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It cut me off before I could off\icially sign off, so,
"May you live as long as you want to, as you live."
It cut me off before I could off\icially sign off, so,
"May you live as long as you want to, as you live."
DeCarlo, Fraser Score Thrilling Victories
At Antioch Speedway Season Opener
Antioch, CA...March 30...Reigning All Star Series A Modified champion Nick DeCarlo won a thrilling 20 lap Main Event Saturday night at Antioch Speedway. DeCarlo, who grabbed eight wins last season on the road to his first championship at the three-eights mile clay oval, stalked race long leader Anthony Slaney for most of the race.
Slaney led the opening lap ahead of Jeff Decker, before a yellow flag slowed the pace. The rest of the event went without a slow down, and Slaney set a rapid pace with DeCarlo in close pursuit. As the leaders caught slower traffic on the final lap, Slaney went underneath a slower car on the backstretch. DeCarlo moved to the inside of Slaney. A little paint trading ensued with DeCarlo emerging with the lead. Slaney gave it a valiant effort, but DeCarlo would prevail at the checkered flag. Slaney settled for second. Danny Wagner has made racing at Antioch a priority this season, and he finished a strong third, followed by Kellen Chadwick and Buddy Kniss.
Tommy Fraser made a great run during the final 10 laps of the B Modified 20 lap feature to score a crowd thrilling victory. Merced Speedway star Tanner Thomas raced into the early lead with Jason Womack and Cameron Swank in pursuit. A yellow flag on lap four was followed by a series of yellow flags during the next half-dozen laps. On one occasion, Swank spun from the Top 3 and collected several other cars in Turn 4. Thomas held the lead when a yellow flag waved on lap 10. Fraser and reigning champion Trevor Clymens were in contention behind Thomas, but Clymens was out by lap 13. Thomas led the lap 11 restart, but it was Fraser making a winning pass down the stretch to collect the victory. Thomas settled for second, followed by Kevin Brown, Swank and Mark Garner.
Josh Leach picked up the win in the 20 lap Hobby Stock Main Event. Leach benefited from the mishaps of drivers in front of him, but once he got the lead he was unchallenged. Breanna Troen led the first six laps of the race. She was leading Chris Sorensen on a lap seven restart, only to spin in Turn 4. Leach had the lead momentarily, only to be passed in Turn 4 by Anthony Welborn. Leach and Welborn enjoyed a good battle for another lap, but Welborn spun in Turn 2. This put Leach back into the lead. Leach led Sorensen on the restart, but he steadily pulled away to a nearly straightaway advantage by the waving of the checkered flag. Troen and Welborn charged back to finish third and fourth, respectively. Philip Oreta completed the Top 5. Unfortunately, Welborn was disqualified in post-race tech, moving Oreta and second generation racer Ken Johns into the fourth and fifth positions.
Although Danny Wagner has been expanding his horizons in recent seasons behind the wheel of an A Modified, He still remains one of the top drivers in Dwarf Car racing in the state of California. The two-time Antioch Speedway Dwarf Car champion and past NorCal Dwarf Car Association title winner proved unstoppable in collecting the victory in the 20 lap Main Event. Petaluma regular Marcus Hardina made a rare Antioch visit and came home second, followed by long time Dwarf Car competitor Michael "Spanky" Grenert, Ben Wiesz and Scott Dahlgren.
We return next Saturday night for more All Star Series racing action. Featured divisions include Wingless Spec Sprints, A Modifieds, Limited Late Models and Dwarf Cars. For further information, go to www.antiochspeedway.com.
Unofficial Race Results
All Star Series Antioch Speedway
A Modifieds
Heat Winners (8 Laps)-Nick DeCarlo, Danny Wagner. Main Event (20 Laps)- Nick DeCarlo, Anthony Slaney, Wagner, Kellen Chadwick, Buddy Kniss, Gregg Allen McElhaney, Sean Wilson, Gary Hetrick, Jeff Decker, Frank Furtado.
B Modifieds
Heat Winners (8 Laps)-Kevin Brown, Brent Curran, Trevor Clymens. Main Event (20 laps)-Tommy Fraser, Tanner Thomas, Kevin Brown, Cameron Swank, Mark Garner, Jason Womack, Keith Steinmetz, Tommy Clymens Jr, Trevor Clymens, Curran.
Hobby Stocks
Heat Winners (8 laps)-Chris Sorensen, Dexter Long. Main Event (20 laps)-Josh Leach, Sorensen, Breanna Troen, Philip Oreta, Ken Johns, Luke Brignoli, Ricky Foster, Travis Tabucchi, John Wacht, Long.
Dwarf Cars
Heat Winners (8 laps)-Scott Dahlgren, Danny Wagner, Ben Wiesz. Main Event-(20 laps)-Danny Wagner, Marcus Hardina, Michael "Spanky" Grenert, Ben Wiesz, Scott Dahlgren, Mark Hanson, Josh Wiesz, Chuck Conover, David Rosa, Jerry Doty.
Ing Wins Second Straight in thrilling Fashion
At Marysville Raceway
Marysville, CA...March 30...Michael Ing won his second straight 25 lap Winged 360 Sprint Car Main Event Saturday night at Marysville Raceway. Ing's win aboard the David Ing owned entry came after he made a last lap pass on Cole Macedo.
Alec Justeson set the early Main Event pace in one of the Lovell Brothers owned Sprint Cars. Burt Foland Jr had second until Macedo moved past on lap four. Following a lap six yellow flag, Foland briefly took second from Macedo before being shuffled back to third a lap later. Macedo began to pressure Justeson for the lead before getting by on lap 13. Ing quickly made his way into third and took second from Justeson on lap 17. The battle was on between the dueling #21 cars, and Ing took the lead from Macedo on lap 23. Macedo got by a lap later, but Ing made the winning pass on the final circuit to beat Macedo back to the checkered flag. Justeson settled for third, followed by John Clark, Korry Lovell, Billy Wallace, Kurt Nelson, Brent Bjork, Foland and Justin Henry.
There were 22 Sprint Cars on hand, and reigning Petaluma champion Jake Haulot set the quickest lap of 12.706, beating the 12.927 of fellow Petaluma racer Clark. They ran three eight lap qualifying heat races, and Macedo won the first race ahead of Justesen. Clark outran Korey Lovell in the next heat with Ing scoring the victory in the final heat ahead of Wallace.
Ryan McDaniel drove to his second straight Super Stock Main Event win aboard the Matt Farnham entry. McDaniel took advantage of a front row starting position to race into the lead ahead of past Placerville champion Matt Micheli. The race only had a pair of yellow flag situations, but McDaniel maintained command on each ensuing restart with Micheli in tow. McDaniel pulled away to a straightaway advantage at the checkered flag with Micheli in second, followed by Rod Oliver, Richard Vander Ploeg, multi-time champion James Castleberry, Dan Smith, Luke Warmwater, George Magenheimer, Eddie Gardner and Brent Lawrence. McDaniel also bested Micheli to win their eight lap heat race with Vander Ploeg outrunning teammate Bartlett to win the other heat.
Point leader Darren Johnson turned in another impressive performance in winning his second straight Crate Sprint 20 lap Main Event. Johnson led from the outset ahead of Brett Youngman. Despite four yellow flag interruptions, Johnson maintained his lead over Youngman on each restart. Johnson caught slower traffic in the waning laps, but the best Youngman could do was close in on him as Johnson still prevailed ahead of Youngman. Nick Larson finished third, followed by Mike Sayre, Jeff Macedo, Cameron Haney Jr, Mike Ballantine, Chad Thompson, Kiely Ricardo and Jaylon Deas. Johnson was an eight lap heat race winner ahead of Ballantine, while Youngman prevailed in his heat, followed by Larson.
2017 Silver Dollar Speedway champion Kyle Allen went the distance in leading all the way for the 20 lap Hobby Stock Main Event victory. Allen was followed early on by Willie Horn Jr and three times Chico champion Brian Compton. Compton moved past Horn for second on lap seven and set about trying to catch Allen for the lead. A yellow flag waved on lap 11, But Allen continued to lead Compton and Horn on the restart. The Top 3 ran that way until just before a lap 17 yellow flag when Kyle Cheney moved into third. Allen maintained his lead on the final restart and held on for the impressive victory. Cheney made a last lap pass on Compton for second. Compton fell back several positions as Placerville regular Jesse Von Roekel finished third, followed by Devin Ryan, reigning champion Shannon Collins, Jeremiah Creedon, Horn, Blake Disomma, Mike Stoeckel and David Caluya.
An impressive turnout of 26 cars was one of the highest Stock Car counts seen at the speedway in years. There were four eight lap heat races, and Compton got the first heat win ahead of Allen. Gus Welty won the next heat ahead of Horn. Rick Lloyd outran Creedon to win the third heat with Caluya winning the final heat in front of Johnson. Tim McHenry picked up the victory in the 12 lap B Main, followed closely by Collins. Stoeckel, Davey Stone and Jose Hernandez rounded out the Top 5.
Racing returns next Saturday night with the Winged 360 Sprint Cars being joined by the Super Stocks and the Northern California Dwarf Car Association. For further information, go to www.marysvilleraceway.com.
Johnson, Datson Bakersfield Speedway Feature Winners
Bakersfield, CA...March 30...Michael Johnson scored the victory in the 25 lap IMCA Sport Modified Main Event Saturday night at Bakersfield Speedway. Johnson grabbed the lead from the outset ahead of David Pearson and Chris McKellar. After a caution flag on lap six, McKellar and Antioch visitor Guy Ahlwardt dropped Pearson back to fourth. Kevin Johnson moved around Ahlwardt for the third position on a lap eight restart. The lead trio ran in that order until Kevin Johnson made his move around McKellar for second on lap 22. However, Michael Johnson was not to be denied as he brought it home to victory ahead of Kevin Johnson, McKellar, 2015 State champion Fred Ryland, Ahlwardt, Matthew Mayo, Tina Pounds, Wayne Dotson, James Cecil and Jason Nation.
There were 25 IMCA Sport Modifieds on hand, and Johnson won the first of four eight lap heat races ahead of Gavyn Manning. Dotson outran McKellar to claim the second heat, while the third heat victory went to Ahlwardt in front of Nation. The final heat race win was earned by Pearson in front of Mayo. They ran a 12 lap B Main with Gary Dutton beating 2014 State champion Nick Spainhoward, Pounds, Kyle Wood and James Cecil.
Wayne Dotson continued his strong start with his second straight 20 lap IMCA Stock Car Main Event victory. It was Preston Martin setting the early pace ahead of Jayden Schweitzer. Datson gained the third position on lap four before a yellow flag slowed things down. Dotson charged into second behind Martin on the restart, but two laps later, Dotson made his winning move around Martin for the lead. A lap 10 caution flag bunched up the field again, and Dotson continued to lead Schweitzer and Ron hurt on the restart. Hurt slipped past Schweitzer for the second position on lap 14, and a yellow flag waved moments later. This gave Hurt another opportunity, and he pressured Datson hard on the restart. However, Dotson maintained his cool and brought it home to a well-earned victory. Hurt settled for second, followed by Schweitzer, Troy Patee, Renn Bane, Tanner Lorenzo, Martin, Josh Nichols, Chad Johnson and Larry Thompson. Thompson won the first eight lap heat race in a close battle with Cody Johnson. Schweitzer just beat Hurt back to the line in a near photo finish victory in the second heat.
Justin Crockett bested a short field of Western Pro Stocks to win their 20 lap Main Event. Third generation competitor Billy Simkins set the early pace ahead of Dave King Jr and Crockett. Crockett moved past King for the second position on lap 10. Two laps later, Crockett put the moves on Simkins to gain the lead. Crockett led the rest of the way for the victory, followed by Simkins, King, Chris Smith, Late Model veteran Jerry Stewart, Chris Clinton and Ryan Smith. The eight competitors on hand qualified on the clock with King setting a quick lap of 15.029 to beat the 15.065 of Wayne Coffman. Unfortunately for Coffman, his night ended with mechanical issues after winning the second heat ahead of Simkins. It was Stewart outrunning King to win the first eight lap heat.
Matt Herod collected the 20 lap Mini Stock Main Event victory in front of David Wolford, Clinton Massey, Clint Duncan, Parker Cherry, Andy Boydstun, Shawn Schwartzenberger, Carter Cherry, Mark Wolford and Gary Anderson. The Sr Mini Dwarf Main Event win went to Deegan Bledsaw ahead of Adam Nohl, Eric Vences, Seth Hanson, Kaden Cowan and Bransyn Speer. Khloe Cotton outran Wyatt Webb to win the Jr Mini Dwarf feature. Bryson Martin finished third ahead of Emma McKellar and Blake Watson.
Next Saturday night, the USAC Midgets return to Bakersfield Speedway along with IMCA Sport Modifieds, Hobby Stocks and Mod Lites. For further information, go to www.bakersfieldspeedway.com.
Wingless Spec Sprints, Limited Late Models Back
At Antioch Speedway Saturday Night
At Antioch Speedway Saturday Night
Antioch, CA...It seems as if Antioch Speedway has just a little bit of momentum going their way this year. Following two successful practice dates and a season opener that attracted over 60 competitors in four divisions, All Star Series racing returns to 3/8 mile clay oval this Saturday night. Making their first appearances of the season will be the Wingless Spec Sprints and Limited Late Models. Also back in action will be the A Modifieds and Dwarf Cars.
Last season, Bob Newberry won a closely contested Spec Sprint championship race with Shannon Newton. Both drivers scored multiple feature wins, but it was Newberry prevailing for his second Antioch championship and third career Spec Sprint title. This year finds the longtime Antioch Speedway competitor looking to enter elite territory. Nobody in the 20 year history of this division has won three championships at Antioch.
Newberry and Newton won't be the only drivers out to make some history. Alan Miranda is anticipated this week as well. Miranda was also a multi-time feature winner last year, but his quest for yet another win late in the season resulted in a tangle with a slower car that ended his season. Miranda could provide formidable competition to Newberry and Newton this year. Other stars to keep an eye on this week include longtime Spec Sprint competitors Rick Panfili and Roy Fisher, MacKenzie Newton, James East and Scott Martin.
Mark Garner finally added his family's name to the list of champions of Antioch Speedway. He did so after winning a very close battle with Kimo Oreta for the Limited Late Model crown. Unconfirmed reports are that Garner isn't attempting a title defense this year, but he still has his car. We'll have to see if this proves to be true. Oreta, however, will be back in the familiar Sun Drop Racing Team #15 car as he tries to notch his second division title and the seventh for the team.
Mike Walko made a triumphant return to the speedway last season with four wins and a third place ranking to show for it. Mike has been racing for numerous years and seems poised to make a bid for his first championship. Other notables to watch for include division all-time feature win leader and two-time champion Mike Gustafson, Chad Hammer, John Evans, Ryan Cherezian and Lori Brown. Another longtime Antioch competitor, Jim Robbins, is rumored to be in the field this week as well.
The A Modified division didn't disappoint the fans last week. Reigning champion Nick DeCarlo and fourth-generation racer Anthony Slaney had a battle for the ages. DeCarlo made a last-lap pass in traffic to bring home the win. DeCarlo has his sights set on another championship, and he will be difficult to beat. Other drivers to watch for this week include two-time Dwarf Car champion Danny Wagner, Buddy Kniss, Sean Wilson, Gary Hetrick and Frank Furtado.
Danny Wagner brought both his Dwarf Car and A Modified last week and left with the winner's prize in the Dwarf Car Main Event. With all of the other traveling groups dark last week, several visitors produced a field of 22 entries. A good field of competitors is anticipated this week, led by two-time reigning champion Mike Corsaro, Giovanni Bertolli, Jerry Doty, David Michael Rosa, David Rosa and Chris Becker.
The mixture of open-wheel and Stock Car divisions promises a little bit of something for every race fan this week. On Saturday night, Antioch Speedway will be the place to be. For further information, go to www.antiochspeedway.com.
Merced Speedway Season Opener Scheduled
For Saturday Night
For Saturday Night
Merced, CA...It is hoped that the third time will be the charm this Saturday night at Merced Speedway. General Manager Doug Lockwood and his crew have been working very hard making numerous improvements to the facility and the race track itself. The main thing working against them has been the wet weather, which has made it impossible to completely work on the track and the new banking in a way that would have it ready for race day. Despite sunny skies over the speedway last Saturday, the wet weather leading up to the day made it impossible to go racing.
At press time, Lockwood was considering scheduling a playday sometime during the week in order for the drivers to get at least one practice in before the opener. When the green flag drops on the action this Saturday, weather permitting, four divisions of racing will entertain the fans on the quarter-mile clay oval. The IMCA RaceSaver 305 Sprint Cars make a special appearance along with the IMCA Modifieds, Mini Stocks and the Valley Sportsman division.
IMCA is the longest running dirt track sanctioning body in the United States today. They sanction several different divisions, and in recent years, they have been sanctioning the RaceSaver Sprint Car division in California. They have made multiple appearances at Merced Speedway in the past few seasons, and this style of Winged Sprint Car racing has entertained the fans each time. Their most recent appearance was won by 2018 champion Grant Duinkerken ahead of series runner-up Albert Pombo and Brooklyn Holland.
The RaceSaver Sprints compete at several different venues during the season, and a State of California champion will be crowned. You can find them racing at speedways in Bakersfield, Hanford and Tulare as well. Last weekend, they competed in Hanford with Zane Blanchard besting a field of roughly 20 competitors ahead of Duinkerken and Grant Champlin. A field of anywhere from 15 to 20 racers is anticipated this weekend, and some of the other drivers to watch for include Monte Ferreira, Michael Pombo, Jacob Pacheco, Brendan Warmerdam and Hanford season opener winner Kyle Rasmussen.
The immensely popular IMCA Modifieds are back this Saturday night. Third generation racer Darrell Hughes II comes into the season as the reigning champion and the driver to beat. Multi-time champion Ramie Stone will be hoping to mount a challenge this year as well as fourth generation competitor Ryan Porter. There are some talented racers in these high-powered open-wheel Stock Cars, and some of the stars to watch for this week include Brian Pearce, Justin Villanueva, Jeff Streeter, Jarod Fast and Derek Nance.
The entry way into racing at Merced Speedway is the affordable Mini Stock division. The division got its start at the speedway roughly 15 years ago. It produced more than 20 cars on occasion last season. Young gun Allen Neal won a nail-biter against Lee Ragsdale for the championship last year. Neal only grabbed the title by a mere two points. Some of the drivers anticipated this week include Tyler Jackson, Jennifer Rogers, Shawn DePriest, Kevin Lockerby and Bryant Desaire.
The Valley Sportsman division begins their 20th Anniversary Season at the speedway. The division carried headline status back in the 1960s and 1970s until taking their last checkered flag in early 1980. Then promoter Chuck Griffin reintroduced the popular open wheel, winged vintage class to the roster in 1999. This led to the return of Watsonville Speedway "Hall Of Famer" Jerry Cecil, who won the title in a good battle with Rick Elliott last season. Some of the drivers anticipated for this show include Chris Birdsong, Chris Corder, Eric Seeley and Jeff West.
The weather hasn't been kind to Merced Speedway, but the new management team has. Lots of work has been done to the facility, including upgrades to the concessions booths in both the pits and the grandstands, a renovated pit bathroom, improvements to the back straightaway fencing and more clay and banking added to the racing surface. Lockwood anticipates a great season ahead, starting with the Saturday night program. For further information, go to www.mercedspeedway.net.
Petaluma Speedway Makes Second Attempt
To Kick Off 2019 Season Saturday Night
To Kick Off 2019 Season Saturday Night
Petaluma, CA...The weather has not been kind in Petaluma. The deluge of rain at the Sonoma/Marin County Fairgrounds has been such that two practice days and one scheduled race have been canceled. Promoter Rick Faeth is optimistic that the 3/8 mile adobe oval will roar to life with the sound of race cars this Saturday night. Faeth has scheduled a great lineup of racing that will include the PitStopUSA.com Winged 360 Sprint Cars, the McLea's Tire Service IMCA Modifieds, the Jake's Performance Hobbies Mini Stocks and the General Hydroponics Redwood Dwarf Cars.
Faeth has lined up some great sponsorship to help keep the show going, and this includes the great partnership established between the speedway and Ed Coughenour of PitStopUSA.com. They have returned as the title sponsor for the 32nd season of racing for the Winged 360 Sprint Cars at the speedway. Last season, Jake Haulot won a hotly-contested championship battle with Colby Johnson and Brett Rollag for the championship. All three of those families have been a part of racing at Petaluma and elsewhere for several years, and all are anticipated on Saturday night.
The fact is, the Winged 360 Sprint Cars at Petaluma have some top-notch talent, including hard-charger Klint Simpson, up-and-coming star William Fatu, David Lindt II, John Clark, Bradley Terrell and Brett Barney. Last season, there were six different winners in the nine championship point races with three going to Simpson. Getting a win at Petaluma Speedway is no easy task, and there will be a group of eager drivers looking to win the 58th annual season opener this Saturday night.
Last season, the McLea's Tire Service IMCA Modified championship battle was a wide open affair from start to finish. Despite not winning a Main Event throughout the season, Oreste Gonella used four second place finishes to defend his championship from the year prior. Gonella would love to end his win draught with a return to the Winner's Circle on Saturday night. However, he can expect a fierce challenge from multi-time champion Michael Paul Jr, last season's runner-up Jeffrey Faulkner, Tim Yeager Jr and Chris Sieweke. Petaluma has the longest-running IMCA Modified Series going in the state of California as the division had its first races in 1987 and crowned its first champion, Joe Carr, in 1988.
The man they call "Doctor Burn Rubber", David Spindell, could very well be the driver to beat in the Mini Stock championship race. Spindell finished second to new reigning champion Tom Brown, despite winning an impressive five Main Events. Both drivers would seem to enter the season as the ones to beat. However, Danny Manzoni should hit the ground running by being there at the opener, which he missed last season. Other drivers to watch for in the 32nd season of championship racing for this division at Petaluma include Roy Dearing, Roberta Broze, Sophie Shelley, Antonio and Randy Miramontez and Jeremy Tjensvold.
The General Hydroponics Redwood Dwarf Cars are excited about getting their new season started. Last season, it was Scooter Gomes winning the championship with a very consistent performance. Multi-time champion Dave Mosier made him work for it with a division-leading four victories. These two division mainstays figure to be at the top of the battle again this year, but there's a great lineup of Dwarf Car competitors making their plans to make a run for the money, led by past champion Chad Mathias. Others to watch for include Carroll Mendenhall, Mark Hanon, Michael Affonso, Marcus Hardina and Matt Hagermann.
It's been a long offseason, and the racers are itching to get back behind the wheel and do what they love to do. The fans will be treated to an exciting show with this four division program. For further information, go to www.petaluma-speedway.com.
California Hardtops Set To Invade
Orland Raceway Saturday Night
Orland, CA...The racing season has begun at Orland Raceway, and Saturday night will be the second round of racing on the 1/5 mile dirt oval. After a good night of racing last week, Promoter Rich Hood has booked one of several special visits from various groups for the fans to enjoy. Saturday night will offer California Hardtops along with the track's regular Pure Stock, Mini Stock, Wingless Sprint and 250 Micro Sprint divisions.
Hardtops used to rule the racing circuit back in the 1950s and 1960s. It appeared as if they had run their final race in California at Vallejo Speedway back in 1978. However, in 2002, Mike McCann led a group of Oregon racers for two special visits to the state. It just so happened that one of those races took place at Orland Raceway. The race was won by Steve Lemley. It's noteworthy that the car that he drove to victory is now owned by Ken Clifford, who is one of the racers anticipated this Saturday night. His son Jason Clifford has won at Orland in the past in the old Lemley car.
The California Hardtop Association was founded back in 2008. Some of the first cars built were in tribute to racers who competed at the old Vallejo Speedway. The Coup and Sedan racers from the 1940s include some of the nicest looking cars you will see at the speedway this weekend. Jason Armstrong has won at Orland in the past and figures to lead the charge along with other noteworthy competitors such as Dave Reed, Ron Ruiz, Mario Romano, Joe Shenefield, Tom Grady, Roger MacShain and Ken Retzloff.
It wasn't enough that multi-time Mini Truck champion Keith Ross returned to the Pure Stock division in a Camaro last week. He left with the winner's prize. Ross figures to be a serious contender for the championship in this class. To get to it, however, he knows he will have to be fast to beat 2017 champ Jeremy Langenderfer. These two lead the charge, but other drivers to keep an eye on this week include reigning champion Paul Stephens, past champion Steve Martin, Jason Matlock and Amanda MacAbel.
Reigning Mini Stock champion Tom Davis picked up right where he left off with the feature victory last week. Davis is certainly the man to beat in this year's title chase. However, Jeremy Langenderfer has joined the division and promises to shake things up this season. Past champion John Kirkpatrick will be out there giving it his best once again, and other drivers hoping to stake a claim on the winner's trophy this week include Jason Libbee, Rich Innes, Scott Camper and Sean Perry.
The Wingless Sprints return to action this week on the heels of last week's show, won by Josh Tucker. Other hard-chargers such as Tony Richards, Josh Jacobo, Tanner Thomson Cassandra Amore and RJ Baker should be drivers to contend with.
The 250 Micros round out the program, and reigning champion Pax Gonzalez leads the charge along with James Barnes, past champion Jess Garland and Ronnie Heyer.
It's a great lineup of five divisions that is sure to entertain the crowd. For further information, go to the Orland Raceway Facebook Page.
Diamond Mountain Speedway In Susanville Returns
For 2019 Season
Susanville, CA...When the 2018 season came to an early end, there was speculation as to whether or not racing would return to the Lassen County Fairgrounds in Susanville this year. All traces of the track's webpage on the fairgrounds website had been wiped, and there was no word about any new page or any new promoter stepping up. However, this changed in mid March.
2018 Quincy IMCA Modified champion Jeff Olschowka has stepped in to become the promoter. If the last name sounds familiar, it should. The Olschowka family has been supporting several racing venues throughout California and Nevada for decades. Jeff did not want to see racing cease at Susanville, so he put together a proposal and secured the contract for the 2019 season.
Work began on the facility immediately with landscaping efforts as well as track preparation. Just a couple of weeks later, the speedway actually opened for a practice session last Saturday afternoon. If the weather cooperates, the green flag will drop on the new season on April 20th.
Olschowka isn't changing the division lineup. The local drivers will still have an opportunity to bring their cars out as IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Sport Modifieds, Strictly Stocks and Mini Stocks will be the core four divisions. One of the things Jeff did was work with American Valley Speedway in Quincy's Promoter Curt Nieman to make sure that none of the race dates between the two tracks conflicted. On occasion, there will be two-race weekends where one night is in Susanville and the other is in Quincy.
Among the schedule highlights for the season will be a two-day event on July 4th and 5th and a two-day season-ending event on September 6th and 7th. For the most part, the speedway will hold two events per month, but there will be four races in July.
The IMCA acknowledged Matt Murphy as the 2018 Modified champion. He beat Chris Nieman by just seven points for the honors while Wade Kennemore was third in the standings, 16 points behind. Only a point behind Kennemore was Larry McCracken, and Galen Hainline completed the Top 5. The IMCA Sport Modified championship went to Jason Emmot by 27 points in front of Nathan Howard. Stock Car star Richard Longacre, American Valley Speedway champion Craig Nieman and Jared Morris made up the remainder of the Top 5. We were unable to track down points in the Mini Stock or Strictly Stock divisions at press time.
Racers and fans are relieved to know that racing will continue at Susanville. It's a tradition that has gone back many years. Olschowka promises a full season and some great racing from April through September. For further information, check out the track's Facebook page.
2019 Diamond Mountain Speedway Schedule
Sat 3/30 Test & Tune 12pm
Sat 4/20 First Race 7pm
Fri 4/26 Races 7pm
Fri 5/10 Races 7pm
Fri 5/24 Races 7pm
Sat 6/8 Races 7pm
Fri 6/28 Races 7pm
Thu 7/4 Races 1/2 7pm
Fri 7/5 Races 2/2 7pm
Fri 7/12 Races 7pm
Sun 7/21 Fair Races 7pm
Sat 8/10 Races 7pm
Fri 8/23 Last Point Race 7pm
Fri 9/6 Shoot Out 1/2 7pm
Sat 9/7 Shoot Out 2/2 7pm
Bakersfeld Speedway Unofficial Race Results March 30, 2019
IMCA Stock Car
Wayne Dotson
Jayden Schweitzer
Troy Patee
Renn Bane
Tanner Lorenzo
Preston Martin
Josh Nichols
Chad Johnson
Larry Thompson
Brock Hamilton
Cody Johnson
Pro Stocks
Justin Crockett
Billy Simkins
Dave King Jr
Chris Smith
Jerry Stewart
Chris Clinton
Ryan Smith
IMCA Sport Modifieds
Michael Johnson
Kevin Johnson
Chris McKellar
Fred Ryland
Guy Ahlwardt
Matthew Mayo
Tina Pounds
Wayne Dotson
James Cecil
Jason Nation
Jack Aguiar
Nick Spainhoward
Kyle Wood
Gavyn Manning
Austin Ruskauff
Cale Kanke
Brian Baker
Daniel West
Tyler Blankenship
Gary Dutton
David Pearson
Keith Brown Jr
B Main
Gary Dutton
Nick Spainhoward
Tina Pounds
Kyle Wood
James Cecil
Austin Ruskauff
Brian Baker
Tyler Blankenship
Daniel West
Keith Brown
Levi Kiefer
Nick Lawrence
Robby Claborn DNS
Mini Stocks
Matt Herod
David Wolford
Clinton Massey
Clint Duncan
Parker Cherry
Andy Boydstun
Shawn Schwartzenberger
Carter Cherry
Mark Wolford
Gary Anderson
Laren Meyers
Destiny Joplin
Brandon Wolford
Mason Conway
Matt Daniels
Steve Porter
Jose Rosales
Paul Johnston
Gene Glover DNS
Chris Rutledge DNS
David Waller DNS
Tim Claborn DNS
Sr. Mini Dwarf Car
Deegan Bledsaw
Adam Nohl
Eric Vences
Seth Hanson
Kaden Cowan
Bransyn Speer
Ethan Johnson
Brooklynn Palmer
Jett Yantis
Mallory Meyers
Jr. Mini Dwarf Car
Khloe Cotton
Wyatt Webb
Bryson Martin
Emma McKellar
Blake Watson
Tom Stephens III
Michael Lookadoo
Paislee Hughes
Bradley Brink
TJ Claborn
Travis Varney
Carson Avila
Landon King DNS
Placerville Speedway Unofficial Race Results March 30, 2019
Elk Grove Ford Sprint Car Challenge Tour Presented By Abreu Vineyards
Winged 360 Sprint Cars
A Main
Andy Forsberg
Sean Becker
Mitchell Faccinto
Kalib Henry
Shane Golobic
Justin Sanders
Tony Gualda
Kyle Hirst
Ryan Robinson
Ryan Bernal
Kyle Offill
Jimmy Trulli
D.J. Netto
Tim Kaeding
Justyn Cox
Mike Benson
Blake Carrick
Colby Johnson
Tanner Carrick
Chris Masters
Willie Croft
Cody Lamar
Lucas Ashe
Chase Johnson
B Main
Ryan Bernal
Tony Gualda
Blake Carrick
Ryan Robinson
Geoff Ensign
JJ Ringo
Shane Hopkins
Jesse Love
Mike Cook
Jacob Tuttle
Jared Van Bebber
BCRA Midget Lites
Scott Kinney
Terry Bergstom
Danika Jo Parker
Jeff Griffin
Josef Ferolito
Gus Carcione
Hunter Kinney
Brandon Leedy
Jim Riddell
Cody Shermantine
Tyler Chamorro
Craig Holsted
Irwindale Unofficial Race Results March 30, 2019
K&N West and Night of Destruction
Enduro
Rodney Argo
Dewitt Jones
Bobby Ozman
Joe Labrasciano
Rick Conti
Brad Stellman
Robert Rice
Bory Molina
Mike McIntyre
Robbie Salcido
Ian Rotundo
Joseph Bereiter
Troy Andersen
Robert John Rice
Todd Paperny
Dean Thompson
Cheryl Hyland
Cole Schmidt
Chris Voight
James Bolinas
Kirk Kubik
Chase Schmitt
Skid Plate
Austin Lee
Wayne Lee
Robbie Salcido
Mike McIntyre
Robert Rice
Ashley Rice
Cole Schmitt
Cheryl Hyland
James Bolinas
Joe Labrosciano
Ken Palmer
Melody Scott
Joseph Furlow
Larry Burnett
Chase Schmidt
Trailer Race
Jason Jonasson
Cheryl Hyland
Robert Rice
Robbie Salcido
Robert John Rice
Cody Pearlstein
Chase Schmitt
Mike McIntyre
Todd Paperny
James Bolinas
Bailey Maywald
Robert "Fang" Organ
Cole Schmitt
Michael Avrick
Steve Cook
Ray Reyes
Figure 8
Robbie Salcido
Rodney Argo
Joe Labrosciano
Dewitt Jones
Joseph Bereiter
Robert Rice
James Bolinas
Robert John Rice
Cole Schmidt
Bory Molina
Rick Conti
Chase Schmitt
Cheryl Hyland
Kirk Kubik
Kern Raceway Unofficial Race Results March 30, 2019
Relay for Life Night
Spec Mods
Feature 1
JIM COFFEY
ANTHONY BARKET
ERIC BRUST
ED COFFEY
BRADY MELO
KEN HOOBERY
BROCK MELO
Feature 2
JIM COFFEY
ED COFFEY
ERIC BRUST
ANTHONY BARKET
BRADY MELO
KEN HOOBERY
BROCK MELO
Super Stocks
GREG PUSKARICH
GENE FIFE
KENNY HARRISON
CHRIS DALTON
Cayden McCaslin
RON CROSS
Hot Stocks
LLOYD WREN
RICK FIFE
RICK CHILDRESS
DON MEAD
MARK MCCASLIN
SKIP SPILLER
WAYNE PARK
Legend Cars
COLTON PAGE
JOSH AYERS
CHRISTIAN BAZEN
CHAD ACTIS
JOVON FOX
DAVID WILLEY
EDDIE GARONE
Bandolderos
HANK HALL
TRENTON EURTO
QUENTIN FRITZ
LOGAN CHAMBERS
NATHANIAL EDWARDS
ETHAN GIANNETTO
KONNER KARSTEN
RILEY MASSEY
ZACHARY GINN
RYAN CHRISTY
Skid Plate
SETH WISE
KOHL FEUERHAHN
JARED PUSKARICH
TIMOTHY SWEN
ROSS PUSKARICH
COLTON FOSTER
SEAN KILLION
Marysville Raceway Unofficial Race Results March 30, 2019
360 Sprints
Michael Ing
Cole Macedo
Alec Justeson
John Clark
Korey Lovell
Billy Wallace
Kurt Nelson
Brent Bjork
Burt Foland Jr
Justin Henry
Mike Monahan
Pat Harvey Jr
Kevin Lovell
Brad Dillard
Jake Haulot
Eli Deshaies
Jenna Frazier
Will Fatu
Angelo Cornet
Jimmy Steward
Chris Nelson
Super Stocks
Ryan McDaniel
Matt Micheli
Rod Oliver
Richard Vander Ploeg
James Castleberry
Dan Smith
Luke Warmwater
George Magenheimer
Eddie Gardner
Brent Lawrence
Jerry Bartlett
Crate Sprints
Darren Johnson
Brett Youngman
Nick Larson
Mike Sayre
Jeff Macedo
Cameron Haney Jr
Chad Thompson
Kiely Ricardo
Mike Ballantine
Jaylon Deas
Kevin Dozier
Hobby Stocks
Kyle Allen
Kyle Cheney
Jesse Van Roekel
Devin Ryan
Shannon Collins
Jeremiah Creedon
Willie Horn Jr
Blake Disomma
Mike Stoeckle
David Caluya
Brian Compton
Rick Lloyd
Tim McHenry
David Allen
Gus Welty
Toby Merrifield
Mel Byers
Chris Van Roekel
Davey Stone
Jacob Johnson
B Main
Tim McHenry
Shannon Collins
Mike Stoeckle
Davey Stone
Jose Hernadez
Eric Phillips
Danny Lavonte
Sebastian Davis
James West
William Merritt
Perris Auto Speedway Unofficial Race Results March 30, 2019
USAC/CRA Sprint Main
1 #91r Brody Roa
2 #10 Richard VanderWeerd
3 #92 Austin Williams
4 #83 Austin Liggett
5 #12 Stevie Sussex
6 #50 Charles Davis Jr
7 #4 Damion Gardner
8 #88 Jace VanderWeerd
9 #42 Danny Faria
10 #16 Mike Martin
11 #5X Tommy Malcom
12 #4G Chris Gansen
13 #39E Kyle Edward
14 #34C Sterling Cling
15 #98 Verne Sweeny
16 #51 RJ Johnson
17 #21 AJ Bender
18 #74x Josh Hodges
19 #37 Matt Mitchell
20 #44 Cody Williams
21 #42X Jake Swanson
22 #28m Matt McCarthy
B Main
1 #19 Brent Marks
2 #21P Robbie Price
3 #33M Mason Daniel
4 #11K Kraig Kinser
5 #7S Jason Sides
6 #71P Parker Price-Miller
7 #13 Mark Dobmeier
8 #1A Jacob Allen
World of Outlaws NOS Energy Sprints
FEATURE
1 #87 Aaron Reutzel
2 #2 Carson Macedo
3 #24 Rico Abreu
4 #49X Tim Shaffer
5 #26 Cory Eliason
6 #17 Sheldon Haudenschild
7 #15 Donny Schatz
8 #5 Shane Stewart
9 #49 Brad Sweet
10 #83JR Giovanni Scelzi
11 #45 Chad Kemenah
12 #41 David Gravel
13 #83 Daryn Pittman
14 #18 Ian Madsen
15 #1S Logan Schuchart
16 #19AZ Hunter Schuerenberg
17 #21 Brian Brown
18 #71P Parker Price-Miller
19 #7S Jason Sides
20 #11K Kraig Kinser
21 #21P Robbie Price
22 #41S Dominic Scelzi
23 #19 Brent Marks
24 #33M Mason Daniel
Last Chance Showdown
1 #19 Brent Marks
2 #21P Robbie Price
3 #33M Mason Daniel
4 #11K Kraig Kinser
5 #7S Jason Sides
6 #71P Parker Price-Miller
7 #13 Mark Dobmeier
8 #1A Jacob Allen
Keller Auto Raceway Unofficial Race Results March 29, 2019
World of Outlaws NOS Energy Sprints
FEATURE
1 #41 David Gravel
2 #83 Daryn Pittman
3 #5 Shane Stewart
4 #17 Sheldon Haudenschild
5 #49 Brad Sweet
6 #15 Donny Schatz
7 #17W Shane Golobic
8 #2 Carson Macedo
9 #21 Brian Brown
10 #1S Logan Schuchart
11 #87 Aaron Reutzel
12 #26 Cory Eliason
13 #19 Brent Marks
14 #18 Ian Madsen
15 #41S Dominic Scelzi
16 #7S Tim Kaeding
17 #71P Parker Price-Miller
18 #11K Kraig Kinser
19 #88N DJ Netto
20 #45 Chad Kemenah
21 #7 Jason Sides
22 #O Bud Kaeding
23 #24 Rico Abreu
24 #83JR Giovanni Scelzi
Last Chance Showdown
1 #7S Tim Kaeding
2 #1S Logan Schuchart
3 #87 Aaron Reutzel
4 #18 Ian Madsen
5 #49X Tim Shaffer
6 #68 Chase Johnson
7 #21X Ryan Bernal
8 #33M Mason Daniel
9 #1A Jacob Allen
11 #28 Nathan Rolfe
12 #21P Robbie Price
IMCA RaceSaver 305 Sprint Cars
Zane Blanchard
Grant Duinkerken
Grant Champlin
Monty Ferriera
Mike Schott
Michael Pombo
Kyle Rasmussen
Brooklyn Holland
Rob Soloman
Tony Pombo
Mauro Simone
Blaine Fagundes
Brandon Emmett
Jacob Pacheco
Lance Jackson
Benjamin Catron
Brendan Warmerdam
Connor Danell
Phil Heynen
Kevin MacIntosh
The Editor's Viewpoint
It doesn't seem like things are quite going as I thought they would be at this point. I'm not really pleased by that, and it leaves me having a difficult time sitting down and expressing my thoughts in this column. I end up going off in directions that would be better served if I didn't comment at all. I know at times in the past, especially when I had the printed magazine, people might think I enjoyed going in a more negative direction. I won't lie and say there weren't times I did, but I'd prefer not to go there. It sold magazines, and it also put me in a bad position with certain people.
Social media is such a thing now that not only do people easily get negative, they are encouraged to do so. When you watch entertainment on television or sports, oftentimes they will flash a Facebook or Twitter site and solicit your comments in real time. It's training people to just get in there and let the negativity fly. Of course, now we have a backlash where our very freedom of speech is being threatened. To be honest with you, I'd rather be writing about those types of subjects sometimes than the racing that demands so much of my time. Seems to me that it's more relevant to the world than what we do on Saturday nights, not that this doesn't have its place too. I just need balance that I don't have.
So, I might sit down on social media and write out an opinion I know is controversial. I know I did this with this column many times. You type and get it off your chest. I wrote columns for my magazine and had a backup page when I went to the printer, because there were many times I kept that opinion out as I didn't feel I should go there. When there isn't a magazine involved, I like this trick. You feel you need to say something, fine. Type it all out. When you're done, stand up and walk out of the room. Take a little bit of time. Do you really need to go there? Many times, it is copied and pasted into a file for safekeeping or completely deleted. Most of the time it will never see the light of day. I think more people should do this. Just because you have a right to an opinion doesn't mean it needs to be expressed every time.
In this case, it affects me personally. It affects where my life is going and where it is now. I see history repeating itself again, and I just wonder why. I sometimes wonder what I did wrong in a previous life, if there is such a thing, that has put me in this position. It just brings out negative feelings in me. It used to be so much simpler than this. I'd like to say more, but at this point in time there is nothing to say. There will be something to say soon, and I'm thinking about that. I don't want to go on and on, but if it goes in an unfortunate direction, what then?
I would simply say that people are going to talk. They are going to say things about you. It's human nature. But, if my name gets dragged through the mud at some point, know that there are two sides to every story. Do I need to defend or explain myself? Not really. I will just watch and observe for now, and maybe I'll say something and maybe I won't. People know me. They know what I'm about and they will know a lie when they hear one.
I have more things at stake with every decision I make than just what my future in racing is. I have my very future to consider, and quite frankly I'm unsure whether I can guide things where they need to go. I'm comfortable deflecting away from myself and putting my energies into causes that ultimately don't help me, but I'm not so good with my own thing. Being as I'm the only person involved in my life and I have nobody really close to me, there are other factors that must be considered before I make moves that ultimately don't go well. Does that make sense?
Racing season has begun. The weather isn't through making its own mark. We've had rainouts and it looks like we might get a whole weekend rained out again. When I sit down and put the articles together as I have this week, I ask myself why. Everything may get rained out, so why do a bunch of previews? The reason is if the weather doesn't go in that direction, you didn't do your job. When it rains out, it was all a moot point anyway.
Merced Speedway has entered a new era. With S & S Motorsports as the promoters and Doug Lockwood being brought on board to fill the General Manager role, many improvements have been put into the 70 year old racing facility. Actually, Merced Speedway is one of the cleanest places you'll find. Excellent grandstand, clean pit area. It's ideal, and it amazes me that when the opportunity presented itself to promote that race track this year, nobody else stepped in to make it a competitive bid. This is not me saying they made the wrong choice, but simply me saying that I'm surprised that given the situation nobody else wanted to be there. Were I somebody with money to invest who wanted to promote, I don't think I would have had to think twice about this one. So much potential there.
Doug and his crew have completely overhauled the pit concession and pit bathrooms, the grandstand concessions, the back fence and pit bleachers and the racing surface. More clay, more banking. They've worked very hard. Generally, when you bring in a new promoter, they make some upgrades and improvements to the facility that weren't there before. It's just the way it's done. In Merced you have a fairgrounds that loves that race track and feels it's an important part of what they do. There's generally been a good relationship between the track and Fair Board, and this was something that the late Chuck Griffin believed strongly in.
Merced has watched a couple of play days go away and a couple of races due to bad weather. If they weren't making the big improvements to the racing surface, chances are they'd have had at least one event of some sort already. Because of the weather, they haven't been able to fully work the track in. As I am writing this on an early Tuesday morning, things have come a long very well, and all they really need now is the weather that will allow them to race. I have no doubt that when they are finally able to drop a green flag, things are going to be okay at Merced Speedway. I certainly support racing there and will support the effort via this blog as best I can.
Rain has particularly abused Petaluma, Watsonville and Chico as only one event has happened between them so far. This is the way it always used to be. You try to do something in March, and you're still going to deal with weather. The patterns change. Climate always changes. We're back into a cycle where rain will fall and claim racing events more often in spring. Nothing new here. It's always happening. I remember when we didn't try to do much before April and didn't do much after about mid September. When the weather changed to such a degree, the promoters booked more events later in the year and the racers were supportive. It's still a difficult balance given the financial times we have these days.
I'm admittedly impressed that John was able to do what he's done at Antioch Speedway given the short turnaround time. He didn't know officially that he would be the promoter at Antioch Speedway until about mid February, and he was insistent that there would be racing in March. I kind of shook my head and wondered what the hell he was thinking. Then again, I remember the demands that the fairgrounds has on that race track. What he's thinking is he's got to pay the bills to keep this place going, and that means get busy and get racing. After two successful playdays, the season opened on schedule last Saturday.
This is what I found to be a little bit encouraging going into the season. Given the fact that John wanted to put cars on the race track within about a month of knowing he would be promoting for the next five years, we saw people step up. People wanted to know what they could do to help. This makes a difference. Opening playday was one of the most successful that the speedway has ever had. The following week, they did pretty good. The season opener last week was not bad. Really, it wasn't. Weather made things a challenge leading up to that race, so just having it was an accomplishment. The numbers were a mixed bag, in my opinion, but it was a good start. Hopefully, things will go well in the weeks ahead.
As I was sitting here at the desk on Saturday, it was brought to my attention that Diamond Mountain Speedway in Susanville is alive again. I really thought we lost that track when we got into March and there was no news. In about a two-week time period, they went from announcing that Jeff Olschowka is the new promoter to having a practice day. Opening day is April 20th. Pretty amazing to see how news can change so quickly. It also highlights that little thought about taking your race track for granted. You can lose it very quickly. I know Susanville isn't one of those high-profile race tracks, but they've had a pretty good run of things through the years. I am happy that this will continue, and I would certainly be willing to help spread the word in my media efforts if I get enough information to go on.
That has been a problem for me with a few tracks. Susanville has been one of them. Hayfork has been another challenging track. Orland Raceway is one of those tracks I've actually tripped over myself trying to get information for just to help spread the word. I can see people wanting to come back to that track. It shows in the pictures you see of the grandstands now versus what they looked like when Rich Hood first took over the track in 2016. There is certainly an interest in the media outlets down there to give them coverage. I know of four printed newspapers that will take information.
I also know that there is one person out there I have spoken with who would help that track on social media if given the opportunity. Because of the age we live in, so many people are on social media that you're foolish if you don't use it to your advantage in promoting the sport. It is a tool that will only help you make money, and if you use the promotional options, the fees are so reasonable that you will see return on your investment. You can't say that when it comes to television and radio as if you don't put your message in the right place, nobody who gives a damn will see it. You can spend hundreds of dollars and get nowhere.
I've given some leeway to race tracks that I felt didn't have the budget and weren't getting covered. Some tracks have frustrated me because they have the money to hire somebody good and don't do it. The publicity job is just that. For somebody who knows a few things, it's work. It is of value, and a promoter might scoff at spending that kind of money on a person like that. The problem is, by not paying somebody who is qualified, they're costing themselves the opportunity to recoup that investment and actually make some money. It's always been this way, at least to a large degree, since I began trying to do things to help promote racing some 35 years ago.
I've cut Orland some slack, but I have to be honest with you. It's simply ridiculous to think that in 2019 they can't even put results out there for fans to see. There are only a precious few tracks that are not using electronic scoring. I'm not even going to go there as I know it is a financial investment somewhere in the area of $7,000, and not every promoter has that. I think it's an investment that recoups itself, but when you're writing that check initially, it can be painful. So, let's just go ahead and take that off the table for now.
Orland Raceway has an almost non-existent web page. If you go there, you're not going to get much information. So, you can go to the Facebook page. The problem is they don't let you know what the point standings are and they don't post results. How do we get to that point in 2019? Yeah, I know somebody might say, go to the damn races and see for yourself. You see, that answer only goes so far with me. There are several valid reasons that you put that information out there.
If you want the fans to care, you need to let them know why they should care. Who is winning and who are the stars? Who are they going to be seeing? You have to let them know. You also let the rest of the racing world know, because there are traveling drivers that will come when you make your race track look more attractive to them. Plus, your regular competitors would like to know how things are going and where they rank among their peers.
Social media has made it so damn easy for you to put that information out there that it's not a valid excuse to say that you can't anymore. Don't want to sit down and write a bunch of things? Fine. Snap some pictures of the race cars on race day. Come out to the track and watch these drivers and more. Snap a shot of your posted Main Event finishes. It might be handwritten, but a clear picture on social media will let the fans know who's doing what. I put in a request for results and was told I'd hear something. This was Sunday morning. And now it is what it is, but no information is out there.
Sometimes I need to teach myself to let go. I get into that whole Tom Cruise, "help me, help you," mode. The problem is, maybe I need to let go of all of that. Maybe it doesn't really matter as much as I try to make it matter to myself. They're getting by with what they've got and they're okay with that. What I end up doing is sort of a scavenger hunt on social media where I try to pick up bits and pieces. If I get enough information, then I go to the media outlets to let them know what it was that just happened. This is what it's been reduced to at Orland when nobody gets me the information. Mind you, I'm volunteering to do this work to get something out to the public. I just shake my head.
The day may come when I don't do any of this stuff anymore, and it may happen sooner or versus later. With racing, I am somebody who can completely get into the moment and do what I do, but I could turn it off like a light switch at some point. My mind goes in both direction. Where can I take my life outside of the sport? Then again, what can I do that isn't being done that might help? What can I do with the DCRR brand?
The DCRR brand means something to me, because I understand that my dad allowed me to build this up to mean something at all. My sister came in and helped me grow the brand. Even my cousin was there to help me get my magazines out many times. All three of them are no longer here. I have come to the realization that as long as I'm doing anything in the sport, the brand must continue. Even away from the sport, when perhaps I focus on a book or two, the brand will continue via the blog.
Doing a magazine is work. I have fluctuated between whether I think it's worth pursuing or not. I've even had the possibility of reviving a very popular racing magazine presented to me. People still talk about it to this day, but I would have to basically come in and rebuild it from the ground up. It could be done, but it's a lot of work. Putting these blog posts together is a lot of work, but the nice thing about it is that once I'm done, I hit send and people read it. I'm not assembling magazines or bringing them to the post office. Would I want to do that kind of work again? Is it profitable enough?
I'm not comfortable when I talk about making money at this, because I know that most of the people who compete aren't making money. There are very few people in the sport behind the scenes who do make money off of it. The promoter, though they will often tell you they're going broke. Then again, they make the investment and have a right to make money. One or two positions beyond that can make some money, which includes the Publicity Director. That's what got me thinking I could ever do something and caused me to pursue a career that maybe was foolhardy to begin with?
That led me to the magazine. What I have to point out about the magazine is that it was profitable for me to do these from the moment I started selling them to the public. Mind you, I didn't make a lot of money. Very little, but something at least. Took me a couple of years to decide that I could believe in myself enough to sell them. From about that time to I would say 1999, the magazines were making money. Maybe 2,000? After that, they struggled and lost money. They were still work to put together.
Could the return of a printed magazine make money in 2019 in the age of the internet? If I were able to put something together that could help me pay bills, I think I'd already be working on it. I'm at a loss as to what I can do to keep my head above water. My involvement in racing has afforded me a roof over my head on somebody else's dollar. I'm grateful, but I know that this can all go away very quickly. When that happens, people will probably forget who I am and then what? I hate even having these thoughts, but it is what it is.
I can put a magazine together that I think would be worthy. I think people would get a lot of information, and they could relax and read a magazine rather than staring into a phone screen or a computer screen. There are merits to a printed magazine. I know it would be a lot of work to do, and there's that thought in the back of my mind as to whether or not it could be done. I don't know. I'll probably continue to have this debate with myself, and you're likely to see another print-on-demand book from me before I make any decision here. So much easier to create a PDF file, upload it and allow people to order the book. The site prints it and sends it out. I like that.
The realization that I made was that if the day comes when I put a printed magazine together again, I believe it will be the DCRR brand that you will see. Maybe it's in booklet form and maybe it will be in newspaper form. I can't speculate, because I can't tell you that there are any plans under way for me to do this. Most of the time in the last several years that I have spoken of the idea of bringing a printed magazine back, it has been a certain other brand that has been offered to me on multiple occasions. I haven't talked about my own.
I've also come to realize that if I stay involved in the sport for a long period of time and simply let the DCRR name go away, I know of three people no longer here that would be very disappointed in me. What's interesting is when I started coming back to Antioch Speedway in 2015, one of the racers asked me if I would ever bring in my magazine back. I said I didn't think so. The problem was I knew the work involved and I was kind of in a bit of a crisis with me losing my home and everything. It wasn't going to work then, but the offer was genuine. In other words, I have no doubt that this person would have followed through on their offer.
There are certain things out there these days that were not available to me when I was last doing my own printed publication 16 years ago. Things have advanced to a certain degree since then, and it's even better now. I don't even have to leave the house to get a magazine printed. Simply sending the file to the print shop will do the trick. By the time I go to pick it up, it's put together and ready to go. Heck, these days you can have it delivered to your home. That's the easy part. The hard part is building up a subscription base and getting race tracks to stock your magazine in their souvenir booths. The latter thing I didn't attempt before, but I simply couldn't even bother if I wasn't turning out 500 or more magazines from the start.
In any event, this is all just speculation. I don't know that anything will ever come to pass on this, and I'm okay with that. What I am basically saying is that if I get to that point, I think you're going to see the DCRR brand live in printed form again. I spent the last four years working on this media effort on the blog, and I think it's got more current value then the other brand name. At least it does to me. That is meant with no disrespect. If I stop doing this now, it goes away. So it's my effort doing it. Another name brand doesn't mean as much. The DCRR and me are synonymous.
I've rambled on enough, and maybe I made a little bit of sense. Still have a lot on my mind to figure out. That's all for now...
