racing here. I'm not saying it's not possible for somebody on that level to step up. I'm just saying you're an unproven entity, and they would be taking a big risk on you.
One of my concerns with the Contra Costa County Fairgrounds Fair Board is that they're not doing their homework. I've been told by Mike McCann that the Fair Manager is the person who is supposed to do this. Well, the Fair Manager should be taking a look at fairgrounds tracks in the area. This would mean Petaluma, Watsonville, Merced and so on. Look at the numbers. Understand that they're not doing the numbers they once were. You're looking for the race track to run 25 to 30 races, and these other three tracks I just named run about 20 races a season. Because of the demand of the cost to run the place and what they expect, the promoter has been forced to run more races at Antioch than is really advisable in an effort to pay the bills. They've done that to keep the place open, and they've absorbed the losses that have come their way as well. Why? Love of the sport and a desire to see it continue.
The unknown in this process, and something that will become more known in a few weeks, is what other entities might be looking. What people who have been around the sport for a while running a race track might want to take this one on? I had a few names in mind, but I know that at least two of them appear to be sitting this one out. It's a high price tag to run Antioch Speedway. Bottom line. And when people really crunch the numbers, I know it will scare them off. So what does that mean for the future?
That I don't know. With John, I believe the effort will be made to maintain what's going on. With John you'll have somebody willing to pay the bills. The fairgrounds has an expectation for how much money they're going to get, and they'll get that from him. But, I also believe sometimes that their expectations are way too high. Because of that, it puts a lot of pressure on people coming in there. Once John were to retire from the sport, the next person will have a hard time meeting these levels. And unless the Fair Board is willing to lower their expectations a little bit, I don't know if the track has a fighting chance after that.
There are things that can be done to improve Antioch Speedway, and in my conversations with John, I see the things that he has planned as a positive for the track. The emphasis will be put more on quality of races versus quantity of races, rather than the other way around. Run less races and make them better. However, the fairgrounds still has their expectation of money. It's on the high end of five figures, and in reality, they want six figures. It's hard to reach those numbers when car counts are going down and crowd count isn't doing much better.
I know what some people are going to say. Bring change and the numbers will go up. Really? Is that a guarantee? When you're talking about racers, loyalty can sometimes go out the window. I witness this especially with the IMCA Modifieds, and it's not an Antioch thing. A race track my pay $1,000 to win or even more. Sure, everybody will crash the gates to support that show. Next week, it's $500 to win. Car count takes a huge dip as drivers head down the road to the other $1,000 to win race. We're talking drivers who live in that area and will tow somewhere else instead. Not an Antioch thing, an IMCA Modified thing.
People are going to say that they're not going back until such and such is gone. Sure. But you're dealing with people who got so mad that they would park, and therefore, they could park on the next guy too. It's because people want everything 100% the way they want it. They won't settle for 80% and say, "You know, it's not perfect, but at least we have it." No, they won't be happy with the 80%, they'll be unhappy with the 20%. It's just the way of the world. Get on Facebook and vent. Sometimes I don't think social media is such a good thing, but that's another subject.
So you get that change, and I've seen it. Car count can go up for a while under that circumstance. You might even see a few more butts in the seats. But sooner or later, the honeymoon is over. The love affair is gone. So if the driver isn't dedicated enough or can't get over the fact that it's not a 100% the way they like it, they disappear on you again. Then what happens? People are going to say change is inevitable, and I agree. It is. But you can't just accept change for change's sake. What are you getting with this change? Is it an improvement or just that we got rid of the other guy?
So, as I look at the whole process, I still support John. And it's not a shot at any other person who would come after the place. It really isn't. I don't know enough about all of the players in the game. I do know enough about John to say I respect him and what he's done for that race track through the years. I want that race track to continue to stay open. I know with him, you're going to get that effort. Keeping the gates open and keeping the track that I've loved for so many years available for others to enjoy is what matters most to me.
So, as I sit up here waiting for the word to come down, I am hopeful for a bright future for Antioch Speedway and racing in general. But I know things aren't what they once were too. This is for the sport in general. I stay involved for the 80% I do like and ignore the 20% that frustrates me. That's because I love the sport enough to fight for what's good in it. Time will tell where this whole thing is going fall, but I'm hopeful.
I cannot really comment on anything other than that. Where will I land? Right now I am just going to work on the writing effort and maybe start working on a project. That's about all I can do right now. The possibility of reviving a printed magazine was again presented to me. John is the owner of Racing Wheels magazine. Of course, the effort that I've been putting forth with the DCRR Racing Blog has almost been enough to fill a magazine. So, I'm already doing enough work to create content for a printed publication. But I do know the stress level that goes along with it.
It's not easy to do all of this, and I'm certainly not getting younger. I thought about having somebody I could work with and mentor, somebody younger with a little bit more drive and passion. And I do have people in mind, though I can't comment any further than that right now. Racing Wheels magazine? Could it live again? Could The DCRR be a printed magazine again? After all, The DCRR has been all over the Internet for the past four years with my weekly efforts during the season. Racing Wheels has recognition, despite being dormant for over a decade. What way would I go?
Of course, I'm somebody living from week-to-week who doesn't have the money to revive my own printed magazine. There are things I can do with print-on-demand, but otherwise I'm unable to bring my own brand back without the backing. With Racing Wheels, John is willing to support it. But how do you do it? I've seen the printing equipment that would make it a booklet type of thing similar to what my old magazine was, but would people prefer a newspaper format as they once had?
I would never rule out that possibility. There are potential options down in the Antioch area to make such a publication happen again. To be honest, if I wasn't as isolated as I am up here, there are also options to pursue here. It's only because it's not as easy for me to get to and from places here as it is down there that I was unable to entertain the possibility of bringing it back this year. But things could get interesting in the near future.
I don't know what any of that means just yet. I'm just settling in right now and trying to wrap up the racing media effort that we committed to way back in March of this year. I'm very pleased with how it's gone, imperfections and all. We'll see where it might go in 2019.
On that note, I'm going to wrap up this long-winded column. Until next time...
