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Racing Season Just Around The Corner At Antioch Speedway

Antioch, CA...The 59th season of championship auto racing is set to begin at Antioch Speedway on March 30th. Weather permitting, the 3/8 mile clay oval at the Contra Costa County Fairgrounds will offer up an exciting lineup that features All Star Series A Modifieds, B Modifieds, Hobby Stocks and Dwarf Cars. Promoter John M Soares has several exciting nights sprinkled throughout the season, including memorial races for Larry Damitz (May 27th), Jerry Hetrick (June 8th), Chet Thomson (September 21st) and Donna Soares (October 5th). The Firecracker 50 on July 6th will pay the A Modifieds $1,000 to win.

As if that's not enough, the speedway will pay $12,000 to win in a special A Modified event scheduled for October 11th and 12th. Several of the top drivers from throughout the West Coast are anticipated for this show, which will also include the B Modifieds for an increased purse. More details for this event will be forthcoming.

With all of the heavy rains that hit Antioch in February and early March, Soares and his crew were joined by several within the racing community in helping make the track ready for a practice day last Saturday afternoon. This turned out to be one of the most successful practices in Speedway history as over 50 drivers checked in.

This year's lineup will see Winged 360 Sprint Cars, Wingless Spec Sprints, A  Modifieds, B Modifieds, Hobby Stocks, Limited Late Models, DIRTcar Late Models, Dwarf Cars and Bay Area Hardtops competing at various times. Drivers from all of those divisions took advantage of sunny skies to participate in the practice event.

Soares is making various improvements at the speedway this year and promises that this will be the most exciting season the fans have seen in several years. There are plenty of great things being planned for throughout this season. Information can be found at the track's Facebook page or www.antiochspeedway.com.

Antioch Speedway Holds Successful Practice Day

Antioch, CA...March 16...As the month of March began, Antioch was hit pretty hard by the rains, which left Promoter John M Soares and his crew at Antioch Speedway working. The crew found themselves dealing with various clean up efforts along with planned improvements being made. When Soares took a look at the weather forecast leading up to last Saturday night, he made the commitment to have the scheduled practice day.

This meant that John and his staff would have to work overtime doing the necessary things to make the track and pit area usable. Thanks to their efforts along with the support of many within the racing community who wanted to see this happen, the practice went on as scheduled. What came next was one of the most successful practice days in the history of the speedway.

Over 50 competitors in various divisions came to take their turns around the 3/8 mile clay oval. For most of the drivers, this was their opportunity to test new equipment, work out the bugs and in some cases make their first laps behind the wheel of new race cars.

Most of the the track's All Star Series divisions were represented, and there were particularly strong turnouts among the Modified, Hobby Stock, Sprint Car and Dwarf Car divisions. The sun was shining overhead, the pits were a nice shade of green from the grass that had grown there during the winter and the track was nicely prepped and ready for the cars. It was a perfect opportunity for friends to reconnect and get back into racing mode once again.

Word from the Clymens Racing Team was that Tommy Clymens Jr would be returning, and he confirmed that by bringing his new B Modified for some practice laps. It has been a while since we've seen the second-generation racer and brother of two-time reigning champion Trevor Clemens. It didn't take long before Tommy shook off the cobwebs and was looking like he hadn't been away at all. Word is that younger brother Todd Clymens could return at some point this season as well.

Reigning Limited Late Model champion Mark Garner had his B Modified on hand to make some laps along with 2013 champion Jeremy Hoff, Tommy Fraser and rookie Cameron Swank. Swank made his division debut in the season finale last year. He is the 2017 Hobby Stock champion and is looking forward to the opportunity and the challenge that this division brings.

The father-and-son duo of Chester and Buddy Kniss had their A Modifieds on hand. The division will be welcoming Frank Furtado and Anthony Giuliani this year. Furtado is a past Top 10 ranked Hobby Stock driver who has competed in a couple of Modified shows in Stockton this year, while Giuliani has been one of the frontrunners in B Modifieds in recent years and finished second at Watsonville last season.

Reigning Dwarf Car champion Mike Corsaro was back to put the famed "Meat Wagon" through its paces along with teammate Giovanni Bertolli and Mario Marques, among others.  Limited Late Model teammates Ryan Cherezian and John Evans were getting their cars ready for their April 6th season opener as was Jeff Kendrick. Cherezian had a season worthy of Most Improved Driver honors last year and is hoping to grab his first feature victory this season.

The Hobby Stock division saw several cars making practice, including last season's top rookie, Breanna Troen in her beautifully wrapped Camaro. One of the first ladies to race in the Street Stock division back in the early 1980s, Judy Allison Arth, got to get behind the wheel for the first time in years. Allison let Bob Brown drive her car in several races, including Figure 8 events, back in the late 1980s. Brown was returning the favor by letting her drive his #11 Hobby Stock.

You'll hear about family at Antioch Speedway, because it's very a important ingredient in the track's longevity. Bobby Motts Jr is a champion in both the Street Stocks and more recently A Modifieds at Antioch Speedway. This year, he has a Hobby Stock prepared for his 16 year old daughter, Madison Motts, and she made her first appearance on Saturday.

There's plenty of excitement in the air at Antioch Speedway. People are excited about the 59th season of racing that will happen at the famed 3/8 mile clay oval located at the Contra Costa County Fairgrounds. Weather permitting, Soares and the crew will be offering up another practice day opportunity for the racers on the 23rd before the March 30th season opener. It's going to be a great season. For further information, go to www.antiochspeedway.com.

Orland Raceway Has Successful Practice Day

Orland, CA...March 16...Orland Raceway held a successful practice day for the racers Saturday afternoon under sunny skies. The previous attempt two weeks earlier was rained out, and over 30 racers took advantage of the opportunity to make practice laps on the 1/5 mile dirt oval.

Drivers with Pure Stocks, Mini Stocks, Mini Trucks, Wingless Sprints and Micro Sprints all took their turns testing their cars. With special B Modified races scheduled on May 17th and July 20th, Zac Potts even showed up to turn some laps.

2017 Pure Stock champion Jeremy Langenderfer and that year's point runner-up, Shannon Collins, took advantage of the opportunity to dial the bugs out of their race cars. Langenderfer picked up the championship at Silver Dollar Speedway last season, while Collins went to Marysville and won the title there.

Reigning Mini Truck champion Keith Ross was making laps in his new Camaro. Cody Bundy and newcomers Toby Merrifield and Danny LaBonte we're among the other Pure Stock drivers putting their cars through their paces.

Langenderfer also had a Mini Stock and was at one point enjoying some side by side laps with past Mini Stock champion John Kirkpatrick. Reigning champion Tom Davis, Scott Camper, Dan Webster and Jason Libbee were among the other drivers on hand for practice. Mini Truck participants included William Fogle, Zach Webster and Dan Libbee.

Several Wingless Sprint and Micro Sprint competitors jumped at the chance to test their race cars, and this included Hunt Wingless Sprint Car champion Shawn Jones and one of last season's top local stars, Josh Tucker. Micro Sprint champion Pax Gonzalez and Jess Garland were also making laps.

Rich Hood has put together an exciting schedule. The Pure Stock racer turned promoter is at the helm of the speedway for his fourth season, and it promises to be an exciting year for the fans. Marquee events continue to be the Glenn County Fair race on May 17th, the Thomas Schmitke Race For A Cure on June 8th, the popular Fan Appreciation Night on September 14th and the big Battle Of The Axles open show on October 12th.

As if that's not enough, the track's core divisions won't be the only ones featured throughout the season. There will be three visits for the California Hardtops, two visits each for the Winged Crate Sprints and B Modifieds and one Dwarf Car appearance. The season kicks off on March 30th with a lineup featuring Pure Stocks, Mini Stocks, Mini Trucks, Wingless Sprints and 600 Micro Sprints. More information can be found at the Orland Raceway Facebook page.

Johnson, Liggett Open Kern Raceway Dirt Track Season 

With Wins

Bakersfield, CA...March 15...Chase Johnson scored the victory in the 25 lap Main Event for the BCRA/POWRi Midgets Friday night at the Kern County Raceway dirt track.  The BCRA and POWRi merged this year with the hopes of strengthening the car count for the Midget division. Johnson, who is a 4th generation racer in his family, scored his victory ahead of Jake Swanson and 2017 BCRA champion Maria Cofer. The night's fast timer and winner of the Wingless 360 Sprint Car Main Event, Austin Liggett, finished a solid fourth ahead of Robert Dalby, Shannon McQueen, Ben Worth, Terry Nichols, Troy Morris III and Kyle Beilman as the Top 12 finishers in the 16 car field finished on the lead lap.

Liggett set the fastest time in qualifying with a lap of 15.233, beating me 15.311 of Johnson and the 15.331 of Cofer. They ran three eight lap heat races with Liggett battling Swanson to win the first heat. Corey Elliot drove to a solid victory ahead of Johnson in the second heat race with Cofer outrunning McQueen for the victory in the third heat.

Austin Liggett prevented Chase Johnson from being a double winner on the evening with his win in a 30 lap Wingless 360 Sprint Car Main Event. Liggett is the reigning West Coast 360 Sprint Car champion with USAC, but the Friday night event was an unsanctioned race. Liggett pocketed $1,500 for his victory with Johnson settling for a $1,000 second. Following the lead duo, Danny Faria Jr outran Jake Swanson in a good battle to finish third. Tristan Guardino completed the Top 5, followed by Ricky Kirkbride, Ryan Timmons, Koen Shaw, Slater Helt and James Herrera.

Liggett set the fast time in the 19 car field with a lap of 14.943, beating the 15.114 effort of Chase Johnson and the 15.215 lap of Faria. Liggett won the first of three eight lap heat races by a wide margin ahead of Swanson, while Timmons just managed to beat Johnson back to the line to win the second heat. The final heat race win went to Faria ahead of TJ Smith.

The Bakersfield Hardtops completed the show, and it was Richard Souza winning their 20 lap Main Event by a straightaway in front of Kelly Mason. About another straightaway behind in third was Jason Stanphill, just ahead of Tyler Weeks and final lead-lap finisher James Bradburn. Jason Dobbins, Jason Denman and Brandon Stanphill completed the finishing order. It was Denman winning the first eight lap heat race in impressive fashion ahead of Mason, while Souza outran Jason Stanphill to win the other heat.

Next Friday night, racing returns to the dirt track with the Triple Crown event. The Triple Crown is a three-race series offering an increase purse, sponsored by Holder's Heating And Air Conditioning. The A Modifieds will be racing for $1,500 to win with other increases in the purse anticipated as well. B Modifieds, Hobby Stock, QRC Outlaw Karts and Mini Dwarfs will also competing. For further information, go to www.kernraceway.com.

Wilson Opens Central Valley Mini Stock Season With Win 

At Lemoore Raceway

Lemoore, CA...March 16...Darren Wilson opened the new season for the Central Valley Mini Stocks with an impressive 25 lap Main Event win Saturday night at Lemoore Raceway. This is the biggest season yet for the Mini Stock group, which is now sponsored by House Of JuJu in Clovis. The Top 10 drivers in championship points will divide $5,000 in point fund money with the champion looking to win $1,000 at the end of the 10 race season.

Wilson raced into the Main Event lead at the drop of the green flag. The race would have no yellow flag slowdowns, and Ben Davis was running a strong second right behind Wilson until problems encountered on lap nine dropped him out of the race. Shawn DePriest gained second at that point but was nearly a straightaway behind the leader. DePriest had his hands full with Jeff Durant moving up to battle him for second.

As Wilson slowly pulled away, Durant slipped past DePriest for second on lap 16. Wilson took the checkered flag a half-lap in front of second place, and the finishing order was shaken up on the final lap as both DePriest and Ryan Blank slipped past Jeff Durant to finish second and third, respectively. Durant settled for fourth, followed by Scott Glenn, Dan Myrick, Clinton Massey,  Steve Durant, Brent Myrick and Lindsey Myrick.

Wilson had a flawless evening, starting with the fast time on the 1/5 mile dirt oval of 14.892, beating the 15.056 effort of DePriest. Wilson then won the four lap Trophy Dash ahead of Davis.  The most active 10 lap heat race was the first one, where Levi Burgett led the first two laps before flipping to end his evening. Wilson took over from there to win ahead of Dan Myrick. Massey outran Jeff Durant to win the second heat with Davis holding off Steve Durant to claim the third heat race victory.

Ryan Amlen won the 25 lap South Bay Dwarf Car Main Event. Reigning SBDCA champion Gene "Punky" Pires set the fastest time in qualifying with a lap of 14.000 and then held off Mark Biscardi to win the 10 lap heat race. Pires was working on a clean sweep as he set the early pace in the Main Event that was destined to go without a caution flag. However, Amlen stayed close behind him and made his move into the lead on lap 12. Amlen steadily pulled away to what would be a nearly straightaway advantage over Pires at the checkered flag. Biscardi settled for third ahead of Eddy Claessen. Tailer Morrison and Doug Penny were Main Event scratches.

The House Of Juju Central Valley Mini Stocks will be back in action on April 20th at Keller Auto Speedway in Hanford. They join a program that will also include the King Of Thunder Winged 360 Sprint Cars, IMCA Western RaceSaver 305 Sprint Cars and IMCA Stock Cars. For further information, go to www.centralvalleyministocks.com of www.racekingsspeedway.com.

Play Day Scheduled For Saturday Night 

At Petaluma Speedway

Petaluma, CA...The 58th consecutive season of championship racing at Petaluma Speedway is just over a week away from launching, but in the interim is this Saturday night's playday. It's an opportunity for the drivers to test their machines before putting them out there in actual racing conditions. Due to heavy rains, the March 16th playday was unable to happen.

Promoter Rick Faeth continues to guide the show behind the scenes and has done his usual exemplary job of bringing sponsorship to the table. Again, all of the track's regular divisions are sponsored. PitStopUSA.com has come on board once again as the title sponsor for both the Winged 360 Sprint Cars and Wingless Spec Sprints. This means there will be special races with increased purses during the year, and the Winged 360 Sprint Cars will headline the October 5th Adobe Cup event with $5,000 on the line to the winner. PitStopUSA.com is a great company that supports racing, and drivers are recommended to go to their website for their racing needs.

Lumberjacks Restaurant will continue their relationship as the title sponsor for the Super Stock division this year. This also includes the big Bob McCoy Memorial race that will take place on October 5th, paying $2,000 to the winner. Further important news was released as of press time that Cabinets Plus of Santa Rosa will sponsor additional purse money for the Super Stock Main Events. The Top 3 payout will now be $300 to win, $175 for second and $125 for third. Starting money also increases to $60 minimum to take the green flag. There's plenty of reasons to be excited as this division continues to be supported by some of the longest supportive racers at the speedway, including reigning champion Mitch Machado and past champions Shawn McCoy, Jim "Woody" Woodward and Steve Studebaker.

The McLea's Tire Service IMCA Modifieds continue to be a staple at the speedway. This division has been holding championship seasons at the track since 1989. Two of the best supporting drivers in the field continue to be multi-time champion Michael Paul Jr and reigning champion Oreste Gonella. The Modifieds will run the special Top Dog Race on August 10th, paying $1,500 to win.

The speedway will also have the General Hydroponics Redwood Dwarf Cars. There will be some special Dwarf Car events sprinkled throughout the season, including the Dwarf Car Nationals on June 14th and 15th, the South Bay/Redwood Dwarf Car Shootout on May 18th and the Twin 25s race on October 12th, which will also be supported by South Bay. Jake's Performance Hobbies Mini Stocks and Santa Rosa Auto Body 600 Micros will be there as well as some special appearances by the NARC/King Of The West Fujitsu Winged 410 Sprint Car Series, the Elk Grove Ford.Sprint Car Challenge Tour, Presented by Abreu Vineyards, and some special USAC/BCRA Midget shows.

Frankly, it's a loaded program of great racing scheduled throughout the season. The season opener will include the Hunt Wingless Spec Sprints, which have other visits planned, including the annual Johnny Soares Classic on August 17th. Joining the Hunt Series at the March 30th opener will be The Lumberjacks Restaurant Super Stocks, Jake's Performance Hobbies Mini Stocks and Santa Rosa Auto Body 600 Micros.

The first order of business is playday on Saturday. Drivers are chomping at the bit to get back on the track, and it's hoped that things will be ready to go and the weather will cooperate. For further information, look up the Petaluma Speedway Facebook page or go to www.petaluma-speedway.com.

Modifieds Enter 30th Season At Antioch Speedway

Antioch, CA...The All Star Series offers eight regular divisions for the fans at Antioch Speedway. Many people consider the A Modified division to be the cornerstone class in the lineup. This is because Modifieds are often times given the biggest race of the year, and this year will be no exception with the announcement of the October 11th and 12th event that will pay $12,000 to the winner.

Some may not be aware that the Soares family were the ones who introduced the Dirt Modified division to the West Coast at Petaluma Speedway in 1987. John Pershing Soares, who is a member of several racing Hall Of Fames, got the inspiration after making visits to the Midwest, and the first races for this class were held at his track in Petaluma in 1987. Son John Michael Soares, the current promoter of Antioch Speedway, was among the first drivers to compete in this class.

When word got out to Antioch about this division, there was much enthusiasm. Some regarded the Modified division to be the spiritual successor of the popular Sportsman division of the 1970's, but getting management interested in adding this division was the challenge. At the end of the 1987 season, then General Manager Bert Moreland made a gentleman's agreement with car owner John Procopio to book several dates at the track in 1988. Unfortunately, Moreland was removed by Barkhimer And Associates and replaced with management who went in a different direction.

As the Modified division continued to gather momentum at Petaluma and with IMCA sanctioning in Hanford, Antioch management finally added this division in 1990. Two of the greats of Stock Car racing, Bruce "The Phantom" Curl and "Rapid" Richard Johnson were on the ground floor with race cars. Curl, Tony Pato and the crew were building the first cars at his Curl Racing shop. Before the season ended, however, past Street Stock and Sportsman racer Scott Busby made his return in a Harris Modified.

Busby became an overnight success as he was not only winning races at Antioch, but he won and set track records just about everywhere he went. After Johnson won the initial championship in a close battle with Curl, Busby rattled off three successive championships. During that span, car count grew so big that the division needed B Mains on a regular basis. It was at this point that most of the frontrunners were running Harris chassis from Busby Motorsports, and Scott had his eyes on a bigger prize.

Seeing the momentum in the Modified's favor and the decline of the Late Models, Busby began to push West Coast Speedways to elevate the Modified division to headline status. He employed a few tactics, but his most effective was the introduction of the West Coast Nationals at the end of the 1993 season. With Busby spearheading this effort, the race that paid $3,000 to win attracted 83 racers, which is still a record at Antioch Speedway to this day.

Coupled with the fact that Antioch Speedway had booked a Late Model race on top of the prestigious Meselli & Son race at Petaluma that year that resulted in an extremely low turnout at Antioch, West Coast Speedways cited declining Late Model count as a reason to completely drop the division and elevate the Modifieds to headline status. This meant that the division would compete for prestigious NASCAR Regional points, which was something Busby was looking forward to. What he didn't count on in 1994 was a consistent Tim Stratmeyer, who used his frequent Top 5 Main Event finishes and preliminary event success to ace Busby out of the track championship.

From there, it only got more challenging when third generation racer Bobby Hogge IV hit the scene. The two drivers enjoyed many great battles on the track, but it was Hogge who won back-to-back titles and also was a Regional champion. Busby holds the distinction of being the final NASCAR sanctioned Modified champion at Antioch Speedway in 1997. By then, the Modified division was attracting 30 or more cars at most races. Despite frequent carnage in the Main Event, the drivers came back every week.

Another thing that changed in the final couple of seasons under NASCAR was the fact that other options were becoming more available for racing chassis. Cline Racing came in with Dirt Works and Larkins chassis, West Coast Motorsports came in with the Cobra chassis, Pro Motorsports was dealing Pro chassis and Joe Carr at Petaluma was dealing his own designed Carr chassis.

The speedway entered the All Star/All Pro Series era under John M Soares and Oval Motorsports in 1998. The first few championships offered some of the biggest paying local point funds the speedway had ever had, and it was Don Shelton winning his first of three titles in 1998. Bart Reid and Chad Chadwick tied for the title in 1999 with Reid winning it on a tiebreaker. Bert Elworthy, a past Street Stock champion and Late Model star at the speedway, also claimed a championship.

Though Antioch Speedway added other divisions, the Modifieds remained very popular and were still capable of attracting fields in excess of 60 cars for the sometimes $5,000 to win events that Soares was booking. Brian Curran and speedway legend JD Willis won championships. Willis was going for two in a row in 2004 when he lost a heartbreaker to Aaron Crowell. Kellen Chadwick and Rob Norris are other champions that followed.

The Willis return to the spotlight also included the return of Bowers Racing. JD Willis and the late Bill Bowers were a formidable duo when they teamed up through the years. Billy Bowers continues the tradition of his father. As the first decade of the 2000s came to a close, the Bowers team produced two more championships with Kenny Neu behind the wheel before teaming up with Troy Foulger. Foulger went on to win four championships in a row, an accomplishment that has never been matched in Speedway history.

During the past five seasons, championships have been won by Carl Berendsen II twice, Scott Busby for an unprecedented fifth time, Bobby Motts Jr and most recently Nick DeCarlo. Antioch Speedway also played a part in the All Star Series Tour in 2014 with a championship going to Bobby Hogge IV. The A Modifieds continue to go strong, but there's another division in the mix that ensures the continuation of this division for years to come.

Through the years, there have been many Modified chassis that have sort of out lived their usefulness in that division. This has necessitated the need for the B Modified division, and Antioch finally jumped on that bandwagon in 2012. This has enabled drivers who might not otherwise have been able to afford to run an A Modified the chance to get involved in this style of racing. It has also allowed some teams to scale back and run with the B Modifieds instead.

Enduro star Phil Indihar was the first champion in 2012, and he was followed by last season's Merced champion Jeremy Hoff, Watsonville Hobby Stock star Rob Gallaher and 2015 State champion Fred Ryland. The only two-time champion in the mix is second generation racer Trevor Clymens, who won last year's title in dominant fashion. In between his two title runs was KC Keller. The B Modifieds are the fastest growing division at the speedway and will have a few occasions to run for extra money, including the October 11th and 12th season ender.

The Modifieds are an important part of the Antioch Speedway roster, and you'll be seeing one or both divisions on any given Saturday night from the season opener on March 30th that will have both classes all the way to the big show in October. This will be the 30th championship season for the A Modifieds and the 8th championship year for the B Modifieds.

Some of the A Modified drivers to look for this season include DeCarlo, Motts, Busby, Kellen Chadwick, Sean O'Gara, David Zeiter, Chester Kniss, Buddy Kniss, Anthony Slaney, Ron Brown, Frank Furtado and Anthony Giuliani. The B Modifieds figure to be strong again this year, and drivers to look for include Trevor Clymens and brother Tommy Clymens Jr making his return, Kevin Brown, Randy Brown, Chuck Golden, Ryan DeForest, Todd Gomez, Mark Garner, Cameron Swank and Doff Cooksey. It promises to be a great season for both divisions. For further information, go to www.antiochspeedway.com.

More Racing Coming To Cedarville in 2019

Cedarville, CA...Within the last month, we've been hearing little tidbits that suggests there could be more racing in Cedarville then the Third Annual Gordon Russell Sr Memorial event that will feature Pro Stocks and Hobby Stocks on June 29th. Gordon Russell Jr has never made secret his intentions that the big race that he has created to remember his dad and other Cedarville racing legends was also intended to spark interest in bringing more racing to the town of Cedarville.

In his most recent video blog, Russell suggested that one of the things that came from the February meeting to finalize plans for this year's race was the announcement that there is a group of Hobby Stock drivers trying to put together an association to race more often in Cedarville. Recently, one of the drivers who intends to race at Cedarville also indicated that there was some movement at the Lakeville, Oregon Fairgrounds that could even see Hobby Stocks racing there, though we have not been able to verify that any talks are actually underway.

However, we can verify that things are happening in Cedarville. John Wisser just made a big announcement regarding Modoc Speedway in Cedarville. In addition to the Gordon Russell Sr Memorial race on June 29th, he announced that there are four other race dates scheduled for the Pro Stocks and the Hobby Stocks in Cedarville. These events, being sponsored by the Desert Rose Casino, will be on July 27th, August 24th, September 28th and October 26th.

At this point, details are still coming in. We know that Aaron Flournoy has already shared pictures of the cars that he and his father will be racing in the Hobby Stock division, and Dale Sanders also commented in a discussion at another race track's Facebook page that he will be supporting the Hobby Stocks. We can assume that the Pro Stock support would be coming from drivers who compete in the Nevada and Oregon Pro Stock groups, though at this point they would not be sanctioned races for either group.

Racing in Cedarville is nothing new. There have been races at the track in years past as competitors even ran at the old Alturas track not far from there. Satellite pictures still show the outline of that track. There was a thriving Street Stock division in Cedarville at one time, but more recent years have also seen visits from the Modifieds and the Late Models. As results have shown with the Gordon Russell Sr Memorial, there is interest in Cedarville when it comes to bringing racing back to that town again.

We've suggested that as they work to strengthen a show in Cedarville, it might be a good idea to take a look at some sort of 4 Cylinder class, possibly Hornets. This sort of division, especially if there is somebody putting cages into these vehicles, has potential to grow quickly. It's the lesser expensive divisions that can help get you cars on the race track in a shorter amount of time. As we are fond of saying, as long as the gates continue to open, there's a chance for good things to happen at the race track. We'll be monitoring the situation to see what other news comes, but it's always good to hear of another race track opening again.

In Memory Of Cecil Henry

I got the news about the passing of former Antioch Speedway racer Cecil Henry. Apparently, he had a heart attack. It's been a crazy last few days here, and I've been trying to keep to the schedule and get things done as I get up for another season. It's hard enough as it is, and then I learned about another person that I knew at the race track being taken away from us way before his time.

I don't think I'd spoken with Cecil in person since just before I walked away from things years ago. We communicated a little bit on social media, but even that had been a couple of years ago.

Cecil was actually a pioneer of sorts at Antioch Speedway if you go back to the mid 1990s. As happens in racing, we get evolution. The Street Stocks had evolved from being the entry-level class to an intermediate class, and there were people wanting something new to get into the sport. Cecil and his brother were two of the first to have cars for what became the Hobby Stock division. It was another year before the division was officially added.

Cecil gave it a heck of a run that year, and I think he won more features than anybody. I'd have to look, but he ended up a very close second in the standings. He wasn't somebody who ran on a big budget, as I recall. But, he wanted to go faster. He wanted to move up in divisions.

A personal happy memory that I have is when I arranged the Mel Maupin Encouragement Race at the first Mel Maupin Memorial Race. I selected drivers who hadn't won any races. These guys in most cases didn't have the best of equipment, but they ran hard with what they had. I sponsored plaques for the Top 3 finishers in that race, and what I remember from that as I was announcing was how hard these guys were racing.

I know the night was really about the big Main Event and the stars fighting over the win in Mel's race, but in this moment, the low buck guys got to race for it. Cecil finished second after a battle with John McDougall and Joe Rush. When he got out of his car, he and McDougall high-fived. That made my night to see how happy these guys were just to have such a fun race and finish where they did.

I think that's the point. Win, lose or draw, Cecil had fun racing. He didn't run the Modifieds very long before going to Limited to Late Models and becoming one of our Top 5 drivers there. What I remember about him was that he was a nice guy and always took time to talk with me about whatever the topic was that week, and just chit-chat. Just a really cool guy.

It never gets easy for me to write these things. I don't like writing these, because it means we lost somebody else. I don't like being the one in the position to do this, but I have to be. It is an honor to know people like Cecil. It's what I wanted to do when I was a the kid in the grandstands cheering these racers on. And, I just realized something that I think Cecil would probably get a kick out of.

He was The Wild Irishman. He passed away on St Patrick's Day. I know that he'd probably get a kick out of that. He was still taken away from us too soon. It ain't just the big stars that make racing what it is. It's everybody. It's people like Cecil Henry who made friends and fans during his time. He will be missed. My thoughts and prayers go out to his family.


Bakersfield Speedway Race Results March 16, 2019
USAC West Coast 360 Sprint Cars
Chase Johnson
Austin Liggett
Danny Faria Jr
JJ Ringo
Tristan Guardino
Ryan Bernal
Ryan Timmons
Trent Carter
81
Tom Hendricks
Ricky Kirkbride
Koen Shaw
Hannah Mayhew
Steve Hix
James Herrera
Brent Owens
Shawn Arriaga
Austin Ervine
Troy Rutherford
Ryan Stolz
Shannon McQueen
Michael Faccinto
Slater Helt

IMCA Stock Cars
Wayne Dotson 
Cody Johnson
Chad Johnson
Larry Thompson
Troy Patee
Josh Nichols
Jayden Schweitzer
Wayne Clink
Preston Martin
Brock Hamilton
Tanner Lorenzo

American Stocks
Kenny White
Tyler Johnson
Brandon Ratcliff
Daryl Mealer
Candi Varney
Clay Waters
Robert Guess
Josh Yadon
Jr Garcia
Wayne Dotson
Kody Sly
Brock Crawford
Steven Amick
Troy Thomas
Nick Spainhoward
James Coots
Colby Ward
Will Preston
Miranda Scott DQ

Madera Speedway Race Results March 16, 2019
Madera Late Models
Tyler Herzog
Jesse Love
Joey Iest
Matt Erickson
Jay Juleson
Henk Gaalswyk Jr
Elliott Stjerne
Del McIntosh
Eloy Bazan
Loren Kutz
Kent Cam
J.J. Ferguson
Hailey Liles

MavTV Midgets
Jerome Rodella
Jesse Love
Dylan Nobile
Cody Gerhardt
Robert Carson

Western US Midgets
Joey Iest
Elvis Rankin
Derek Loweree
Joseph Holiday
Johnny Nichols

MST
Bert Stephens
Shaun Reynolds
Ryan Reynolds
Patrick Geiger
Kyle Labrie
Dennis Brannon
Dave Lander
Rian Bowman

Toyota Sedans
Jason Lawton
Andrew Davison
J.J Brandsen
Thomas Magray
Andrew Parr
Kurt Davison Jr
Greg Tyler


Ventura Raceway Unofficial Results September 9, 2017
Dwarf Car Silver Cup #3
1 10 Kevin Calvo
2 69 Johnny Conley
3 64 Trevor Fitzgibbon
4 6 David Conley
5 93 Jason Horton
6 22s Gage Cheek
7 16 Tom Stephens Jr
8 41 Nick Velasquez
9 14 Tommy Velasquez III
10 45 Korey Cowen
11 38 April Banuelos
12 8 Tim Conley
13 48 Trent Morley
14 4 Tommy Velasquez II
15 72 Troy Robinson
16 88 Jeff Brink
17 91 Jody Cowan
18 18 Tom Morley
19 55 Mike Long

VRA Senior Sprints
1 15 Rick Hendrix
2 67 Russell Martin
3 2 Wally Pankratz
4 27 Steve Brown
5 66 Chris Meredith
6 12 Smokey Stover
7 4k Tyler Hatzikian
8 3k Eddie Williams
9 3g greg Andrews

VRA Hobby Stocks
1 3 David Heurung
2 52 Zachary Peterson
3 7 Mike Stanford
4 3r Erie Malone
5 43 Sam Garvin
6 15 Joey Diaz
7 45 Christina Garvin
8 44 Gary Garvin
9 28 Gary Curtis

TQ Midgets Exhibition
1 20 Brandon Wiley
2 5 Bruce Hiroshimna
3 40 Chris Thomas

Focus Midgets
1 37 Phil Schack
2 98 Kyle Beilman
3 33 Mike Leach
4 59 Jet Davison


Kern County Raceway Race Results March 16, 2019
NASCAR Late Models
Feature #1
JACE JONES
BLAINE PERKINS
LAWLESS ALAN
DYLAN GARNER
LUCAS MCNEIL
DEAN THOMPSON
TOMMY GIBSON

Feature #2
LAWLESS ALAN
LUCAS MCNEIL
DYLAN GARNER
DEAN THOMPSON
BLAINE PERKINS
JACE JONES
TOMMY GIBSON

Modifieds
JIM COFFEY
ANTHONY BARKET
ED COFFEY
BRADY MELO
BROCK MELO
KEN HOOBERY
JACK PATTON
MIKE MASON
ERIC BRUST

Super Stocks
CHRIS DALTON
GENE FIFE
ROGER HOLDER
RON CROSS
GREG PUSKARICH
KYLE FIFE
Cayden McCaslin
KENNY HARRISON

Hot Stocks
LLOYD WREN
RICK FIFE
RICK CHILDRESS
MARC MCCASLIN
SKIP SPILLER

Bandoleros
TRENTON EURTO
QUENTIN FRITZ
RILEY MASSEY
LOGAN CHAMBERS
NATHANIAL EDWARDS
ETHAN GIANNETTO
HANK HALL
RYAN CHRISTY

Mini Dwarfs
STEPHEN BAZEN
BRODY WELTE
CADEN CORDOVA
HAYDEN JOPLIN


Lemoore Raceway Race Results March 16, 2019
House Of JuJu Cemntral Valley Mini Stocks
Darren Wilson
Shawn DePriest
Ryan Blank
Jeff Durant
Scott Glenn
Dan Myrick
Clinton Massey
Steve Durant
Brent Myrick
Lindsey Myrick
Laura Goldsmith
Ben Davis
Randy Brown
Levi Burgett DNS

SBDCA Dwarf Cars
Ryan Ameln
Gene Pires
Mark Biscardi
Eddie Claessen
Tailer Morrison DNS
Doug Peny DNS


Kern County Raceway Park Race Results March 15, 2019
BCRA/POWRi Midgets
Chase Johnson
Jake Swanson
Maria Colfer
Austin Liggett
Robert Dalby
Shannon McQueen
Ben Worth
Terry Nichols
Troy Morris III
Kyle Beilman
Gage Rucker
CJ Sarna
Robert Carson
Dylan Ito
Corey Elliot
Michael Faccinto
Frankie Guerinni DNS

Wingless 360 Sprint Cars
Austin Liggett
Chase Johnson
Danny Faria Jr
Jake Swanson
Tristan Guardino
Ricky Kirkbride
Ryan Timmons
Koen Shaw
Slater Helt
James Herrera
Austin Ervine
Shannon McQueen
Gage Rucker
TJ Smith
JJ Ringo
Matt Day
Tyler Williams
Jeff Fillingame DNS
Kaleb Montgomery DNS

Bakersfield Hardtops
Richard Souza
Kelly Mason
Jason Stanphill
Tyler Weeks
James Bradburn
Jesse Dobbins
Jason Denman
Brandon Stanphill 

The Editor's Viewpoint

While I remain in a holding pattern when it comes to certain personal announcements, things still have to be done. Racing season is about ready to begin, and that means that I have articles to do. Antioch Speedway had been building up to last Saturday's playday, and Southern Oregon Speedway seems to be lining up very nicely for the coming season. It's kind of weird how things are falling into place up here.

Things will come out when I finally sit down to write the next book. Much has been written about the struggle we've had, and it's gratifying to see that in the fourth year under Mike McCann and KJE Enterprises, Southern Oregon Speedway has gained momentum. Still work to be done, but things are looking good. It's in a better place than it was prior to us coming into the picture.

John Soares hasn't had a lot of time to get everything set up at Antioch Speedway. It wasn't until mid February that he officially knew that the track would be his for another five years. John was intent on keeping as close to what his normal schedule would be as possible. Though he had plenty of excuse to say it's going to start a little bit later than normal, he wouldn't hear of it. It was his decision to schedule a playday on March 16th with an eye on opening the season on March 30th.

Rain started falling, and it didn't stop. From late February and into early March, it wasn't looking like the first playday had a chance. But, John looked at the weather forecast and saw that the window was open for last Saturday's first practice. He made the decision that he was going to do this. The thing was, he and his team were going to need some help if he wanted to make it happen.

What makes me happy in light of some of the negativity during the offseason was the desire of several people to pitch in to get things ready. They wanted playday. Actually, the feeling in Antioch is one of optimism for a good season. Everybody wants it to go well. This is the time for the captain of the ship to really guide it in a way that keeps this vibe going. Everything that I'm hearing right now suggests that John is focused on the task. The track would be ready for playday.

What impressed me from the reports that I was hearing down there was that the cars just kept showing up. What I'm told is there were 55 cars all totaled, representing at least eight divisions that I know of. I don't think they've hit those numbers for a practice in quite some time. This is the kind of start that you want to have, but it couldn't have happened without everybody banding together. Actually, if we can keep the community feel of all of us being in this together, there's potential for this to be the best season down there in recent years.

There's one thing that I know John has been working on. This is where I get a little bit evasive. Making the right move on this is important, and it has required research. However, what I'm told is that John is ready to make an announcement on this particular topic at the next practice. What am I talking about? Nope, I can't say. It's for John to say, but I like the idea and I think the racers are going to like it too. I'll leave it at that.

I've been told that John has taken on a General Manager this year. But as I haven't really had conversations with the right people, I am not really going to be able to get into much on that either. The person being brought in is none other than Chad Chadwick. What I can say is that I like Chad. I've always gotten along well with him, but more importantly, the racers in general have gotten along well with him. That is important. As a successful businessman and somebody who's run a racing related business as well, I think Chad is a good fit.

I can't say exactly what the game plans is. I can't say a lot about things that I've been hearing regarding Chad. But, I can say that I find it encouraging. Chad made his brief debut in racing in the early 1980s in Stock Cars. We called him by a different name in those days, but it's Chad. We got him back over a decade later when he jumped into the Modifieds in the car that Mark Welch won the West Coast Nationals with. And whether he's been racing, involved with his son Kellen's car or whatever, he hasn't been far away from the sport since then. Make no mistake. John is focused and still involved in what is going on at that race track, but now he has somebody to help with the actual racing operation.

While Antioch got going, I noticed the season opener happening in Lemoore for the House of JuJu Central Valley Mini Stocks. It's nice to see that the work Dan Myrick put into it has been paying off. Sponsorship will allow them to race for a $5,000 point fund among the Top 10 competitors. Myrick made the decision to do away with Sunday afternoon racing in Lemoore and making those Saturday night shows. When you move from a date people are used to, it can affect things. However, they maintained their average in the Mini Stock class and also had a half-dozen Dwarf Cars in support.

I've spoken with Dan regarding the program at Lemoore. He still feels that Lemoore is important to what they do, and I agree. However, they are taking five shows on the road to Hanford and one to Madera this year. I understand, and I still find this to be safe expansion. The worry I had was trying to go too far too quickly as this is still entry level racing, albeit entry-level racing that's being given more respect than you'll find being shown to Mini Stocks anywhere else on the West Coast. It's a good thing.

Dan would like to grow the program that they do at Lemoore. The Mini Stocks are the show, but I think ideally he'd like to have a three division program there. The challenge is lining up the divisions and doing it right. He's not just jumping in and throwing things to the wall to see what will stick. He's putting lots of thought into it before making decisions. This is exactly what you want in a leader. Dan is one of the best association leaders you have right now in California, in my opinion. This was a good start, and hopefully things will grow from here. I have an idea what he's looking at next, but until he makes announcements, I'm going to withhold my thoughts. Let's just focus on the next race.

The racers in Cedarville have gathered and decided the next course of action. Thanks to Gordon Russell Jr, Modoc Speedway has been having races once a year for the past two years. The occasion has been the Gordon Russell Sr Memorial for the Pro Stocks with support from the Hobby Stocks. Gordon Jr has always said that he hoped that this special event would spark the return of Hobby Stock racing, and an association has been put in place to make that happen.

The result, as highlighted elsewhere on our blog, is five total races. To me, this is the perfect way to start. You're trying to grow a car count, so you shouldn't do too much too quick. More than one race is a challenge in itself, and I think the once-a-month format can work. The Pro Stock portion of the other four shows is not sanctioned as of yet, as far as I know. However, it may be possible for them to get some support from both Nevada and Oregon for these dates. As for Hobby Stocks, the same idea holds true. They will be hoping for visitors from the currently defunct Susanville track, Quincy and who knows where else in addition to locally.

I think that as you grow a car count, you look to what people can afford. If something else were added, the best place to look might be a Hornet or Mini Stock division. You'd be looking for entry-level, and something affordable. This still will require some help. For instance, the Central Valley Mini Stock group started building other race cars to get the new drivers in. When I say Dan Myrick has been a leader down there, he has. And others have worked very hard with him to build cars. So, Cedarville would probably need somebody willing to work towards putting cages in those cars, that is assuming Hornets come to be a part of things in the future at Cedarville.

I am liking the idea of doing any kind of racing in Cedarville. It's not new. It's just been a few years since they had a program there. The Hobby Stock/Street Stock program was there once upon a time, but they had Late Models make visits as well as Modifieds. There are enough people there that know what it took before that I think it's got a chance to get started again. This is the thing about the fairgrounds at various places in California. With budget cuts, they look for any other ways they can find to generate revenue, and racing becomes an option if the right person comes into the picture to make a proposal. It makes you wonder what could happen at some of the fairgrounds that have the space but no race track currently. Money talks.

One of the racers who is intent on supporting Cedarville let slip in another race track's comment thread that the Lakeview Fairgrounds in Oregon was entertaining the possibility of a race track. I don't know if they've had auto racing there in the past, though they've had Destruction Derbies and somewhere there has also been Motorcycles. The space is aplenty for them to put on auto racing events in that venue. What I don't know is who might be behind this idea and whether there is any validity to these rumors. The commenter suggested that the same people involved in Cedarville might be looking to do some stuff at Lakeview.

I like the idea for another reason, but I don't know if the news has made it that far. There are a bunch of displaced racers in Klamath Falls, and this venue is a little bit closer for the guys who have to travel to Yreka and Medford to do most of their racing. There might be some resources within that group that could help make a race track happen. Currently, the track in Worden sits, and who knows how long until it ever opens again, if ever. The plot of land the old Klamath Falls track sits on was never brought back to life and all of the stuff is gone now. What you have in Klamath Falls is drivers in Pro Stocks, Modifieds and Mini Stocks who know they have to travel to go racing.

It's no easy task to put a race track together. When we see something open up and start happening, sometimes we might think it was just that easy to do. It is not. The first thing you have to have is somebody willing to pay the bills, because most of these places need quite an investment to get going. Once you do that, you're not guaranteed cars just because you have a track. This requires the promotional effort. You put the word out, you do what you have to do.

I've seen more first-hand what a promoter has to do to make things happen. There are investments in areas that people have no idea about. The promoter will spend that money with the intent or at least the hope that they're going to see a return on that investment. Sometimes it pans out, and sometimes it doesn't. When it fails too many times, that's it. The gates close. Sometimes a promoter is actually even involved in getting racers cars with the intent of being reimbursed. This is done because you've got to get cars on the track, and that is especially true for new divisions.

Reviving race tracks can be tricky business as well. Orland Raceway was left in a difficult position when they saw their promoter walk away within weeks of what was going to be the 2016 season. Then, Rich Hood stepped in. Within about two months of the decision to let him run the track that year, racing started. It's been a steadily improving situation during that time, and he enters his fourth season with much optimism within the racing community.

Racers are investing in this program. I'm seeing teams out there with cars in multiple divisions now. They're having fun in Orland again. That's a good sign. The little track in the shadow of Silver Dollar Speedway is steadily growing its reputation. This is done through sincerity and hard work through leadership that inspires racers to want to be there. I am proud of what Rich has done down there. There may have been a misstep here or there, but there's been plenty of positive steps too. This season should be much better than last season, which according to Rich was his best year yet. From a business standpoint, that's what you want.

Rain has been a pain in the butt in Orland. Then again, we needed rain with all this talk of drought. It killed what should have been a great moment for the track when they did the fundraiser for the fire victims in January. They had the night that they had to do it, but all they had was a track with lots of water on it and people hardy enough to do something for a good cause. And whatever you want to say about that, they raised $5,400. Playday on Saturday saw some 30 cars come in to make laps.

What I have seen from the racers is that they want practice. I hear that a lot in Medford. A promoter can be worried about that because when they ask for this during the year, you hope they don't blow motors or hurt their cars and as a result don't show up for the actual races. There's good and bad to playdays, but it's pretty good as far as coming into a season. Racers can test a few things before things get started. Promoters build a little bit of capital that will probably quickly get spent on race track needs. People have no concept about what comes up during the year that a promoter has to get fixed. So, if you have one or two playdays before the season starts, that's money that helps when those rainy days come. They always do.

A lot more I could say, but the intent here was to be brief. Not sure I pulled it off this time either. If the weather holds, we'll get a practice in Petaluma this week. Dirt is being moved at Merced Speedway so that the season can get going there soon, and Watsonville is hoping to have a World of Outlaws event this Friday night. Marysville has been holding races for the past two weeks. That reminds me...

When Marysville held the Sherm Toller Memorial on March 9th, they did so under threatening skies. This race was originally booked for February, but rain saw to it that that wasn't going to happen. When rain threatened again, management still went through with it. They were able to get the show done, but the threatening skies may have affected the Civil War Series race negatively. I still don't think it helped that there was a King Of Thunder race in Tulare that night, but the distance between the two tracks should have prevented that. Locals didn't come, and I read a comment from one who said they were worried about not getting their car and trailer back into their yard due to wetness.

The five car turnout for the Civil War will have fans of the series that started back in the early 1990s wondering if it's on its last legs. We know that the Elk Grove Ford Sprint Car Challenge Tour, Presented By Abreu Vineyards, was created as a reaction to the way Civil War Series events had been run. That series is now hitting car counts of 40 or more per race and clearly has the upper hand. When you see five cars show up for the Civil War, you have to wonder how much longer things can last. That, I don't know. Part of me is sad, because I hate to see long-lasting traditions come to an end. But, if leadership doesn't make the right move, this is where you end up.

John Prentice is in a very difficult position trying to maintain his series. It's not just the Sprint Cars either. Though he has dealt away the King Of The West and Hunt Series, he also has the All Star Series Modified Tour. Once again, he was only able to cobble together four races when ideally you try to get eight to ten shows. Certain tracks didn't want dates and other tracks said that they did but weren't invited. So, the real question with that is, is there a future for the All Star Series Tour? That, I don't know. If the Series gets through this year, there's always a chance it can be made better, but you can't do it without enough tracks involved.

Marysville will be one of the tracks with an All Star Series race on Memorial Day Weekend. The track is also going to emphasize Pepsi IMCA Sport Modifieds more. I think what they learned is that the racers are willing to go elsewhere, but there's enough racers in that area that if they do it up right, they'll get the cars. Marysville needs all the support they can get. Their Winged 360 Sprint Car show is still doing okay, the Hobby Stock division is showing signs of life and they know they have a winner in the Sport Mods if they can keep driver support.

This has left the attention to the Crate Sprints. I'll spare you the negative opinions that I've had about how the division came to be and just look at this year. They had seven cars at the first race and ten at the point season opener. You'd have to call that encouraging. I don't believe they've ever had more than ten since the division started at Chico a few years back.

So now they have hit that mark again. I think they have to be encouraged by that. The racing seemed pretty close according to lap times, which indicates a competitive field. Marysville has been committed to having something as a feeder into the Winged 360s. So far, the numbers are encouraging this year, but if they're smart, they're taking it one race at a time and not getting overconfident.

The Crate Sprint drivers have their own community online where the California and Nevada drivers are communicating back and forth. This is a good thing as it shows that the two groups might support each other when possible. It really comes down to the drivers themselves. If they support this in great enough numbers, it has a future. Putting 20 of these cars on the track and 20 of the 360s is a good show in itself.

Obviously, the decision by the management of Marysville and Chico to do away with Spec Sprints was in part intended to get drivers to put wings on their cars and join this class. There are several displaced cars unaccounted for, but they have two drivers doing the winged thing now. If they can continue that trend, you'll see a nice increase. However, some drivers are still looking at other options to keep running wingless. This is where I say that Orland Raceway can come out big on this if they simply do away with the gas rule and run true Spec Sprints. We'll see what happens there.

Now, on that note, I will end this column. Until next time...