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Pit Stops
It's an interesting time right now in the sport of auto racing, and a lot hangs in the balance. We will find out next week what will be happening with Antioch Speedway. The fairgrounds is accepting qualified bids to run the race track for the next five years. Merced Fairgrounds will also be accepting bids for the next promoter at Merced Speedway. There is also uncertainty in the air at Siskiyou Motor Speedway.
These decisions have a direct impact on what the racers and fans can expect at their respective tracks. Some may be calling for change and others may be calling to stay the course. Whatever the case, we'll find out very soon, and then we can get back to the business of running races.
For the past 20 years, John and Donna Soares have guided the good ship Antioch Speedway under the Oval Motorsports banner. Sadly, Donna passed away in October. Having spent his whole life in the sport, John is determined to put another bid in and keep running the speedway. We've heard that past Pure Stock, Street Stock and Limited Late Model competitor Jeremy Prince will be bidding for the track with Mikey Slaney, among others, involved on the team. We just recently heard that Prentice Motorsports Group has expressed an interest and there is a second experienced and well known promoter that is rumored to be looking. As we can only classify this as a rumor, we will keep that name out of it for now.
Love them or hate them, Oval Motorsports has done many good things for the speedway through the years. When they first came to the track, some of the biggest car counts competed at the speedway. With assistance from Don O'Keefe Jr and Don Martin II, the Wingless Spec Sprint division was started in 1999. The track continued to cultivate the divisions that were there and also added Limited Late Models. This was a sign of things to come as the Street Stock division was absorbed by the Limited Late Models by the end of last decade. The A Modifieds continue to be featured prominently, Sport Modifieds have been added to the equation, Hobby Stocks are now almost 25 years old and Winged 360 Sprint Cars and Late Models are also part of the show.
Antioch Speedway continued to hold big Modified shows through the years and also gave the fans a welcome surprise when the World of Outlaws were invited to race on multiple occasions. Soares continues to think big, while still offering the fans all of the stuff that they have become familiar with. Improvements were made around the facility, and more importantly, there was the commitment to keep the show going through good and bad times. Bills got paid, and racing continued at the Contra Costa County Fairgrounds.
So, what would a 22nd season under the current promotional team have to offer? Another blowout race is planned, and this one could be the biggest one in the speedway's history in terms of purse. It would hopefully attract an even bigger car count than seen before at one of these specials. Sanctioning is being entertained for certain divisions, which would probably go over pretty well with the drivers. Clean up and improvement around the facility, more of an effort to put out the word and stimulate interest and, perhaps the most important of all to the competitors, no big rule changes are being planned for the divisions. What you see is what you get.
This is important because the drivers have what they have. Currently, the All Star Series has the above mentioned divisions as well as Dwarf Cars. Sometimes it's not as easy as just getting another car. Drivers have what their budget allow. Picking a sampling of some of the driver's concerns, there are worries of certain divisions not continuing in the event of a change at the top. As this is something that we haven't verified through discussion with any of the potential candidates, we'll leave that as speculation for now.
The interest expressed by Jeremy Prince led to the speedway being put up for bid. Prince hasn't raced at the track for quite some time, but he was a front-runner in every division in which he competed. He has spent his time in recent seasons at Dixon Speedway, promoting the Micro Sprint racing program. Dixon was a community effort when it got started, meaning people were donating and supporting from various businesses in the hopes that the place would thrive. It also has a distinct Antioch Speedway flavor when you look at some of the names who have come through those gates through the years. Though the track is a 1/5 mile clay oval, there have been times when bigger cars, such as Mini Stocks and Dwarf Cars, have raced and a few other classes have held practice laps.
Though we're not privy to whatever plans Jeremy has for the racing program, he has been vocal in his belief that changes that he would bring to the track would lead to more fans in the stands and more drivers in the pits. The fair board was intrigued enough with what he was saying that the place went out for bid, and we are looking at the possibility of change at the top for the future.
Prentice Motorsports Group took over Ocean Speedway and has kept the Watsonville area track going despite the threats against it for the past few seasons. A criticism from the Stock Car crowd is that the track has seemed to shift focus more towards Sprint Car racing, but it should also be pointed out that two of the biggest events of the season are Stock Car oriented. But the fact that Prentice would put a little bit more focus on having big Sprint Car races should not be downplayed.
Prentice Motorsports Group currently owns the longest running Winged 360 Sprint Car Series in California, the Civil War Series. He has also started the All Star Modified Series for the IMCA Modifieds, and it's a good bet that both series would see dates at Antioch under his leadership. It's also safe to say that the IMCA sanctioning would return for the Modifieds and Sport Modified divisions. There might be certain divisions currently on the roster that would be on shaky ground, though we won't speculate on this.
What Prentice offers that Prince does not is experience as a promoter on this level with a proven record. At one time, Prentice also owned the King of the West and Hunt Wingless Spec Sprint Series, and he guided them for a brief time before they moved on to other promoters. He's not a man who shies away from taking risks to help keep racing going.
We can't speculate too much on what a Prentice guided Antioch Speedway might look like, and likewise we can't speculate on the name of the other promoter with experience who might be looking. That particular person has been rumored throughout the season, but to our knowledge, they haven't submitted a proposal as of yet. They would have until Monday to do so, but it is possible that they will do just that.
People are going to speculate on who will run the track and who would be best for the job. This is something we have certainly not shied away from in the past. Our support remains behind Oval Motorsports with an understanding that eventually change will come at the speedway. However, given the revolving-door situation that some tracks have experienced, we just want the right choice to be made for the future. What is important is that racing continues at Antioch Speedway.
The Prentice announcement was a bit of a surprise as we have been speculating as to who might take a look at Merced Speedway. We heard late last week that Prentice had inquired about that race track as well, which raises the intriguing question. Is John Prentice seeking to run three tracks in 2019, and can he pull it off? Given the challenge the Civil War Sprint Car Series has faced in light of the Sprint Car Challenge Tour coming in, having two other tracks would seem to be a positive for the oldest Winged 360 Sprint Car sanctioning in Northern California. Plus, the All Star IMCA Modified Series would have two other places to visit. With Merced, you also have a natural working relationship that has done well between there and Watsonville through the years.
As of now, all we know is that Prentice inquired about Merced. We also know that the Merced fair board sent out registered letters to various potential promoters in the hopes of generating some interest from somebody who knows what it takes. The two names we've heard rumored as interested in Merced Speedway are longtime racer Chris Shannon and the Stone family. Ramie Stone has been helping with the race track prep this year. Both groups are respected by the community and seem like good picks. No big changes would likely be offered, and none are really needed. We also strongly believe in the Merced County Fairgrounds' commitment to keep racing going. They've always maintained a good relationship with their race track. Therefore, you can rest assured that racing should continue there in 2019.
The Siskiyou County Motorsports Association has held the reigns of Siskiyou Motor Speedway since 2000. This was forced upon them due to the revolving-door promoter situation the track had in the 1990s. Racers enjoyed competing locally so much that they fought to keep the track open. That necessitated organizing the association and doing everything they could to raise the funds each year and keep the gates open.
With an association, you have more people involved in keeping it functional, and sometimes human nature has taken over. A couple of times the association's back was against the wall. This happened again during the offseason prior to this past season when funds came up missing. Undaunted, the association elected new officers and kept the show going this season.
There was still a need to raise money to pay for some things, and the season was further hampered by the fact that rain ended two shows as everything was under way. Also, there was the cancellation of the big Sprint Car show as fire crews used the fairgrounds as a base. The season still went to a conclusion and they will be honoring champions at the awards banquet on Saturday night.
What's subject to speculation is where the track goes from here. The association is still making plans to open the gates and working on making things bigger and better in 2019. However, there have been rumors regarding the future. One report is that the fair board is looking for potential bidders to run the race track, and we have heard of one person who was contacted in the area who has declined the opportunity.
On October 16th, the big track and the kart track were both listed as separate items on the fair board meeting agenda. What we don't know is how that meeting went as minutes have not been posted. There was also a meeting on September 18th in which Tony Cunial was among the representatives of the kart track. Cunial even expressed his opinion that the little track should be separated from the SCMA contract because of problems that have occurred. This led to further discussion about the little track and its impact on the community. Fair CEO Cliff Munson gave some background on the kart track and auto racing contracts and mentioned that nothing would be decided until both contracts expired at the end of October.
It was added that no indoor kart racing would happen until after December 31st as the indoor arena has been booked. It was also pointed out that the fairgrounds could financially get by without having racing, but it is a good community event. With both tracks on the agenda for the October 16th meeting, it's likely that other interesting thoughts were expressed, but where things go in the future is still in question.
Most racing enthusiasts in the Yreka area would agree that racing needs to continue in 2019. Though this season was at times challenging, at least it went on. Obviously, there's room for improvement, but there's also a desire among the board members to improve on everything as they overcome the obstacles that made this year such a challenge.
Saturday's order of business is the annual awards banquet. There will be a bigger recap article for Siskiyou Speedway in the future, but we do know that champions will be crowned in the IMCA Sport Modified and Mini Stock divisions. Also, the Calculated Comfort Outlaw Pro Stock competitors have been invited to be a part of this banquet with the Top 8 drivers and a hard luck driver being awarded. A few members of the SCMA were at the Outlaw Pro Stock awards banquet in Klamath Falls on October 20th.
Briefly, Trevor Tiffee and longtime friend Ryder Boswell were the ones battling at the top of the IMCA Sport Modified standings, but Tiffee prevailed for his first championship aboard a car that he has affectionately named Eleanor. Tiffee will be retiring that car and bringing a new one out for 2019. He was a Main Event winner earlier this year, and likewise, Boswell won his first career feature on his way to a second place point ranking. Both drivers are SCMA members and will therefore be among those honored at the banquet.
In the past, there has been somewhat of a controversy among IMCA members and those who also join the SCMA. Joining the SCMA helps the association keep things going and also leads to benefits that the drivers receive during the year, including pit admittance discounts and the right to vote on association matters. It would seem to be in the racer's best interest to support this, but we've had IMCA champions in the past who opted not to join. Therefore, they were awarded with whatever IMCA advertises, but the association didn't honor their accomplishments at the banquet with trophies. Boswell and Tiffee were strong supporters of the association this year, and the Boswell family has a record of being supportive and working hard to keep things going.
Marilyn Yawnick set out to score her third straight Mini Stock championship, and that's exactly what she did. Once again, she was very consistent, and this time she held off teammate "Magic" Mike Whitaker for the honors. Whitaker give it a valiant effort as he was hoping the numbers would play in his favor. He too was looking for his third championship, having won titles in 2010 and 2014. Unfortunately for him, he would settle for a close second with another past champion, "The Holy Terror" Terry Kendrick, ending up third. Kendrick also supported the show with multiple cars. It was nice to see the youth movement at work in a good rookie and fourth place point position battle between Zac McMurray and Darek Alford. Alford was a feature winner this season, but McMurray was a bit more consistent with his finishes earlier in the season to snag top rookie and fourth place honors.
The Outlaw Pro Stock Association champion will be Dr. Scott Lenz. Lenz won all but two of the Yreka races, so it's not a surprise. The consistent Scott Flowers will end up second in the final run down with third going to Matt Harlow. The association's decision to honor the Pro Stock drivers stems from the fact that they gave great support in car count throughout the season. It is hoped that this relationship will continue between the two groups in 2019 and beyond.
Banquet season is kicking off this weekend as the Coos Bay Speedway competitors will be honored this Saturday as well. Once again, we will do a season recap article later, but NASCAR Whelen All American Series point fund money will go out along with trophies for the top competitors. The NASCAR point fund money is listed at $15,000 among the Division 1 through Division 4 classes. Brody Montgomery will pocket $5,500 for his Super Late Model championship. He was never seriously threatened in his bid to win the title as Thor Kristensen settled for second for the second time in the last three years. Dyllan Siewell repelled a late-season surge by two-time champion Wayne Butler to win the $1,000 Sportsman Late Model championship. Ken Fox won the $700 championship for the Street Stocks ahead of the consistent David Smith, and rookie Tyler Tullos captured the $500 championship in the Hornets division in an impressive season that saw him outrun April Warmack and Hannah Robison, who were second and third respectively. Sam Talon repeated as the Mini Outlaw champion, and Brett Hulsey won the Winged Sprint Car title ahead of 2017 champion Lawrence Van Hoof and two-time champion Dave May, who surprised the field with his win in the ISCS Sprint Car finale to end the season. Saturday night will be a night to celebrate as plans are already underway for the 2019 season.
The Outlaw Pro Stock division did get to make a visit to Coos Bay Speedway as well as calling Siskiyou Motor Speedway their home track in 2018. Roy Bain has been spearheading an idea along with Nevada Outlaw Pro Stock representative Gordon Russell Jr. This would be called the Tri State Series. But, the effort has the added desire of trying to put the rules in line between the various groups. Obviously, the more places a driver knows that they can bring their cars, the better it is for the longevity of the division. As it is now, the proposed series would honor each association's rules.
Targeted dates include the Billy Geyer Memorial Race at Siskiyou Motor Speedway and the Gordon Russell Sr Memorial Race at Cedarville Speedway. The latter race is what brought motorsports back to Cedarville after a lengthy absence. Russell's father raced at the speedway for years, and Gordon was quick to point out when they announced the first event that this race was as much to honor all of the people who helped make the place special. With these two dates secured, a date in Nevada and a potential date at Southern Oregon Speedway would give them four dates to shoot for in 2019.
What's interesting is that when this series was proposed, longtime Marysville area Stock Car competitor Jerry Bartlett declared his interest. Bartlett has competed at many race tracks in the area and is a past Orland and Marysville champion. In recent seasons, he's competed in the IMCA Sport Modified division, but he has a desire to go back to his roots. Bartlett also opened a big door for the Pro Stock movement when he negotiated a date for the group with Tony Noceti at Stockton 99 Dirt Speedway. This has the potential to be a huge series, and we're eagerly anticipating the announcement of the schedule and the other particulars.
We've remarked in the past that it seemed only a matter of time before a Hobby Stock series was proposed in California. Actually, when IMCA dropped the hammer on the Sport Modified Challenge Series after one season, we thought some of the people involved might turn to the Hobby Stocks. As it turns out, we're hearing reports of past Chowchilla Speedway promoter Tom Sagmiller putting together a five race Hobby Stock series that would take place at four dirt tracks and one pavement track. Significant sponsorship money has also been secured, and the idea would be to make all of these races special events at the various tracks.
Already on board for the pavement track is Madera Speedway. At Bakersfield Speedway, the series will come to town and support the annual Richie McGowan Memorial Race. At Watsonville, the series would come to town to support the annual Mike Cecil Memorial Race. At Santa Maria Raceway, the series would be a part of the annual Danny Simkins Memorial. We are still waiting for confirmation on the other date, although Antioch Speedway was discussed. Much like what they're doing with the Pro Stock Series, this series would allow drivers to run their set of rules at whatever track for these selected events.
There are still some loose ends to be tied up with a few races before some people completely close the book on the 2018 season. Several California competitors are gearing up to bring their IMCA Modifieds and IMCA Sport Modifieds to Las Vegas for the annual event there. Well over 100 IMCA Modified drivers have already signed up for the race that will pay $7,777 to the winner. The IMCA Sport Modified division has seen over 50 drivers register for a race that will pay $1,777 to the winner.
At Stockton 99 Dirt Speedway, it's time for the 35th Annual Gary Patterson Memorial Race. It's a two-day show that kicks off with a $2,500 to win Winged 360 Sprint Car race along with the season finale for the Hunt Wingless Spec Sprint Series and Dwarf Cars. On Saturday night, it is the season finale for The King of the West/NARC Fujitsu 410 Sprint Car Series. The Sprint Car Challenge Tour will also have their season finale. It's interesting to note that Kyle Hirst leads both series, and he's out to see if he can get a double feature win. If he were able to pull that off, he would pocket over $10,000 for the weekend. Hirst leads Shane Golobic by just 16 points in the close King of the West Series championship battle.
Gary "The Preacher" Patterson was a popular and well-respected competitor, and this event will be special. On Friday, several open-wheel legends will be on hand to sign autographs for the fans. This is the last opportunity in the northern California area to enjoy a big Sprint Car show. After that, you need to head down south for the wingless action of the USAC Sprint Cars and Midgets at Perris Auto Speedway and Ventura Raceway.
Stockton 99 Pavement Speedway ran an Open Wheel program this past Saturday and Sunday nights. In a bid to establish a Winged Sprint Car presence, the track booked several Gunslinger Winged 410 Sprint Car Series races. We have heard that the final two races last weekend would conclude a championship season, but we haven't heard who the champion ended up being. We do know that the Saturday show featured a 13 car field with Allan Hutchison winning that race in a good battle with Audra Saselli and Eric Humphries. 11 competitors returned on Sunday, and Saselli won that race ahead of Gordon Rodgers and Hutchison. Rodgers, Humphries, AJ Russell and Justin Kawahata are the other four feature winners this season. We suspect that the championship might have come down between Rodgers and Russell, but we've had no confirmation.
In addition to the Legends of Kearney Bowl Super Modifieds and USAC Speed 2 Midgets, the BCRA Midgets ended their 2018 season as part of the doubleheader. On Saturday night, Jesse Love IV picked up what would be his third straight Stockton victory. Love got the win ahead of Chad Nichols, Cody Gerhardt, David Goodwill and Mark Malipaard. The Sunday win went to Gerhart, but Nichols clinched the BCRA Pavement championship in second. Dylan Noble, Malipaard and Skeeter Flake rounded out the Top 5. Maria Cofer will be the BCRA Dirt champion, while the Overall championship goes to Love.
The USAC Speed 2 Midgets were on hand for both events, and Toni Breidinger returned to be a double winner on the weekend. Breidinger won the Saturday show by taking the lead from Overall Series point leader Adam Lemke on lap 19 and bringing it home to victory. She was followed by Lemke, second-ranked competitor Joey Iest, Dylan Tucker and Bryant Bell. Breidinger was on a roll, and she again made a late pass on Lemke to steal the victory on Sunday. Lemke fell from first to third on the last lap as Iest finished second. Tucker and Bell completed the Top 5 .
In Marysville, the H&H Trenching Gold Fever/Sprint Car Spooktacular event brought down the curtain on another season. There were 27 Winged 360 Sprint Car competitors doing battle for the $2,000 prize. Not surprisingly, Chico and Placerville champion Andy Forsberg got the win ahead of Civil War Series champion Cole Macedo, Cody Hodgson, Sean Becker and Michael Ing. Ing had to win the B Main ahead of long-time Sprint Car competitors Mike Monahan and Pat Harvey Jr to get into the Main Event.
The Wingless Spec Sprint Main Event prize money went from $500 to win to $700 to win due to a field of 10 cars. Jake Morgan won a close battle with Antioch Speedway point runner-up Shannon Newton for the impressive victory. Peter Paulson, Brent Youngman and Petaluma Speedway competitor Tony Bernard completed the Top 5 . The Crate Sprints were challenged to bring 10 cars for an increased purse, but they managed 7 for the $400 to win Main Event. Tim Sherman Jr grabbed that victory by a comfortable margin ahead of Jeff Macedo, Cameron Haney Jr, Jaylon Deas and Mike Sayre.
The indoor racing season has begun, and there's some interesting news to report from the Red Bluff Outlaws. In the 500 Open Kart division, Tanner Holmes scored his first win in this class at Red Bluff. Holmes had a phenomenal end to his season in the Kendal Oil Winged Sprint Car division out at Southern Oregon Speedway by winning the last two point races at the track. His win in the finale was even more impressive considering he went from fifth to the win within the final seven laps using an impressive outside groove effort.
Dixon Speedway is preparing for the 6th Annual Lonnie Kaiser Memorial event on Friday and Saturday. We mentioned that over 50 competitors in three classifications of Micro Sprints ran the point season finale on the 20th of October. Kyle Mentch walked away with the 600 Super Micro championship ahead of Dillon Horsley and Jeff Rosas. Danny Carroll won the Wingless Micro 600 championship by a wide margin ahead of Petaluma competitor George Nielsen, who held off Angelina Dempsey by just seven points for second. The 600 Restricted class had the closest battle at the top as Brandon Riveira won his championship by just seven points over Matthew Tatoole. Jeffrey Pahule finished third in the standings. A huge field of competitors is anticipated this weekend as the Lonnie Kaiser Memorial event is one of those shows that everybody wants to be a part of.
While we wait to find out who will be promoting Merced Speedway next year, we do know that the first Saturday of January will be banquet night. They will be celebrating some great championship racing all the way around. Darrell Hughes II won the IMCA Modified championship as he got hot late in the season and pulled away from Brian Pearce and Ramie Stone, who finished second and third respectively. Jeremy Hoff won a close IMCA Sport Modified battle with Danny Roe and Bruce Nelson. Kodie Dean won most of the races, but he still had to take it to the season finale to defeat the consistent Shannon Nelsen in the Hobby Stock division. It was Allen Neal winning a close battle with Lee Ragsdale for the Mini Stock championship. Timmy Crews won the California Sharp Mini Late Model championship, and Watsonville Hall of Famer Jerry Cecil is the Valley Sportsman champion. All in all, there were a lot of great things that happened on the track at Merced Speedway, though the racers moved on with heavy hearts after promoter Ed Parker passed away.
We've heard nothing about point racing at Keller Auto Speedway in Hanford. However, it was just revealed on their Facebook page that there will be a January 12th awards banquet honoring the King of Kings Winged 360 Sprint Car, IMCA RaceSaver 305 Sprint Car, IMCA Stock Car and Mini Stock champions. There is no trace of the Sprint Car or Mini Stock point standings, but they will be posted soon.
We know that Jason Cook won the lion's share of the Mini Stock races with Andy Boydston and Clinton Massey also among the winners. But who won the championship remains to be seen. You can venture to the IMCA webpage and find that Brock Hamilton won the IMCA Stock Car title ahead of Alan Mendes and Preston Martin. Hanford is where the IMCA Stock Car movement started on the West Coast, and it continues to have success with a growing car count. The RaceSaver Sprint Cars ran at several different venues, so we wait to see if there will be an actual Hanford champion crowned. The California State point race was won by Grant Duinkerken ahead of fourth generation racers Albert Pombo and Michael Pombo.
The ending of the point seasons at the various venues doesn't just signal a break and preparations for the annual awards banquets. It's also the start of racing Silly Season. Drivers will be buying new cars and making moves into different classes, but it's an even more active offseason when it comes to determining who will be running certain race tracks. There is sure to be more news in the days ahead.
The Editor's Viewpoint
I'm going to try my best not to drone on this time. Actually, I debated about whether I even wanted to go ahead with these columns, but considering what's going on right now, I felt like it was necessary to put something out there.
At the moment, I'm in a bit of a holding pattern regarding my future. I'm not sure where things are going for me in 2019. Will I be more active in the sport, less active or maybe not at all? I don't know. I can't say much at this time. I will point out that this is not an indication of any other changes at any of the racing venues that I have been a part of in the last year. This only pertains to me and where I will be. I hope to have some confirmation soon, whatever that might be.
Personally, wherever I might go down the road, I only hope for the best for the sport. Even if I'm not involved, I want it to be successful and to continue to be a place where kids can go to enjoy a good night of racing and dream about what they can maybe one day be. Maybe they want to be a driver like somebody they're cheering for on the track, or maybe it inspires them to reach for their own goals.
I also point out that I'm not against any promoter who makes a real effort to promote racing. I've always had an understanding of what they go through to keep the gates open, but my education in recent years has led me to an even deeper understanding. It's not easy. You go through a lot as the promoter of a race track, and this is a job that's not for everybody.
I have deliberately been mum on the subject of Antioch Speedway and its future. I know it has one. There will be racing in the future. There's too much money coming through those gates for the fairgrounds to shut that place down. The bottom line, however, is they are seeing dollar signs where perhaps there isn't. They're already getting more money than any other fairgrounds with regards to the race track on the location. And they see more money. They want more money. They're not looking at things that in my estimation they should be looking at it.
I am an unapologetic supporter of John Soares, his family and Oval Motorsports, but this is deeper than that. I'm not going to point out that the bills have been paid and they've done well with him for 20 years. What I am going to say is what the fair board is not doing is taking a look at the sport in general and how it has undeniably gone downhill in the past decade. A lot of people think that if you would just do this one thing or that one thing, instantly it's going to be better. Reality is, there's a lot more to it than that.
If the fair officials would take a look at various venues in the area, they would note that they struggle to get fans in the grandstands. Sometimes they struggle for car count. That's the way of a lot of tracks. You have to have a love of the sport to take on the challenge of being a promoter. It will wear you down and it will beat you down. When you have successes, you can't sit back and enjoy them, you have to get back in there and figure out how to do it again.
I am of the opinion that we can do better at Antioch Speedway in the future. I've had conversations with John on this topic when I visited, and I like some of the things he was talking about doing. I think he has a mind to make one final run at things and show the world. There are some good people who are working with him, but there's room for improvement too. People need to be involved for the right reasons, and I think that's part of the problem that has hit the track in recent years.
Could there be more people in the stands? Yes. There's a lot of potential. The track has seen its better days, but we're also in 2018, going on 2019. It's not easy. You can't look at racing through the eyes of somebody 30 years ago. You might have been there then, but things have changed. So, to get the numbers up, you have to try many different things, and you have to keep at it. You need to forge relationships and reach out to the community around you. You use every tool at your disposal, and you work hard.
The investment that Oval Motorsports has made in that race track is not insignificant. There has been a commitment. There have been various times when John has even stepped in to try and help other race tracks become successful. The most notable in these efforts is Merced Speedway. It's never been lost on me that the 2010 season might not have happened there had it not been for John. It has not been lost on me that the people's concern about the unsafe conditions on the back straightaway were addressed when John completely redid the track. But this isn't about talking about the many things that he has done.
The fair board is entertaining the idea of change. This doesn't necessarily mean that they will change the people running that race track. What they're out for is more money first and foremost. They'll go with the person that they think can get them the most money, or at least that's the theory. What I worry about is lack of vision and understanding on the fair board's part putting that race track in a position where it fails. One wrong move, and things can get much worse than they are now.
We are at the end of an era at Antioch Speedway. Whether it continues for another five years or however long, the time will come when we have a changing of the guard at the top. The Soares family's place in racing history is undeniable. Sure, there have been things people didn't like about them, but they have brought an awful lot of good. There's nothing left to prove, and John could walk away today and be assured that he did his best and did many good things in his time. But I think there's also a bit of a concern on his part. Will things be okay when he walks away?
I've heard John say that he might end up being the last promoter at the speedway. When he says something like that, people start thinking he wants to kill this race track. But that's not really what he saying. What he's saying is he wonders if people fully understand what it takes to run that track. And I think that had John been able to find the right person who was willing to invest and learn from him, it's possible that he might have sold Oval Motorsports to that next person, secure in the knowledge that things would go on.
I'm not a mind reader. I'm not psychic. I have no idea what to expect when the fair board people grade the proposals that will have been turned in by the Monday deadline. I know that John and Oval Motorsports will submit their proposal. And I know that the board knows that when he says he's going to do whatever it is, they can take that to the bank. I know that Jeremy Prince and his people are taking a serious look at the place, and they have money behind them to back up their effort. For me to comment anymore on that would be unfair to Jeremy as I don't know what it is he will do if he gets his chance. I've heard the talk that they can put more fans in the stands and more cars in the pits, but this would be his first try on the big stage. That is with all due respect to Dixon Speedway, which has lesser demand than a place like Antioch Speedway.
I've had a name in the back of my mind that I still feel may go after Antioch Speedway, and it's a potential game changer. But because this person hasn't expressed public interest, I don't think it's fair to name the name. This person stepping in would probably be a Sprint Car friendly promoter. But speaking of which, I have been told that John Prentice of Prentice Motorsports Group is interested in making a bid.
This would not be the first time that John has looked at Antioch. There was the matter of 2009. But what makes this interesting is that my sources tell me that he's looking at Merced Speedway as well and has called them in that regard. Prentice has a history of promoting on the bigger level that cannot be denied. He's put on some huge races at Ocean Speedway in Watsonville for over a decade, and the track continues to live on despite certain neighbors trying to shut those gates. In fact, the word was that he just got a three-year contract extension there.
Can John Prentice win one or both of these bids? And if so, how is he going to run these places? He can't be there all the time, so he would have to delegate authority to certain people. I've heard of names linked to him at Antioch Speedway in the past that could be associated with an effort in 2019. I have even fewer doubts that he's got somebody down in Merced who could help him guide the ship. So, what's his game plan? What's he up to? Will he really be submitting bids? It's almost go time and all will be revealed.
As the editor and considering this is a column where I'm allowed to freely express my opinion, my hope Is that Oval Motorsports retains the track for another five years. I think that given the body of work and the good that has come, it's deserved. I say that not because of a dislike for anybody else I know is going after the track or who may go after the track. First and foremost, racing must continue. This is the track that sparked my love of auto racing to begin with. My opinion is that John gives it the best chance to keep moving forward.
Knowing what I know about the whole process, I'm disappointed to see that it was an untested entity that allowed for the track to go out to bid rather than Oval Motorsports getting the five-year option as I believe should have been the case. However, I certainly don't fault the fair board for looking around and seeing what else is out there. And if an untested entity inquiring about the race track enabled them to throw it out to bid to see who else might be interested, they were ready to take that chance.
What they have learned very clearly now is how much money has been invested by Oval Motorsports to improve the facility and what will be going away in the event that Oval Motorsports is not in charge of the track in the future. It doesn't come cheap running a race track. And certainly, when you get into heavily populated areas such as Antioch, it becomes more of a challenge and more expensive. I'm very curious where this is going to go.
I'm certainly not in a predicting mood right now. And, I freely admit that my respect and friendship of Soares might cloud my judgment a little bit on this. I've been saying for a while now that I am relatively certain that there won't be a change in who's promoting the track. I give it 80%, but I can't say 100%. It's mainly due to the fact that I don't know who all might be coming in that has experience. And if they make the right proposal, all bets are off.
Sometimes change at the top is necessary to move forward. I certainly understand that. One of the effects that a change can have on the track is which divisions are going to be competing. Divisions are going to change depending on what happens. I can say with relative certainty that the divisions you saw last season will be there next season under Oval Motorsports. It's more about how you book a schedule, what divisions might get more or less dates and what sanctioning may be used for certain divisions. Believe it or not, there's been discussion on sanctioning and the possibility that too many dates are being booked at the speedway, and John is keen on making some big improvements geared toward getting people excited about the place again.
John's been going through a difficult time right now, and I don't know if people can appreciate the fact that he has lost his wife of 58 years. It's one of those moments when you've lost a piece of yourself. How do you move on at that point? John probably wasn't as focused on that race track as he should have been heading into the season, but under the circumstances, I understand. He also had people in place that he thought could guide things when he wasn't completely focused on them. When he started to look and see what was and wasn't happening, that's when he realized that things needed to change for the future. This is also when things changed regarding what the fairgrounds would be doing. The movement began to put the track up for bid. Then, John lost his wife.
Through it all, he has looked at things and has freely admitted that he can make it better. What I saw from him when I was there for my visit was a desire to make the kind of effort that perhaps you haven't seen from him in a few years. Also, there seems to be a desire to make some changes in the personal that will usher in the newer vision and give it the best chance to be successful. And given the history regarding John and his family, it leaves me feeling pretty good about how things will be if he remains in charge.
I can tell you that if called upon to help the effort to build the excitement and get people back to Antioch Speedway, I'm prepared to do what I can do. What I've done over the past three years, in my own opinion, is not nearly enough. But, given the opportunity to do what I believe I have in my ability to do, I'll give 100% of myself to the cause of restoring people's confidence in the track. I don't know if we can recapture the real glory days of this track or any track for that matter, but I also know that you won't get anywhere if you don't try.
What I've learned at Southern Oregon these past three years is that one thing you need to do is engage the fans and the racers. The basic thing we have to understand is related to money. Why should I spend my hard-earned money to come spectate? Why should I spend my hard-earned money to come out there and compete? And if you don't give them a good reason, you won't get their patronage. You have to earn that, and it's different than it used to be. It's a never-ending job.
Back in the day, If you set things in motion properly, you could almost be on automatic pilot and watch as the crowd and racers came back. I'm not saying you didn't do anything, but efforts could go into different areas, and you knew the people were coming. But in this information age where people are on social media and walking around with smart devices, many things are competing for their attention. Many things come across that screen during the course of a day that are looking for them to open their wallets and give their money to that instead. You have to take this into account when you are trying to spread the good word.
Social media has played a big part in what I've done to work with Mike McCann in turning around the Southern Oregon Speedway program. The place was so far down in terms of the confidence that the racers and fans had in it that it was in danger of not being able to continue. With a guy like John Skinner in charge, there was certainly very much negative around that track. To me, it's a shame, because that track may not have seen the light of day without him. What kept things afloat in his final years was the fact that he would spend whatever money needed to be spent. But, the effort to attract people got lesser and lesser to the point where people stopped caring.
This is where we came in. I already knew that social media was something that needed to be engaged in, and Facebook became a very important tool. On race day, I was very active, because my theory was that people whose plans might have been cancelled on Saturday might see posts about racing and decide at the last minute to come to the track. When you're making later posts on Facebook and watching 20 minutes later as people are arriving, you begin to wonder if you're not on the right track.
Media outlets get articles, and that includes printed media. On about a half-dozen occasions, we've been on TV with simple video footage that I shot from my phone camera and a little bit about what was planned for the night. You have to try it all. What we also added to the equation this year was the Facebook Boost, which is a very inexpensive form of advertising that helps get your message to a wider audience within the radius of the track. Numbers went up some more. Compared to traditional means of advertisement, such as printed media, radio and TV, the Boost on Facebook seemed to be the most effective.
In addition to the social media effort, I really engaged in a non stop media campaign. My brief racing articles went out immediately following the races, and my more detailed articles came out a couple of days later. These were the ones written in the style of Gary Jacob. Results and points were up and easy to access. People didn't have to wonder what was going on. It was in the stories. It was in the preview articles. A little bit more was written in the Pit Stops articles. I also did a weekly audio show devoted exclusively to Southern Oregon Speedway. Does it make a difference? Without getting into specific numbers, attendance has gone up since we got here by some 40%. We have worked very hard for that.
There are areas that I certainly believe Antioch Speedway can improve upon. And I think if some of these things were tried, it would get people back. But just as it was with Southern Oregon Speedway, you're not going to do this and instantly see everybody show up. It's a little bit at a time, hard work and sometimes you might end up a little bit humiliated or feeling beat down from the negativity. You have to keep focused on what it is you're there for and your love of the sport, and you should remember that the majority of people are with you and don't vocalize it. Negative people seem to have the time on their hands to throw the hate at you.
And here I am getting wordy, which I said I wasn't going to do...
The bids are up at Merced Speedway and Siskiyou Motor Speedway for very different reasons. Merced Speedway has to seek change due to the passing of Ed Parker. I'm not so worried about Merced, because the fairgrounds has a commitment to that track. Of the names that I'm hearing that are interested in this track, Stone, Shannon, Prentice, I don't feel worried. I believe that having somebody local running the race track has some merit. Therefore, Stone or Shannon could do the job. Yeah, they've never run a race track before, but they've been around the sport long enough. Experience does still play a big part in the grading that goes into the proposals.
Therefore, John Prentice might seem to be the man to beat. He's looked at this track before. He looked prior to the 2010 season. The one thing he can offer is unity between Watsonville and Merced. Drivers tend to go to both tracks since they run on different nights, and what he can do is strengthen the unity between the tracks. He can also offer Merced fans some Sprint Car racing and even one or two of the big All.Star Series Modified races. He also has people from the Merced area that he can rely on to help run the program. The only thing that's left to be seen is whether he puts in the bid.
What's interesting is it's at least possible based on talk right now that Prentice could be running three tracks in 2019. These are the three tracks that once were officially linked together, Watsonville, Merced and Antioch. It wasn't too long ago that he was rumored to be on his way out of sport after facing backlash from his Civil War crowd, which resulted in the formation of the big Sprint Car Challenge Tour that runs its finale at Stockton this weekend. Prentice ended up selling the King of the West and Hunt Sprint Car Series, but otherwise he licked his wounds and got back to work.
It's not unusual to see a fairgrounds send out letters to potential promoters to find out if they're interested, and it happened with Merced Speedway. Several qualified promoters have received letters, and they're hoping that somebody with experience steps in. Because of the numbers, Merced Speedway might seem a more attractive deal for a potential promoter. They may have the cleanest, nicest looking racing facility in California and a Fairgrounds that works with the race track. Drivers have shown a willingness in recent seasons to support the track, and the biggest concern right now needs to be filling those grandstands with more fans and figuring out ways to accomplish that goal.
Siskiyou Motor Speedway could see a new promotional effort in 2019. As I'm writing this, the contract expires between the Siskiyou County Motorsports Association and the fairgrounds. When other promoters seemed to have given up after a challenging decade of the 1990s, the association stepped forward to make sure they would continue running races from 2000 to the present.
The association got screwed, although I'm amazed they let it happen. How the treasurer managed to walk away with so much money without the president knowing what was going on is something I don't quite understand. As the president, don't you want to see total proof of where the money is going? You're the one who is ultimately in charge with the treasurer as the one delegated to writing the checks and making sure that business gets taken care of. But it happened. It's not the first time that's ever happened with the association, and they bounced back the last time. I think they probably believed that they would do so again.
But last season was a brutal season for a lot of reasons. They still owed money and were working feverishly to try and pay it back. Then, car count took a dive in the IMCA Sport Modifieds right when it looked like the division was really taking off. Some of it was due to people who were unhappy, and other cases were that people were looking to do other things. The track had already watched as the IMCA Modified division died on it. That left only the Mini Stocks. The track was fortunate enough to schedule the Calculated Comfort Outlaw Pro Stocks for several dates as they needed a home track.
Momentum was hard to come by this year. At the early part of the season, when fans are really interested and drivers don't have anywhere to go, the numbers looked good on two occasions when it started raining midway through the program. Later on in the season, they lost the popular Sprint Car race due to the fire crews using the fairgrounds as a base. The season was not as productive as hoped, but they still soldiered through by running every other race that they had scheduled.
You can bet that the association is going over their game plan to continue running the track. We've heard that the fairgrounds is looking for potential promoters, but one such person who was approached declined. How many other potential promoters out there have been contacted? And is Siskiyou Motor Speedway appealing enough for somebody to come in there and face the daunting task of trying to build a program? You've got media outlets in the area who support racing that can help you, but you still need to put a program on the track that will make fans want to come watch.
There was some racing business to be discussed at the October 16th fair board meeting, but we have yet to see minutes. However, we do know that the contract between the association and the fairgrounds had to expire before they could announce their plans officially. All we have is the rumors that they are interested in either putting the track out to bid or over seeing it themselves, as has been done at Susanville. However, Susanville has had a rough go under fairgrounds leadership in recent years, and we're still waiting to hear what will happen with that race track in 2019.
If nobody wants to come in there and promote that race track, will the fairgrounds really run it themselves? And who would be among the people who might be interested in promoting? Is there a team that has been involved in racing in recent seasons that has the money and are willing to invest it? Might somebody from just over the border in the Medford area, such as John Skinner, Rick Rapp or David Hibbard take a shot at it? And if not, can the association make the right moves to turn things around? Some of the people from the kart effort are hoping to split off from the association, which may not be a bad move. The two tracks do go hand-in-hand in a way, but there are certain needs at the kart track that are not always in line with the big track. Will the board allow the two tracks to split?
Here are some things that we're looking at as ways to turn the program around. The IMCA Modified division has to be resurrected, and a Street Stock/Sportsman class should be given a shot as well. For the latter division, there's word that people are going to haggle over rules. However, here is how we see it. Get the cars out at the race track and see how competitive the drivers are with each other. You're not going to get anything if you don't put cars on the track first. Then, things can be sorted out during the year as more of a consensus is built over what the 2020 rules should be. But if you've got to half a dozen or eight Street Stocks in the area, which is rumored to be the case, get them back out at the track. Also, book the Jefferson State Jalopy group once a month. They might have half a dozen cars by the time next season rolls around, but half a dozen more cars for the fans to see is better than nothing.
The track has an IMCA Sport Modified division, and an effort should be made to get the locals back on board and get the car count up where it was in 2017. The Mini Stock division seems to be attracting new drivers, which is a good thing. It wouldn't be a bad thing to start a Hornets division if somebody were willing to build some cars and get drivers out there. But here's something else that we thought about.
It was actually a smart move by the association to not book on top of the R Charles Snyder Salute at Southern Oregon Speedway. However, it was also a missed opportunity not running the Friday night before the big Medford weekend. Drivers coming up from the south might have been tempted to stop in at Yreka had a race been an option there. Racers are racers. But, here's a bigger question. What if Siskiyou Motor Speedway became a Friday night track with some Saturdays thrown in there?
Some people will say that they can't get off work on Friday, but you also might not be starting your program at 6 on a Friday. You may aim for 7 sharp. Get those heat races on the track, and you still have a four hour window to get your races done. What is the point of Friday nights? Simple, Medford support. You're never going to get the drivers from the Medford area to support Yreka when Medford is running that night, but there are Medford racers who would love to run a second night. You get your cars any way you can, and a Friday night move might assist in this.
Another door this opens is the possibility that if you have the right sponsorship, you can book Medford divisions on Friday night. That would be divisions like the Limited Sprints, Late Models and Dwarf Cars. Of course, we know money isn't flowing in the streets, but if you had the sponsorship to support the cause, having a Sprint Car visit or two might become a possibility. Back in the 1990's, when Rick Hunsley was running the track, the track had Sprint Car shows. Then again, Medford didn't have a track. But if the track runs on Fridays and Medford is cultivating good divisions, this becomes an option.
A fan might not be interested in putting their money down on a ticket, but you tell them on Friday nights that they're going to get to watch Modifieds or Sprint Cars and know that the cars are coming, and this could be a game changer. Friday night racing in Yreka could get more cars at the very least. Friday night racing could enable Yreka to get more cars in their core classes as there would surely be some Medford visitation. And, if Yreka drivers started becoming more willing to go up north, who knows if the possibility of a series between the tracks could become reality. Suddenly, you've got a North vs South Border War. Sounds like a ticket seller to me.
Running a race track is a challenging business. You have to be careful when you're calling for the head of a promoter. Get rid of that guy and things are going to be better, right? In Hanford, they got rid of Dave Swindell. Compare Swindell's run at the track to what has come since. This is why you have to be careful what you wish for. And even in a crazy time when you worry about race tracks closing, tracks are opening. Through hard work, tracks like Orland Raceway under the leadership of Rich Hood are seeing better days again.
Down in Porterville, Rocky Hill Speedway seems poised to open their gates again in 2019. A team effort is being made to clean up the facilities and get it shipshape. This is the kind of news that we like to hear. What can they do in Rocky Hill? Actually, we believe that they were on the right track with what they had scheduled in the past, but it all sort of imploded. Hobby Stocks, Mini Stocks and Super Minis seem the best choice, which is a program similar to what Orland does. We'll be keeping our eyes on this situation, and if there's a full scale racing media effort from us next year, it's likely that Porterville will be a part of it.
Is there a potential for another track in California somewhere in the San Joaquin Valley, Alameda County and Contra Costa County area to exist? A potential track that would have some form of auto racing on it? This is what we are investigating. There is word of a certain piece of property going up for sale, and there is interest in said property. The possibility would be cars on this track. We hate to be cryptic, but this is all we can give you at the moment.
There are a lot of questions that need to be answered right now, and because of that, I'm not prepared to answer the question of where things are going for me in 2019. I know what I want. I just don't know if what I want will be what I get. Such is life, right? The only thing I can tell you is that if it's racing related, I'll give it my best effort as I always have.
I'm proud of our media effort that covered so many tracks this year and the fact that there were 10 tracks that got newspaper coverage during the year. I'm proud of the hard work that was put forth at Southern Oregon Speedway and the fact that we were seeing results along with the stress that you have to deal with from week to week. I'm proud that when the season was done here, I was able to return to my home track in Antioch and see that the Hall of Fame would get started. The fact that I got to announce a race for the first time there in 18 years was a bonus. It was like I never left, and part of me didn't want to get back on the train.
To sidestep the speculation, the Antioch Speedway Hall of Fame subject should be addressed. I have been in contact with some people who will serve as part of the selection committee. I certainly didn't want to be the only voice in the decision-making process, and I took verbal heat from one person directly. I respected that person enough to take it, and could only explain that I did my best to get this thing started. I also believe that if I sat here doing a committee thing from Oregon, it would have been 2025 before something ever got started. I'm not in the mood to talk, I'd rather do.
The committee, to me, isn't merely about the selection process. I want people who have been there long enough to know some of the history and be able to make informed decisions. Plus, they would also be getting opinions from other people they respect who have been around, and thusly we would come up with the best list for 2019 that's possible. I already have ideas, as I'm sure they do. But who goes in is only part of the process, although a big part.
We have to consider the cost of the awards. We have to consider if we want to do a pre race picnic ceremony at the fairgrounds, a gathering some place the night before or if doing it at the track the way it was done this year works? What of the displays for the clippings? Could there be another type of display setup? This is part of what a committee would be handling. It's also possible that we could form an Antioch Speedway Alumni Association through this process, though those steps haven't been taken. I'm only tentatively looking ahead to 2019 right now and the next class.
I'll give you my opinion, which is not to be taken as a statement. If Oval Motorsports wins the track or at the very least if the Larry Damitz Memorial Race remains on the schedule, I personally believe that Larry should be inducted into the Hall of Fame that night. That won't be Hall of Fame night, just the night where he is honored. The Hall of Fame, at least I would hope, will have its own night on the schedule and we can properly plan it out. It can then be used to help generate excitement about going to the races that night.
Everything is up in the air. As I said, I debated about whether I was going to put something up on the blog for now. The next scheduled writing for me was to be season review articles for the tracks that we've covered and possible banquet stories. But as I sat here, I thought maybe something should be written in light of the big things coming up for Antioch Speedway and other venues. And if you're reading this, it means I went over these two articles and decided to go ahead and post them.
Since I went as far as I did here, I'll comment on the people who have been wondering why Stockton 99 Speedway's Gunslinger Sprint Car Series race didn't get much of a crowd last week. As I was trying to compile something about the show in the Pit Stops colmn, I realized a few things. First of all, the track, especially the pavement track, is slow on posting results. As of this writing, there are still no results posted on their MyLaps site. You want people to get excited about what you're doing? Let them know what you're doing.
I'm supposing that they only get about 300 to 400 fans to come watch these races. I make that assumption because I was told that there were about 350 people this last weekend, and in the Gunslinger opener there were 300 according to an article I read. They do get articles when the newspaper sends a reporter out there, but there doesn't appear to be anybody out there officially writing about the races.
I am baffled as to why some race tracks, and I won't name them, feel it's not important to hire a publicity person. They sit there with this belief that if they get the results up on their page and the point standings, it's good enough. Some tracks don't even go that far. Stockton is a track that eventually gets to it. But they still don't have a PR person. I read something about the championship being decided, and it might have been on their Facebook page. But I didn't read anything about who was leading the points going in, or, brace yourself, who won the championship.
So let me just be blunt. You can't expect people to pay a big ticket to go watch a race and not know what it is they're getting into. There are the casual fans who might venture for the heck of it. And, there are definitely the hardcore fans, increasingly smaller, who come no matter what. But you need to let the people know that these are 410 Winged Sprint Cars. You need to let the people know who the hell these drivers are. In many cases, as I have noted, these drivers ran with the NCMA before getting into this class. Did you know that after six races, there were six different winners? I didn't until I researched it. One week during the season didn't even have results posted. I was lucky enough that somebody came out and wrote an article that night for one of the newspapers.
They ought to know better. You really have to work hard to get the word out. Having somebody who does media, can help with social media and has an enthusiasm about that race track is a positive. But, it's also work. Promoters are frequently a little bit tight when it comes to money. Imagine that? I understand that to a point, but when they start cutting corners, this is one of the areas they choose. That and hiring an announcer that can engage the crowd. Sometimes the PR person and announcer are the same. And, I admit that they don't always come cheap. That can scare a promoter off.
What they don't always understand is that this is an investment in your product. You might be asked to pay $200 or more to have these positions properly filled. And then, you get promoters that shake their head and say no thank you. Do the math, and you can see that the investment is worth it. You have a track that has, let's just say, 500 people showing up every week. You decide you're going to spend $250 for somebody who's willing to do all of this. You charge $14 on a regular ticket and it's $10 for kids. After a few weeks, you've noticed your average go up from that 500 fans to 550. That's 50 more fans. You just gained your money back and then some. It's worth the investment to hire people to do these things, because they are the ones that get the people excited.
You may say that you already have the good drivers. People should come out and watch them. People aren't mind readers. Plus, people have other options. They have way more options on what to do on a Saturday night than ever before. It's not a guarantee that they will choose you just because you have some good racers or some good concessions food. You need somebody to remind the people of what it is you have and get them excited about coming. So, to answer the question as to why Stockton might have had such a low fan turn out for they're big open-wheel event, maybe they're not doing enough to educate the fans on why they should come? Just a thought...
But as it is, I have run my mouth for entirely too long. I'll end this column here. Until next time...
