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Note, Yreka has added IMCA Sport Modifieds for Saturday, Placerville Speedway is IMCA sanctioned for their Modified and Sport Modified show on Saturday.
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Kniss, Curran Win Antioch Speedway Features
Antioch, CA...April 20...Chester Kniss won the 20 lap All Star Series A Modified Main Event Saturday night at Antioch Speedway. Chester gained the lead when son Buddy Kniss spun in Turn 3 on lap eight. Buddy Kniss was going for his second straight victory and led a complete restart following a Sean Wilson spin in Turn 4. Chester Kniss settled into second early and inherited the lead with his son's spin. Buddy recovered without need for a yellow flag and moved back up to challenge Michelle Paul in a close race for second. However, Chester Kniss drove a flawless race to collect the victory ahead of Paul, Buddy Kniss, Chris Sieweke and Shawn DeForest.
Brent Curran won the 20 lap B Modified Main Event. After back-to-back early crashes ended his previous two starts, Curran had been contemplating whether he wanted to come back or not. He had a front row start for the Main Event and set a rapid pace at the drop of the green flag. He was soon in slower traffic as point leader Cameron Swank had his hands full trying to hold off 2015 champion Fred Ryland. A lap 13 yellow flag was the only slow down of the race. Curran maintained the advantage on the restart with Ryland slipping past Swank for second. Ryland got close to Curran, but Curran was not to be denied the much needed win. Swank settled for third, followed by Trevor Clymens and Kevin Brown.
Richard Papenhausen won the 20 lap DIRTcar Late Model Main Event. Kimo Oreta led the first seven laps before Papenhausen made an inside move in Turn 3 and gained the lead. Papenhausen stretched his advantage to more than a straightaway ahead of Oreta by the time the checkered flag waved. Mike Hynes and Dennis Souza enjoyed a race long battle for third with Hynes coming out ahead. Rod Oliver rounded out the Top 5.
Shannon Newton won his third straight 20 lap Wingless Spec Sprint Main Event. Roy Fisher led the first four laps before Newton made an inside pass to gain the lead. Heat race winner Adam Teves moved in to challenge Fisher for second. This side-by-side battle went on for several laps before Fisher began to pull ahead. However, there was no stopping Shannon Newton as he won ahead of Fisher, Teves, McKenzie Newton and Rick Panfili.
Next Saturday night is the Third Annual Larry Damitz Memorial event. The All Star Series lineup of racing will include the DIRTcar Late Models, B Modifieds, Hobby Stocks and Bay Area Hardtops. For further information, go to www.antiochspeedway.com.
Unofficial Race Results
All Star Series Antioch Speedway
A Modifieds
Heat Winners (6 Laps)-Nick DeCarlo, Buddy Kniss. Main Event (20 Laps)-Chester Kniss, Michelle Paul, Buddy Kniss, Chris Sieweke, Shawn DeForest, David Zeiter, Sean Wilson, Ryan Ludlow, Frank Furtado, Danny Wagner.
B Modifieds
Heat Winners (6 Laps)-Trevor Clymens, Tom Fraser, Fred Ryland. Main Event (20 Laps)-Brent Curran, Fred Ryland, Cameron Swank, Trevor Clymens, Kevin Brown, Mark Garner, Todd Gomez, Dennis Gilcrease, Keith Steinmetz, Joe Salvi.
DIRTcar Late Models
Heat Winner (6 Laps)-Richard Papenhausen. Main Event (20 laps)-Richard Papenhausen, Kimo Oreta, Mike Hynes, Dennis Sousa, Rod Oliver, John Soares DNS, Rob Norris DNS.
Wingless Spec Sprints
Heat Winner (6 laps)-Adam Teves. Main Event (20 Laps)-Shannon Newton, Roy Fisher, Adam Teves, Mackenzie Newton, Rick Panfili, Jeff Scotto.
Third Annual Larry Damitz Memorial Race
On Saturday Night At Antioch Speedway
Antioch, CA...As the month of April comes to a close at Antioch Speedway, we honor one of the greats. This Saturday night will be the Third Annual Larry Damitz Memorial. We remember the future Hall Of Famer with a special program that will feature DIRTcar Late Models, B Modifieds, Hobby Stocks and Bay Area Hardops. It's another night of All Star Series racing that has special meaning.
Larry was 87 years old when he won his fifth Limited Late Model championship at Antioch Speedway. He had fully intended to return in 2017 to run for an unprecedented sixth championship. In his last seven seasons at Antioch Speedway, he finished no lower than second in the standings. He also won a pair of Limited Late Model championships at Merced Speedway. He won many championships in his career, going back to the 1960s when he won his first Hardtop title against a very competitive field at Vallejo Speedway.
For 20 years, Larry's division of choice was Hardtops. He started racing at Contra Costa Speedway in Pacheco back in the 1950s and spent his time paying his dues before becoming a feature winner and eventual champion at Vallejo Speedway. By the mid-1970s, he had moved on to the Super Stock division at Vallejo Speedway and was again a championship-winning driver. He moved over to Petaluma Speedway and won a championship there. Throughout the 1980s, he ran Super Stocks and Late Models, and he made his first appearance at Antioch Speedway in 1984. Of course, he was one of the feature winners that season.
In 1986, Larry won 10 Main Events in finishing second to Ed Sans Jr in the Late Model point race at Antioch Speedway. He then got away from driving for a while and was the crew chief for his nephew Milt McGinnis during his two-year championship run in Late Models at Petaluma Speedway. When he got back into Late Models again at Petaluma, he was again winning championships. At Petaluma Speedway and at Antioch Speedway, he won over 50 Main Events in his career. Just between the two tracks, his win total exceeded 110. This doesn't count his wins at places like Vallejo, Chico, Merced and elsewhere.
Larry wasn't just an inspiration because he won. People looked up to him for the fact that he could still go out there and race as hard and competitively as he did into his 80s. He was one of the most respected racers in the pits and was somebody that everybody got along with. Winning a Main Event on the night honoring Larry is something everybody wants to do.
The DIRTcar Late Models have several drivers hoping to get a win. Other than Richard Papenhausen, who has won several Main Events during the last six years and two championships, nobody on the current roster has won at Antioch more than once. That would be current Promoter John M Soares. Kimo Oreta gave it a valiant effort last Saturday night in leading the early stages of the Main Event before settling for a career-best second. He may be the driver with the best chance of beating Papenhausen.
Last week saw a spirited battle between Dennis Souza and Mike Hynes for third, eventually won by Hynes. Souza is a feature winner at Petaluma in the past, but he's looking to get his first Antioch win. Other drivers hoping to put it into the winner's category include last season's point runner-up Rod Oliver and Rob Norris.
After three races, there are three different B Modified Main Event winners. Last week, Brent Curran took the lead from the start and held off 2015 champion Fred Ryland and current point leader Cameron Swank to get a much-needed victory. Curran is a past Four Banger champion at Antioch and the 2017 Hobby Stock Rookie Of The Year. After back-to-back non finishes, not to mention quite a bit of damage to repair on his car, Brent considered walking away from a potential championship run. He decided to give it a third try and was rewarded with the impressive victory.
Two-time reigning champion Trevor Clymens and Tommy Fraser also count themselves among the Main Event winners so far this year. Numbers are up in the B Modified division, and getting to the Winner's Circle has become that much harder this season. Rookie Cameron Swank maintained a slim point lead after his third place finish last time out. Some of the drivers hoping to put their names on the winner's list include 2018 Limited Late Model champion Mark Garner, Kevin Brown, past Street Stock champion Todd Gomez and rookie Keith Steinmetz.
Chris Sorensen reminded everybody at the most recent Hobby Stock race that he is still going to be tough to beat this year. Sorenson is a two-time champion in the division, and he won a spirited battle with Brad Myers to pick up the win last time out. He does carry an experience advantage over most of the drivers, who generally don't have more than a couple of years experience in the class.
The season opener was won by second-year competitor Josh Leach, but he had a harder time of things last time out. Last season's Rookie Of The Year, Breanna Troen, picked up her second straight Top 5 finish in third as she hopes to make a challenge for the track championship. There are some good drivers hoping to get a win this week, including Anthony Welborn, John Wacht, Ricky Foster, Travis Tabucchi and Will Buirch.
The Bay Area Hardtops have been added to the Larry Damitz race for the first time. The man who may seem like the favorite to win this Saturday night is Terry DeCarlo. DeCarlo was one of the last drivers on the roster of Hardtop competitors at Vallejo Speedway in 1978. He won twice last year, including his victory in the Chet Thomson Memorial. DeCarlo wheels a car with the original body from a race car of Southern Oregon racing Hall Of Famer Harold Hardesty.
Ken Retzloff has a fresh coat of paint on his car and is hoping to knock DeCarlo from the Winner's Circle. Retzloff has had his moments in Hardtops and was the feature winner last week in Placerville. Also noteworthy in his accomplishments so far are a pair of second place finishes in the Chet Thomson Memorial race. Multi-time Hardtop feature winer Dave Mackey hopes to put the Dudley Brothers Racing Tribute Car into the Winner's Circle, and others to watch for include Doug Braudrick, Steve Cloyes, Gene Haney and Kimo Oreta. Drivers to watch for from the California Hardtop Association include recent Orland winner Ron Ruiz, "The Rocketman" Ken Clifford and Joe Shenefield.
The Larry Damitz Memorial race on Saturday is special not just because of the divisions competing. It's also special because of the man the race honors. It's a show you won't want to miss. For further information, go to www.antiochspeedway.com.
Liggett Wins USAC Midget Race At Merced Speedway
Merced, CA...April 20...The USAC Western States Midgets came to Merced Speedway for the first of two scheduled appearances and put on an exciting show Saturday night. When the checkered flag flew on a thrilling 30 lap Main Event, it was 2018 West Coast Sprint Car champion Austin Liggett scoring the victory.
It was rising young star Mitchell Moles and 2017 BCRA champion Maria Cofer sharing the front row of the Main Event, and Cofer charged into the lead at the start. Liggett and Shane Golobic made it a thrilling three-car battle at the front of the pack early on. Liggett eventually worked his way into second and put the pressure on Cofer. On the 23rd lap, Liggett moved ahead of Cofer as they exited Turn 2, and Cofer fell off the pace and headed to the pits. Cory Elliott tried to make a run on Liggett during the final 10 laps, but he got too much momentum and drove off the track in Turns 3 and 4. Golobic went into Turn 3 trying to make a last-lap pass on Liggett, but he couldn't make it stick on the exit. Liggett brought it home to an impressive victory. Golobic finished second, followed by Moles, Corey Elliott, recent Bakersfield winner Ben Worth, Robert Dalby, Dustin Golobic, CJ Sarna, David Pricket and Shannon McQueen.
19 competitors showed up to do battle, and Dustin Golobic set the surprise fast time of 12.622, beating the 12.711 of brother Shane Golobic. Elliot outran Liggett to win the first of three 10 lap heat races. Shane Golobic outran Troy Morris III to win the second heat, and Moles won the third heat ahead of Worth.
DJ Shannon won the 30 lap IMCA Modified Main Event. He wasted little time taking lead from Ricky Thatcher on lap two. The race only had one yellow flag on lap five. After that, Shannon set a blistering pace as the leader of the pack with Paul Stone into second on the restart. Shannon was quickly into slower traffic, and though Stone closed in just a little bit when Shannon was in traffic, Shannon would take the checkered flag by a comfortable margin. Stone settled for second, followed by 10th starter Troy Foulger, Cody Burke, Ryan Porter, Bobby Hogge IV, Randy Brown, Jeffrey Faulkner, Mitch Machado and Austin Burke. Eight lap heat race wins were earned by Brown, Austin Burke and Cody Burke.
Dexter Long started on the pole and led all 20 laps to win the 20 lap Hobby Stock Main Event. Long had his hands full battling Shannon Nelson and multi-time champion Raul Rodriguez Sr for most of the distance, but Rodriguez had to pit with a flat tire midway through the race. Nelson would finish second behind the flying Long as 2016 champion Michael Shearer, Kevin Irwin, 2015 champion Kevin Joaquin, Donnie Shearer, Allen Neal, Syd Finn, Wally Kennedy and Domossie Scoggins rounded out the Top 10. Eight lap heat race wins were recorded by Long, Irwin and Rodriguez.
Lucy Falkenberg took full advantage of her front row starting position to lead all 15 laps in winning the non-stop Mini Stock Main Event. Lee Ragsdale held second until being passed by three-time champion Chris Corder midway through the race. By then, Falkenberg held a commanding straightaway lead that she would take to the checkered flag. Corder settled for second, followed by Ragsdale, previous winner Jennifer Rodgers, Shayla Gould, Terry Cheethm, Jerry Tubbs, Tyler Post and Austin Sprague. Ragsdale and Falkenberg won their respective six heat races.
Next week is Fan Appreciation Night at the races. The Hobby Stocks will be back along with the Valley Sportsman division, the BCRA Midget Lites and the California Sharp Mini Late Models. For further information, go to www.mercedspeedway.net.
Fan Appreciation Saturday Night at Merced Speedway
Merced, CA...Racing season has been exciting so far at Merced Speedway. With the improvements made to the racing surface, the drivers have been putting on a heck of a show for the fans. This Saturday night is Fan Appreciation Night, and the lineup includes the Hobby Stocks, BCRA Midget Lites, Valley Sportsman division and the California Sharp Mini Late Models.
Last week, a competitive group of 18 drivers did battle in the Hobby Stock division. With Kodie Dean having moved up to the IMCA Sport Modified class, everybody is lining up to put their name at the top of the list this season. One of the drivers hoping to win the championship is Shannon Nelson. Nelson was a model of consistency last season with a dozen Top 5 finishes and one feature win. She seemed to have a knack for finishing second, and she did so again last week behind the surprising Dexter Long. Long hasn't been a point chaser in the past couple of years, but he would have to be considered a threat if he makes the effort this year.
Two other champions, 2015 title winner Kevin Joaquin and 2016 champ Michael Shearer, were racing hard last week, and both picked up Top 5 finishes. Multi-time Hobby Stock champion Raul Rodriguez Sr was running a very close third last week until a flat tire sent him to the pits. These three drivers put themselves into immediate contention if they are chasing points this season. Among the drivers to watch for this week include division rookie and 2018 Mini Stock champion Allen Neal, Donnie Shearer, Austin Van Hoff and Kalob Shelton.
The BCRA Midget Lites are making their first of two scheduled Merced Speedway appearances this week. They brought over a dozen cars to Placerville Speedway last week, and Northwest Focus Midgets star Chance Crum managed to hold off Scott Kinney for the victory. Both Scott and his son Hunter Kinney are past BCRA Midget Lites champions and a threat to win anytime they are at the track. There are some good drivers to watch for in this group, including Craig Holsted, Danica Jo Parker, Dakota Albright, Terry Bergstrom and Gus Carcione
The Valley Sportsman division had eight cars for their first race of the season. Chris Birdsong continues to do his father proud in piloting the Rod Poor Tribute Car. Kenny Birdsong built that car and was a fan of the Sportsman legend. When he passed away, Chris took over the car and has been one of the top drivers in the Sportsman division ever since. Last time out, he beat another Chris for the victory.
Chris Corder made his Sportsman debut last season, but he was looking for something a little bit more competitive. When the 2017 championship car of Jeff Bristow became available, Corder jumped at the chance to buy that car. He finished a strong second in the season opener. He's hoping to get his first career win, but he knows there are some good drivers on the roster. Two-time champion Mike Friesen is a force any time he shows up, and other drivers to watch for include Jeff West, Eric Seeley, Jeff Elliott and reigning champion Jerry Cecil.
The California Sharp Mini Late Models are designed to get the young drivers lap time on the quarter-mile clay oval. Timothy Crews kicked things off with a feature victory in the season opener. 2018 feature winner Riley Jeppesen is also back. Roger Guthrie is making his first laps in the class this year as is Outlaw Kart graduate Kennzzie Brown. Others to watch for include Logan Clay, Kaylin Lopez and Ian Shearer.
The Fan Appreciation night lineup offers a few different and unique classes for the fans to enjoy. In the Hobby Stocks, you get full fendered Stock Cars and close, paint-trading excitement. In the Sportsman division, you have a throwback to bygone days when this style of racing ruled several venues throughout California. In the Midget Lites, you get exciting Winged Open Wheel racing and you get the smaller scale Late Model appeal with 600cc motors in the Mini Late Models. It's a show that's certainly worth checking out. For further information, go to www.mercedspeedway.net.
Kaeding Wins Sprint Car Feature At Ocean Speedway
Watsonville, CA...April 19...Bud Kaeding won the Ocean Sprint Car Presented by Taco Bravo Main Event Friday night at Ocean Speedway. Kaeding led all 30 laps in his father Brent Kaeding's iconic #69 Sprinter, but the battle got close in the end before he took the checkered flag.
After picking up a win the six lap Trophy Dash, Kaeding had the pole for the Main Event and raced into the lead ahead of Cole Macedo and Justin Sanders. There were a pair of mid-race yellow flags, and Carson Macedo briefly gained the third position from Sanders. However, Sanders got past both Cole and Carson Macedo for the second position on the lap 19 restart. Sanders took up pursuit of Kaeding and closed in quickly during the final three laps. With Sanders giving Kaeding all the pressure he could handle, Kaeding still managed to hold him off for the thrilling victory. Cole Macedo settled for third, followed by Carson Macedo, reigning champion Brad Furr, James Ringo, Jeremy Chisum, Jason Chisum, Kurt Nelson and Mitchell Moles.
Furr was the first driver on the track and still set the fastest time in the 17 car field with a lap of 11.693. Sanders was second quick at 11.782. It was Kaeding winning the first eight lap heat race ahead of Nelson, and Cole Macedo outran Sanders to win the other heat. Kaeding then held off Sanders to win the six lap Dash.
David Prickett wrote his name into the record books as the track's first-ever 20 lap USAC Western Speed2 Midget Main Event winner. There was a good battle up at the front of the pack for much of the race, and the only yellow flag slow down came for Steve Durant on lap four. Dillon Tucker set the early pace, and Randi Pankratz took the second position from Jackson Dukes on the lap five restart. Prickett ran closely in third, and the lead trio pulled away just a little bit. Prickett finally made a move past Pankratz for second on lap 11 and continued to run closely behind Tucker. On lap 17, Prickett made his winning move and brought it home to a satisfying victory. Tucker settled for second, followed by Pankratz, Dukes, Adam Lemke, Greg Edenolm and Durant. Prickett also won the eight lap heat race ahead of Lemke
Mark Biscardi won the 20 lap South Bay Dwarf Car Main Event. After an initial yellow flag and complete restart, the race went 20 laps without a yellow flag. Biscardi had the lead from the outset ahead of fellow past champion Terre Rothweiler. The duo ran closely with Rothweiler gaining the lead on lap six. Just three laps later, Biscardi moved back ahead. The two leaders set a rapid pace and were in slower traffic in the waning laps. They took the white flag in a dead heat, but Biscardi prevailed at the checkered flag. Rothweiler settled for second, followed by reigning champion Gene Punky Pires, Eric Weisler, Lonnie Tekaat, Mack Aceves, Eddy Claessen, Keith Costas, Chris Dorto and Barry Waddell. Eight lap heat race wins went to Weisler ahead of Tekaat and Rothweiler over Biscardi.
Cliff Sloma won the 15 lap Police N Pursuit Main Event. Sloma represents the Capitola Police Department. He led the first two laps before a yellow flag flew. On the restart, John Hohmann raced into the lead with Sloma holding onto second. The battle was close between the two, but Sloma regained the lead with a move around Hohmann on lap 12. A lap 14 yellow flag was accompanied by the checkered, and Sloma got the win, followed by the Scotts Valley Police Department entry of Hohmann and the California Highway Patrol ride of Jessie Mueller. Roy Iler settled for fourth, followed by AJ Waltrip, Austin Beymer, Dan Anderson, Chris Murphy, Steven Fernandes and Mike Mount. Mueller won his eight lap heat race in front of Matt Cassaday, while Hohmann outran Sloma to win the other heat.
It was announced that the Police N Pursuit Special Olympics effort has raised over $42,000 for Northern California Special Olympics.
Next Friday night, the Ocean Sprint Cars return along with the IMCA Modifieds, Hobby Stocks, Four Bangers and South Bay Dwarf Cars. For further information, go to www.racepmg.com.
Full Lineup Scheduled For Friday Night At Ocean Speedway
Watsonville, CA...There's been lots of excitement at Ocean Speedway after just two weeks of racing. In addition to that, it was announced that over $40,000 had been raised by the Police N Pursuit competitors for the Northern California Special Olympics. The Ocean Sprint Cars, Presented by Taco Bravo, have given people plenty to talk about after two races, and they're back for Round #3 this week. Also on the card will be the IMCA Sport Modifieds, Hobby Stocks, Mini Stocks and South Bay Dwarf Cars.
Family seems to be a big theme in the Sprint Car effort at Ocean Speedway. For many years, fans have cheered on the #69 car, which has been driven to countless victories and championships by the legendary Brent Kaeding. Last Friday Night, his son Bud Kaeding put that car back into the Winner's Circle with an impressive performance.
It was at the season opener when the Johnson family from Petaluma Speedway had a 1-2 finish with Chase leading brother Colby across the finish line. They are the fourth generation of their family to go racing. The Chisum family has fielded as many as three cars in the last couple of years, and Jeremy Chisum ranks well in the standings following his Top 10 finish last week.
It's still early in the season as the drivers scramble for position. Last week saw the season debut of three-time reigning champion Brad Furr and 2015 title winner Justin Sanders. Sanders finished second, while Furr ended up fifth behind the brother duo of Cole Macedo and Carson Macedo. The division has averaged 18 cars after two events, and some of the drivers hoping to get the glory this week include James Ringo, Kurt Nelson, Wayne Katen and 2018 point runner-up Koen Shaw.
Bobby Hogge IV generally doesn't play the point racing game these days, but Watsonville has one advantage the other tracks don't have. It's the closest place to his home, and he has won several championships here. Hogge kicked off the season with a feature win and will likely be in town to try to make it two in a row. Reigning champion Cody Burke and past champion Robert Marsh both looked good in the opener before finishing second and third. They're both likely to be there this week, and others to watch for include past champions Brian Cass and Jim Pettit II, Jeff Decker, Austin Burke, Alex Wilson and Raymond Keldsen Jr.
With five feature wins last season, JC Elrod finished second in the Hobby Stock standings. He's hoping to make a run for the championship this year, and he got off to a good start at the opener by holding off past champion Rob Gallaher for the victory. These two heavyweights figure to be at the front of the battle for victory all season long. However, third-generation racer DJ Keldsen is hoping to mount a challenge this year after his third place effort in the opener. Others to watch for this week include past champion Wally Kennedy, Terry Traub, Joe Gallaher, Jerry Skelton and newcomer Quentin Harris.
The Beardsley family has ruled the roost in the Four Banger division for the past two seasons. Last year, it was Kate Beardsley claiming the honors, and the year before the title belonged to Bill Beardsley. Dakota Keldsen has been in the thick of the battle for the past two seasons and ranked in the Top 3 both times. However, the brother of DJ Kelson is hoping this will be his year to bring the family another championship. He kicked the season off by winning the opener in the Lloyd Keldsen Jr Tribute Car. He'll be out to win his second straight, and others to watch for include the aforementioned Beardsley's as well as Nicole Beardsley, past champion Luke Babcock, Nick Teramo and newcomer John Grilli.
The South Bay Dwarf Car Association will round out what is sure to be a great program from top to bottom. Past champion Mark Biscardi left last weekend's event with the winner's trophy. Biscardi drove a great race and held off multi-time champion Terry Rothweiler for that win. These two will likely be near the front of the pack this week. Not to be forgotten in the mix is multi-time champion Gene "Punky" Pires, Eric Weisler, Mac Aceves, Eddie Claessen and recent Merced Dwarf Car Nationals Sportsman winner Lonnie Tekaat.
Ocean Speedway will be the place to be for some great racing action this Friday night. For further information, go to www.racepmg.com.
Johnson, Terrell Win Petaluma Sprint Car Features
Petaluma, CA...April 20...Chase Johnson won the 25 lap PitStopUSA.com Winged 360 Sprint Car Main Event Saturday night at Petaluma Speedway. Johnson was coming off of an impressive victory ahead of his brother Colby at Watsonville a week earlier. After a series of restarts, Chase Johnson took the lead at the start ahead of Shawn Arriaga and John Clark. The final yellow flag flew on lap 10. Johnson remained in command on the restart and rapidly pulled away from Arriaga. By the time the checkered flag flew, Johnson held a straightaway advantage over Arriaga. Clark settled for third, followed by David Lindt II, Ricky Brophy, Joel Myers, William Fatu, Brett Rollag, Jesse Colwell and Colby Johnson.
Arriaga set the fastest time in qualifying with a lap of 13.615 around the 3/8 mile adobe oval. Chase Johnson was second quick at 13.638. They ran three eight lap heat races, and Arriaga outran Clark to win the first one. Jake Haulot beat Chase Johnson to win the second heat, and Brophy won his first ever heat race ahead of Fatu.
Bradley Terrell posted his second straight PitStopUSA.com Wingless Spec Sprint 25 Main Event win. Sprint Car veteran Sparky Howard led the race from the start, and Terrell had worked his way into second by the time a lap seven yellow flag waved. Howard continued to lead, but Terrell made his presence known by taking the lead briefly on lap 10. Howard regained first a lap later, but Terrell ran closely behind. The final yellow flag flew on lap 14. Howard continued to lead Terrell and Bryan Grier on the restart. On lap 22, Terrell made his winning move and took the checkered flag ahead of Howard. However, Howard was disqualified in post-race tech, moving Grier into second, followed by a Boy Moniz, Angelique Bell, Scott Chapeta, Bob Davis, Ryon Siverling, Rick Holbrook, Tony Bernard and Doc Brophy.
In qualifying Terrell bested the 19 car field with a quick lap of 15.197. Reigning champion Shayna Sylvia was second quick at 15.323. Terrell won the first of three eight lap heat races ahead of Bell. Howard outran Brophy to win the second heat, and Travis DeGaton won the final heat in front of Siverling.
Chad Mathias won the 20 lap General Hydroponics Redwood Dwarf Car Main Event. Second row starter Mark Hanson led throughout the first half of the race and through three yellow flags. Matthias came up from the fourth row to make a move on Hanson for the lead on lap 15. Matthias went on to lead the rest of the way for the victory, followed by Hanson, John Peters, Darren Fridolfs, Scooter Gomes, Adam Johnson, Garrett Brady, Carroll Mendenhall, Danny Marsh and Michael Affonso. Gomes won his eight lap heat race ahead of Gentry. Matt Hagermann beat Marcus Hardina to win the second heat, and Hanson won the final heat ahead of Kevin Miraglio.
Jeremy Tjensvold won the 20 lap Jake's Performance Hobbies Mini Stock Main Event. Tjensvold took the lead from reigning champion Tom Brown on a lap four restart and pulled away to over a straightaway advantage by the end of the race. Roy Dearing finished second, followed by Brown, Roberta Broze, Bill Manzoni, Sophie Shelley, Randy Miramontez, Connor Manzoni, Antonio Miramontez and Danny Manzoni. Brown won his heat race ahead of Tjensvold, and Broze outran Dearing to win the other six lap heat race.
Next Saturday night will be a special occasion as the Elk Grove Ford Sprint Car Challenge Tour, Presented By Abreu Vineyards, makes their first appearance of the season at the speedway. The Santa Rosa Auto Body Micro Sprints will run in support. For further information, go to www.petaluma-speedway.com.
Richards, Sayre, Ross Win At Orland Raceway
Orland, CA...April 20...Past champion Tony Richards won his second straight 20 lap Wingless Spec Sprint Main Event Saturday night at Orland Raceway. The dozen racers who turned out for this division was the biggest car count the speedway has seen in this class in six years. Richards had the front row for the Main Event and charged into lead from the start. He added the feature win to his eight lap heat race victory to make it a perfect evening. Point leader Denny McNary was a solid second ahead of Jeremy Langenderfer, the returning Ryan Owens and Paul Stephens. McNary won the other heat race.
Mike Sayre won the 20 lap Winged Crate Sprint Car Main Event. This was the first of two scheduled visits for the division. After winning the eight lap heat race, Sayre went on to win the Main Event ahead of Jerry Douglas, Chad Thompson, Jeff Macedo and Cameron Haney.
Keith Ross maintained his perfect record with his third straight 20 lap Pure Stock Main Event victory. However, Ross didn't add much to his point lead as Phil Spencer finished second for the third straight race after holding Ross off to win their eight lap heat race. Reigning champion Paul Stephens won his heat race and finished third in the Main Event, followed by Thomas Pavlik and Steve Martin.
Zack Webster backed up his win in the season opener with another 20 lap Mini Truck feature victory. Webster and recent Hayfork feature winner William Fogle were the eight lap heat race winners. Fogle was looking to pick up his first Orland win, but Webster forced him to settle for second. Past champion Ross Vige finished third, followed by Hayfork visitor Ian Thulin and James Woodell.
Mike McCarthy won the 20 lap 250 Micro Sprint Main Event ahead of reigning champion Pax Gonzales and Lester Elsey. McCarthy also won the eight lap heat race.
The next race will happen on Saturday, May 4th. Pure Stocks are back In action along with Mini Stocks, Mini Trucks and the 250 and 600 Micro Sprints. For further information, go to the Orland Raceway Facebook page.
Butcher, Thornton, Horton Win At Ventura Raceway
Ventura, CA...April 20...Charlie Butcher won the 30 lap VRA Sprint Car Main Event Saturday night at Ventura Raceway. Butcher had his hands full throughout the entire distance with point leader Rick Hendrix in close pursuit. A lap 21 yellow flag bunched the field and gave Hendrix another shot at Butcher. Hendrix kept the pressure on, but Butcher remained smooth and brought it home to a well-earned victory. Hendrix settled for second, followed by Brandon Wiley, Tyler Hatzikian, Kenny Perkins, Gage Rucker, Will Perkins and Chris Meredith.
Hendrix set the quick time on the 1/5 mile clay oval at 12.698. Wiley was second quick at 12.953. It was Hatzikian winning the first 10 lap heat race ahead of Hendrix, while Wiley outran Butcher to win the other heat.
Dylan Thornton won the 20 lap IMCA Modified Main Event. Thornton led early ahead of Terry Hershberger and Trevor Fitzgibbon. Fitzgibbon raced past Hershberger for second on lap 10 and moved in quickly on Thornton. The lead duo ran closely during the final five laps, but Thornton managed to hold off the efforts of Fitzgibbon for the hard-fought victory. Hershberger settled for third, followed by Kevin Hocking, Austin Grabowski, Jack Parker, Andrew Greiman and Scott Olsen. Fitzgibbon set the fast time of 13.732, but he finished second to Thornton is their eight lap heat race. The other heat race win went to Grabowski ahead of Olsen.
Jason Horton won the 20 lap VRA Dwarf Car Main Event. This was perhaps the most exciting race of the night. Trent Morley led from the start ahead of Tim Conley. Horton settled into the early lead and they ran in that order for most of the distance. A lap 18 caution flag changed everything. Trent Morley continued to lead on the restart, but Horton made his winning pass on the final lap and just beat Morley back to the line for the victory. Johnny Conley finished third, followed by Nick Velazquez, Brad Curnel, Tommy Velasquez III, Cody Cowan, Zach Curnel, Tim Conley and Tommy Velasquez.
The Dwarf Cars had the biggest turnout of 16 cars, and Johnny Conley set the fast time of 13.810, beating the 13.844 of Nick Velazquez. The first eight lap heat race win was earned by Johnny Conley ahead of Tim Conley. Brad Curnel outran Tom Morley to win the second heat, and the final heat race win went to Horton ahead of Trent Morley.
Ricky Lewis won the 20 lap VRA Hobby Stock Main Event. The race ran with only one yellow flag on lap 10, and Lewis led from the start ahead of Justin Jackson. Jackson kept pace with Lewis throughout the distance, but he was unable to make a bid for the lead as Lewis won, followed by Jackson, Ryan Changus, Tom Stephens Jr, Michael Scruggs, Jeff Houghton, Jimmy Satlawa and Ricky Roberts. Lewis set the quick lap of 15.942, and Stevens outran Lewis to win the first eight lap heat race. Changus held off Jackson to win the other heat.
Racing returns on May 4th with a USAC/CRA 410 Sprint Car event. Senior Sprints will be there along with California Lightning Sprints and the USAC Western Speed2 Midgets. For further information, go to www.venturaraceway.com.
Macedo Brings The Thunder,
Holland Steals The Show At Keller Auto Speedway
Hanford, CA...April 20...The fourth race of the King Of Thunder Series happened at Keller Auto Speedway on Saturday night. A strong turnout of Winged 360 Sprint Cars filled the pits. When the checkered flag flew on the 30 lap Main Event, it was Carson Macedo scoring the victory. Macedo becomes the fourth different winner in the four races held so far. Macedo has gotten off to a strong start this year, including a World Of Outlaw victory at Silver Dollar Speedway back in March.
With a good turnout of 26 competitors, just making it into the feature was a challenge. Macedo ran strong all night, starting with his second quick qualifying effort of 14.043, bested only by the 14.015 of DJ Netto. Macedo then proceeded to win his 10 lap heat race ahead of Jace Vanderweerd. This set him up for the outside front row starting spot in the Main Event. Though Macedo got the win, he still had to contend with Dominic Scelzi and Bud Kaeding, who ended up second and third respectively. Mitchell Faccinto brought it home in fourth, followed by reigning RaceSaver 305 Sprint Car champion Grant Duinkerken, Danny Faria Jr, Cole Macedo, Vanderweerd, Landon Hurst and Kaleb Montgomery.
The other two heat races went to Dominic Scelzi ahead of Cole Macedo and Collin Markle in front of Kaeding. The non-qualifiers ran a 12 lap B Main to determine the final starters of the feature. Tanner Boul came from the third row to win that race, followed by Montgomery, Joey Ancona and Chris Ennis.
Brooklyn Holland scored a popular win in the 25 lap IMCA RaceSaver 305 Sprint Car class. Holland has been knocking on the door to this win and has finished as high as second in the past. Her previous start was a disappointing eighth place finish, but Holland gave indication early on that this was going to be her night when she held off recent Merced Speedway winner Grant Champlin to win their eight lap heat race. Holland started in the third position with third row starter Michael Pombo her closest competitor. When the checkered flag flew, however, Holland grabbed the victory ahead of Pombo, Kyle Rasmussen, Champlin, Monte Ferreira, Rob Solomon, Jacob Pacheco, Blaine Fagundes, Ryan Delisle and Lance Jackson. Pombo held off Rasmussen to win their heat race.
The IMCA Stock Cars had their first race of the season, and Bakersfield invaders ran at the head of the pack in their 20 lap feature. It was Chad Johnson holding off Cody Johnson for the 1-2 finish. Past champions Troy Patee and Ron Hurt were third and fourth as Larry Thompson, Brock Hamilton, Preston Martin, Rod Bane, Renn Bane and James Elliott completed the Top 10. Chad Johnson held off Martin to win their heat race, while Rod Bane outran Thompson to win their eight lap heat.
The Central Valley Mini Stocks brought an impressive 24 competitors to the speedway for Round #2 of the their House Of JuJu Championship Series. Fast qualifier Jason Cook had the pole position for the feature and held off second row starter Dan Myrick to grab the win. Randy Brown finished third, and Ryan Blank earned the passing honors by coming from 11th starting to finish fourth. Jeff Durant, Gene Glover, reigning series champion Greg Baronian, reigning track champion Andy Boydstun, Logan Doglione and Clinton Massey rounded out the Top 10. They ran three eight lap heat races, and Glover held off Jason Cook to win the first heat. Brown outran 2017 series champion Danny Myrick to win the next heat, and Baronian bested Brent Myrick to win the final heat.
There will be more Sprint Car racing at Keller Auto Speedway on May 11th, but this coming Saturday night at Tulare Thunderbowl will offer Round #5 of the King Of Thunder Series. Joining the Winged 360 Sprint Cars Will be the IMCA RaceSaver 305 Sprint Cars and the IMCA Stock Cars. For further information, go to www.tularethunderbowl.com and find out the latest news from Keller Speedway at www.racekingsspeedway.com.
Ocean Speedway Unofficial Race Results April 19, 2019
Ocean Sprints presented by Taco Bravo
Bud Kaeding
Justin Sanders
Cole Macedo
Carson Macedo
Brad Furr
James Ringo
Jeremy Chisum
Jason Chisum
Kurt Nelson
Mitchel Moles
Jake Andreotti
Jayson Bright
Wayne Katen
Ryon Nelson
Koen Shaw
Richard Fajardo
Bryan Grier DNS
USAC Speed2 Midgets
David Prickett
Dillon Tucker
Randi Pankratz
Jackson Dukes
Adam Lemke
Greg Edenholm
Steve Durant
SBDCA Swarf Cars
Mark Biscardi
Terre Rothweiler
Punky Pires
Eric Weisler
Lonnie Tekaat
Mack Aceves
Eddy Claessen
Keith Costas
Chris Dorto
Barry Waddell
Ryan Amlen DNS
Mike Farrell DNS
Police N Pursuit
Cliff Sloma
John Hohmann
Jesse Mueller
Roy Iler
A.J. Waltrip
Austin Beymer
Dan Anderson
Chris Murphy
Steven Fernandes
Mike Mount
Justin Rhodes
Adam Rikalo
Scott Morasci
Tori Dellicarpini
Pat Sullivan
Matt Cassaday
Tony Weir
Michael Briley
Kyle Doris DNS
Unofficial Orland Raceway Race Results April 20, 2019
Wingless Spec Sprints
Tony Richards
Denny McNary
Jeremy Langenderfer
Ryan Owens
Paul Stephens
Jeff Crossman
Josh Tucker
RJ Baker
Jerry Douglas
Josh Jacobo DNS
Cassandra Amore DNS
Cort Machduk DNS
Pure Stock
Keith Ross
Phil Spencer
Paul Stephens
Thomas Pavlik
Steve Martin
John Camper
James Taylor
Shannon Collins
Mini Trucks
Zack Webster
William Fogle
Ross Vige
Ian Thulin
James Woodell
Dan Libbee
Kalvin Kualuk
Anthony Esquaville
Beau Chandler
Tony Quinonez
Justin Vance DNS
Crate Sprints
Mike Sayre
Jerry Douglas
Chad Thompson
Jeff Macedo
Cameron Haney
250 Micros
Mike McCarthy
Pax Gonzalez
Lester Elsey
Jess Garland DNS
Ronnie Heyer DNS
Bakersfield Speedway Unofficial Race Results April 20, 2019
IMCA Sport Modifieds
Garrett Jernagan
Gary Dutton
Wayne Dotson
Michael Johnson
Gavyn Manning
Kevin Johnson
Chris McKellar
Guy Ahlwardt
Nick Spainhoward
Jason Nation
Keith Brown Jr
Tina Pounds
Daniel West
Tyler Blankenship
Kyle Wood
Matthew Mayo
Charles Morrison
Western Pro Stocks
Justin Crockett
Chris Smith
Paul Miller
Chris Clinton
Billy Simkins
Larry Blake
Ryan Smith
Sr. Mini Dwarf
Jett Yantis
Seth Hanson
Deegan Bledsaw
Mallory Meyers
Eric Vences
Joshua Chambers
Carson Conway
Ainsley Walker
Adam Nohl
Logan Miller
Brooklynn Palmer DNS
Jr. Mini Dwarf
Bryson Martin
Khloe Cotton
Wyatt Webb
Emma McKellar
Blake Watson
Kenna McKellar
Paislee Hughes
Cameron Blankenship
POWRi California Lightning Sprints
Main Event
Results are not official
1 #21x Bobby Michnowicz
2 #7 Doug Nunes
3 #1 Jarrett Kramer
4 #73X Aiden Lange
5 #18 Dalton Sexton
6 #45 Cody Nigh
7 #8g Eric Greco
8 #24 Chase Gaal
9 #2r Robb Pelmear
10 #42d Kyle Dodd
11 #42 Jon Robertson
12 #22s Gage Cheek
13 #2j James Turnbull
14 #17 Dale Gamer
15 #37 Dominic Del Monte
16 #44 Brent Sexton
17 #91 A. J. Bender
18 #3 Grant Sexton
19 #4 Jeff Dyer
20 #7f Frank Ditmar
B Main
Robb Pelmear
Jon Robertson
Dominic Del Monte
Dale Gamer
Bill Dodd
Shane Sexton
Frank Ditmar
Jason Arnolde
Pat Kelley
Ventura Raceway Unofficial Race Results April 20, 2019
VRA Sprint Cars
Results are not official
1 #96 Charlie Butcher
2 #15 Rick Hendrix
3 #33B Brandon Wiley
4 #27 Tyler Hatzikian
5 #0k Kenny Perkins
6 #87k Gage Rucker
7 #50 Will Perkins
8 #66 Chris Meredith
IMCA Modifieds
Results are not official
1 #38T Dylan Thornton
2 #28 Trevor Fitzgibbon
3 #70 Terry Hershberger
4 #97 Kevin Hocking
5 #72 Austin Grabowski
6 #55jr Jack Parker
7 #11 Andrew Greiman
8 #34 Scott Olsen
VRA Dwarf Cars
Results are not official
2 #48 Trent Morley
3 #69 Johnny Conley
4 #41 Nick Velasquez
5 #0 Brad Curnel
6 #14 Tommy Velasquez III
7 #91 Kody Cowan
8 #11 Zach Curnel
9 #6 Tim Conley
10 #4 Tommy Velasquez
11 #18 Tom Morley
12 #45 Korey Cowan
13 #28 Tony Pellegrino
14 #2 Tony Margott
15 #88 Jeff Brink
16 #12 Steve Dashevsky
17 #99 Shane Linenberger
VRA Hobby Stocks
Results are not official
1 #11 Ricky Lewis
2 #49j Justin Jackson
3 #17 Ryan Changus
4 #16 Tom Stephens Jr
5 #20 Michael Scruggs
6 #18 Jeff Houghton
7 #37 Jimmy Satlawa
8 #33T Ricky Roberts
Keller Auto Speedway Unofficial Race Results April 20, 2019
King Of Thunder Winged 360 Sprint Cars
Carson Macedo
Dominic Scelzi
Bud Kaeding
Mitchell Faccinto
Grant Duinkerken
Danny Faria Jr
Cole Macedo
Jace VanderWeerd
Landon Hurst
Kaleb Montgomery
Steven Kent
Brendan Warmerdam
Tanner Boul
Scott Parker
Joey Ancona
Zane Blanchard
Vaughn Schott
Jared Faria
Chris Ennis
Geoffrey Strole
D.J. Netto
Craig Stidham
B Main
Tanner Boul
Kaleb Montgomery
Joey Ancona
Chris Ennis
Jared Faria
Vaughn Schott
Brendan Warmerdam
Geoffrey Strole
Burt Foland Jr
Steve Jaquith
Tucker Worth
IMCA RaceSaver 305 Sprint Cars
Brooklyn Holland
Michael Pombo
Kyle Rasmussen
Grant Champlin
Monty Ferriera
Rob Soloman
Jacob Pacheco
Blaine Fagundes
Ryan Delisle
Lance Jackson
Brandon Emmett
Brandon Burd
Mauro Simone
Connor Danell
Ricky Saldate
Austin Warmerdam DNS
Central Valley Mini Stocks
Jason Cook
Dan Myrick
Randy Brown
Ryan Blank
Jeff Durant
Gene Glover
Greg Baronian
Andy Boydstun
Logan Doglione
Clinton Massey
Shawn DePriest
Randy Brown Jr
Chuck Doglione
Darren Wilson
Larry Ramirez
Danny Myrick
Brent Myrick
Todd Minchew
Jason Cook
Russell Brown
Ronald Curtner
Helder Santos
IMCA Stock Cars
Chad Johnson
Cody Johnson
Troy Patee
Ron Hurt
Larry Thompson
Brock Hamilton
Preston Martin
Rod Bane
Renn Bane
James Elliott
Tanner Lorenzo
Joshua Nichols DNS
Petaluma Speedway Unofficial Race Results April 20, 2019
PitStopUSA.com Winged 360 Sprint Car
Chase Johnson
Shawn Arriaga
John Clark
David Lindt Jr
Ricky Brophy
Joel Myers
Will Fatu
Brett Rollag
Jesse Colwell
Colby Johnson
Jason Toft
Jake Haulot
Wayne Katen
Norm Johns
Nathan Schank DNS
Gendeal Hydroponics Redwood Dwarf Car
Chad Matthias
Mark Hanson
John Peters
Darren Fridolfs
John Gomes
Adam Johnson
Garrett Brady
Carroll Mendenhall
Danny Marsh
Michael Affonso
Mike Dahle
Adam Freitas
Brandon Gentry
Sam Borland
Michael Williams
Jordan Souza
Kylee Johnson
Matt Hagemann
Marcus Hardina
Shiloh Borland
Kevin Miraglio
PitStopUSA.com Wingless Spec Sprints
Bradley Terrell
Bryan Grier
Boy Moniz
Angelique Bell
Scott Chapeta
Bob Davis
Ryon Siverling
Rick Holbrook
Tony Bernard
Doc Brophy
Jessica Walker
Keith Calvino
Travis DeGaton
Kevin Box
Sparky Howard DQ
Shayna Sylvia DNS
Dennis Furia Jr DNS
Wilson Chet DNS
Marcus Smith DNS
Jake's Performance Hobbies Mini Stock
Jeremy Tjensvold
Roy Dearing
Tom Brown
Roberta Broze
Bill Manzoni
Sophie Shelley
Randy Miramontez
Connor Manzoni
Antonio Miramontez
Danny Manzoni
Jason Grover
Merced Speedway Unofficial Race Results Apri 20, 2019
USAC Western Midgets
Austin Liggett
Shane Golobic
Mitchell Moles
Cory Elliott
Ben Worth
Robert Dalby
Dustin Golobic
C.J. Sarna
David Prickett
Shannon McQueen
Randi Pankratz
Jackson Dukes
Marvin Mitchell
Maria Cofer
Kelly Mitchell
Troy Morris III
Tyler Edwards
IMCA Modifieds
D.J. Shannon
Paul Stone
Troy Foulger
Cody Burke
Ryan Porter
Bobby Hogge IV
Randy Brown
Jeffrey Faulkner
Mitch Machado
Austin Burke
Jeff Streeter
Jesse Burks
Ramie Stone
Ricky Thatcher
Anthony Giuliani
Bob Williamson
Ryan Larimer
Bill Vieselmeyer
Hobby Stocks
Dexter Long
Shannon Nelson
Michael Shearer
Kevin Irwin
Kevin Joaquin
Donnie Shearer
Allen Neal
Syd Finn
William Kennedy
Domossie Scoggins
Nick Lawrence
Raul Rodriguez Sr
Austin Van Hoff
Kristie Shearer
Race Shelton
Timothy Crews
DJ Keldsen
Dustin Donathan
Mike Germait
Kalob Shelton
Mini Stock
Lucy Falkenberg
Chris Corder
Lee Ragsdale
Jennifer Rodgers
Shayla Gould
Terry Cheathm
Jerry Tubbs
Tyler Post
Austin Sprague
Mat Schlessinger DNS
The Editor's Viewpoint
I sat down here and wrote this column last week, and I came off probably a little bit depressing. I happen to be working on a website for Southern Oregon Speedway, and somebody used the comment section in a post that I made talking about how happy I was with how that was going to basically steal the smile from my face. I could go ahead and post what was written for this particular column, but I'm going to move on. Bottom line is we face negativity in this sport all the time, and we always have to try our best to move on from some of the nitpickers unless something really needs to be addressed.
The volunteer media effort continues. I'm very proud of the blogs right now and what we've managed to accomplish. We're still in April. I know of six printed media outlets that have run articles that we wrote, and a few internet sites have covered other tracks that we've sent out. The goal is to get coverage for at least 10 tracks at some point during the year in printed media, and maybe beyond that. It all depends on the information I get and what we're able to write.
Bear in mind that this is a volunteer effort. I do not draw a salary for what I do, and it does take work. Perhaps the most stressful part of this whole deal is that I am glued to my chair until everything gets done. So, I'm not getting out and getting exercise and getting the walks I really want to have. There was a while when I had a phone service and that would enable me to dictate rough drafts of articles while walking. Multitasking. It's the only way I can justify taking off for walks as there's a lot that needs to be written. If you like what we're doing, consider throwing us a tip in The Tip Jar, which is linked at the top of this post, or just share links to the articles. Thank you for your support.
I borrowed a column from my good friend Don O'Keefe Jr. During the offseason, sometimes I like to use his News And Rumors column at least once as a way to comment on things that are happening in the news and sometimes make predictions. it ends up offering news mixed in with rumors, but the rumors have a grain of truth in them. That is to say, the potential is there for things to happen, or maybe I've heard a few things that would suggest something is up.
Last year, I posted a rumor that turned out to be true. Understand, I had heard things that suggested it could be possible, and had also written an article on the Jefferson blog about the search for Oregon's tenth outdoor big car racing track. What I wrote was that Worden Speedway was up for sale. At the time, there were certain things going on behind the scenes, and I was asked if I could remove the direct rumor and make it more vague. I accommodated this person. I can now tell you that Worden Speedway is up for sale with an asking price of around $400,000.
It looks as if Carl Tresser is divesting himself of racing. I haven't spoken with him in about 25 years. At the time, I was working with Mike Johnson of the California Modified Association, and Mike had discovered the Sportsman Sprint division racing in Yreka. They ran wings, our group didn't. They ran four-barrel carburetors, our group ran two-barrel carburetors. Mike made the adjustments and came up and supported Carl's group. Carl and I would talk on the phone. I ended up doing some articles for him about how his group was doing.
It remains a source of pride for me that what we did helped showcase the fact that Sportsman Sprints weren't just slow injected Sprints, they were a different class. What we did was we gave them enough cars to have their own races for the very first time, and guys like Carl, Mike Linder and Don Garrett Jr went racing in their own group. This went on for about six years, but it kind of tapered off. You have a Limited Sprint division in Oregon now, but it's far from what this clsss was. The cost factor is a little bit higher, though it is helping revive the Sprint Car scene in Oregon.
At some point, Carl decided it would be nice to have a race track, but he didn't want to open it and promote races. He is a motorcycle enthusiast, and what would frequently happen out there is he and his buddies would go riding on the property. Worden Speedway opened in 2001, if I'm not mistaken, and there was a three-year lifespan for the track as an active venue. There have been vehicles on that track every year since, but no organized racing events. The guy who built the place, and his name escapes me, had visions of it being a Sprint Car track. That never really panned out.
What did happen was they started having their own Stock Car shows. Because there's no lighting at the facility, they would have to run daylight events, and oftentimes these were on Sunday afternoons. The local Pro Stock group, which has pretty much become the Calculated Comfort Outlaw Pro Stock Tour that hits Yreka, Medford and Coos Bay, took over the track. They also ran Mini Stocks and some Street Stock Enduros, plus visits from the Southern Oregon Dwarf Car Association and possibly a Modified race or two. I've only been able to track down some information on results as my old colleague Gary Jacob would write articles when he got information.
Klamath Falls isn't far from Worden, and there's a history of racing in that town. When the earthquake hit in September of 1993, it rendered the grandstands unusable at the old pavement track. You can still see the track in the field there, but the grandstands have long since been torn down. I was told that there was a state grant being offered if they wanted to rebuild the stands, but the ownership decided it would be better to just close the place. No alternative venue was looked at, to my knowledge. Racing just sort of went away in the area.
What didn't go away was the love of racing within the community of Klamath Falls. The drivers ended up having to take their show on the road to places like Yreka and Medford to keep the spirit alive, and to this day I can tell you that there's at least 30 race cars in the Klamath Falls area, probably more. As I mentioned, some of the drivers within the Pro Stock group actually helped promote the Worden track at one time.
I don't know what will end up happening with the property. It could sell and end up being a housing tract or the sight of stores or whenever. Or, somebody could decide they want to make the race track live again. $400,000 is a big investment to make, and I don't know that there's anybody within the community down there that's got the kind of money it would take. I'm sure if they could make it happen, they would. First step would be taking a tour of the facility. That could be done by making an arrangement with the real estate agent. Then, you at least get an understanding of what needs to be done.
Whether that happens or not, who's to say? There's a lot of work that needs to be done, judging from the pictures I saw. You definitely need to bring in some new clay for the racing surface. The stands are still there, and there are some buildings. Lots of weed abatement would need to be done, but that's the easy part. How much replacement of structures is needed? How much money are you talking about to invest in opening the track? I'm sure it wouldn't come with a cheap price tag, but then again, I'm sure there are some corners you can cut without sacrificing safety. Where there's a will, there's a way.
From a Medford or Yreka standpoint, you might not want to see the track open. If the locals don't have a place to race, they're going to travel down your way. Yreka leans pretty heavily on the Pro Stocks these days, and they still make visits to Medford. There are at least four IMCA Modified drivers I know and a half a dozen Mini Stocks. These guys travel down the road, and if they have a chance to run locally, where do you think they're going to go?
I've gotten to the point, partially encouraged by Mike McCann when he finds these race tracks sitting in the weeds, where my mind starts to wonder what could be done. I don't have the money, so my day of ever being a promoter is very unlikely. I can see that the building blocks are there. One of the biggest reasons I'm an advocate for putting Worden Speedway back in working order is there's already a base of drivers who could support. With their support and racing for the fans to watch, new drivers will come. You base it on Pro Stocks, Mini Stocks and possibly Street Stocks. You bring in the Dwarf Cars where you can or whatever touring group might be willing to come. You start a Hornet division.
When you're building this program back up, however, I don't think you can run weekly. Your window of racing, in my opinion, is about 12 to 14 races in a season. You also kind of have to keep an eye on what's going on at Medford and Yreka and book accordingly to give yourself the best opportunity to get as many cars as you can. I think there's a lot of potential, and I certainly hope the people of Klamath Falls get their local race track again. Will this happen? Who's to say? $400,000 is not chump change, but you never know who might come along with a love for racing and a desire to make it happen.
I've been watching the happenings at Orland Raceway this year, and one thing is sticking out to me. The Wingless Spec Sprint division is having a pretty darn good season so far. Twice they have achieved double-digit car counts, and last week saw 12 cars. This is significant in that it's the biggest car count they've had there since Mike McCann was the promoter back in 2013 and 2014. The local racers are getting behind this class, and it's a good thing.
I take issue with people who think this class would be good, if. Yeah, if. That means change this rule or change that rule and we'll come racing. For a long time, we've been able to hold those people off. Promoters knew how to say, "No, go get a Winged 360 or do something else." Gradually, however, they've chipped away at the rules to a point where tracks have given up on the class. Everybody thinks you've got to run a wing on your car now or if it's wingless it has to be 360 injected. Sorry, but I disagree on both counts.
It isn't that I disagree with having those divisions. I would be supportive of somebody coming along in Northern California and starting a Wingless 360 Sprint Car Series with injectors. I think you could probably get 8 to 10 dates doing it between tracks such as Placerville, Petaluma and Watsonville, but you need leadership with a desire to do that.
The rumor I'm hearing is that the Hunt Series will become this within the next three years, and I'm very disappointed. What will happen is, sure, they'll make that change. However, you're going to watch as several of the names on that roster disappear. If there's not enough people jumping in, it won't go very far. I think there's a will to go wingless injected, so the leadership will have a chance to make it happen.
Again, my issue isn't so much that they want to have wingless injected. Do it. Just leave the Hunt Wingless Spec Sprint Series alone. This is the 10th season of this series, and there's something to be said about the simplicity of the two-barrel carburetor, 360 cast iron engine and also self starting Sprint Cars. People want to get rid of the self starting, but the selling point is fans don't like sitting around all day waiting for push starts. Some places are more patient than others, but it was always good to know that if there was a red flag, the cars could fire up and go racing again. You might need one or two push starts, but not everybody.
Some would say that the Wingless Spec Sprint division's days are numbered, but I don't think they have to be. Just go back to the basics. That's all you have to do. Let a new injected 360 class happen, but don't make it either or. That is to say, you don't have to have a wingless injected Sprint Car class in Northern California at the expense of the carbureted class. Both can exist. The movement to have different variations of Winged Sprint Cars has led us to the point where we now have Crate Sprints and IMCA 305 RaceSaver Sprints. What will happen is the strongest will survive and the weakest will fade away unless the track is happy with six or eight cars.
This brings me back to Orland, where they've kind of tiptoed under the radar with about four to six cars showing up during the past few years. Actually, promoter Rich Hood didn't even have the class in 2016 as he went back to the very basics. It was the locals, no doubt led by Ralph Jacobo, who fought to get the class back, but they went with gasoline instead of alcohol. Still basically Spec Sprints, and the idea is they're trying to keep the cost down.
At the heart of Spec Sprint racing is the idea that a guy running a Hobby Stock, a kid coming up from the Micros and a veteran Sprint Car racer looking to have a couple more years of racing before they retire can run this class. All of them could come into Spec Sprints and do it on a budget. Orland has proven this to be something that still sells. Two of their top Pure Stock racers, Paul Stephens and Jeremy Langenderfer, have Wingless Spec Sprints now. It's amazing to me that after 20 years, the formula that Don O'Keefe Jr and I put together for John at Antioch Speedway still works.
I don't know where Orland is going with this class. My hope is that it continues to grow. It's my belief that a strong Spec Sprint class at Orland will lead to more fans coming out to watch. Also, that's one of the reasons why I have always included Orland in my media efforts since coming back to the sport. The more people know about what's going on, the more they will come out and watch. Orland is a Pure Stock, Mini Stock, Mini Truck type of race track, but they've shown that they can do Sprint Cars too.
What I like about the way Rich Hood runs this program is he is focusing on smart growth. He is not trying to do too much too soon and breaking his bank to do it. Orland has had revolving-door promoters since 2007, and there was a real possibility that the track could have closed for good after 2015. Rich may have been the one who saved it when he came in at such a late time in 2016 to get the season going. Now, he is in his fourth year. I'm just happy to see that he's having some success with things like the Spec Sprint division.
We've always commented that Orland Raceway was the track that was in the shadows of Silver Dollar Speedway in Chico. To an extent, that's true. When John Padjen ran Chico, they were one of the Mecca's of Sprint Car racing, and yet Padjen did Stock Car racing well too. Padjen was a promoter, plain and simple. Not knocking Chico as they still have good things going, but I am saying this. Orland may have been in the shadow of Chico, but as they continue to grow this program, it is just a good race track in its own right. The sky is the limit for this place.
Nobody's coming to the track if it's a secret, and in 2019, you have internet options at your fingertips to put the word out. This includes social media and a good website. I'm sure I've been kind of a pain in the butt at times to the people in Orland by trying to get information so that I can write articles, but I only do that to try and help spread the word. I want them to have more fans and more race cars. Orland seems to be stepping up a little bit in this area, and they have people who will help them even more. Actually, there's an intriguing rumor I've heard, and I love it. I'll have to let Rich Hood be the one who breaks the news. I'll just endorse it when I hear it.
Right now, my pet projects are Shasta Speedway and Diamond Mountain Speedway in Susanville. Both tracks are racing, but getting information out there is another matter. I probably should throw American Valley Speedway in Quincy into the mix, but at least they have the Nevada Racing News blog out there covering them sometimes. Whether I'm taking statistics at these tracks (if available) and writing articles or they get somebody and have them write the articles, something needs to happen. Spreading the word and building momentum is only going to make things better.
Jeff Olschowka may have saved Susanville from closing this year. It was definitely a late negotiation process that led to him making an announcement in mid March that he was the new promoter. One little tidbit that was picked up when "Davey Boy" Munoz, the track announcer, was doing his pit walk before Saturday's opener. What was revealed was that Jeff will be running the place for the next six years. I call that progress. They haven't had a regular track promoter running the place for quite some time, and Jeff was still at the top of his game as the 2018 Quincy IMCA Modified champion. He didn't just think about himself in stepping forward, he thought about the racing community.
I probably could put the reigns on myself and not be looking to get information from Quincy, Susanville and Shasta. I do have quite a bit on my plate right now, but it's these tracks that aren't getting the word out that I want to help the most. I know there's some people who probably think my attitude is antiquated. We are in 2019. Who needs to write articles and send them to newspapers? Who cares about articles? Some tracks will just put results up, and that's good enough.
It still comes down to the fact that you can look at the grandstands and see where the attendance really is. Honest fans will understand this and cut race tracks a break as far as maybe not being perfect. There are few perfect race tracks in existence today. But, people need to be sold on the idea of spending the money to buy a ticket and spend an evening at the track. Those of us who have lived that life may have a hard time understanding that. But, it's racing? Why wouldn't you want to go?
It comes down to people with their hard-earned dollars and where they want to spend them to be entertained. It becomes an investment. If you do the math on somebody who attends four races per month, you begin to understand that it really becomes part of their budget. So, you have to give them a reason to want to come to that race track. What divisions will they be seeing? Who are the stars? Who has the winning streak behind the wheel? Who's the young gun? Make the numbers dance. Go beyond posting statistics and sell them on the idea that they want to be there.
This is what DCRR Racing Media is all about. We are proud to be spreading the word and helping these tracks while we can. I don't know how much longer I'm going to continue to do what I do. I made the commitment through 2019, and I intend to honor that. Even though it has already been pretty stressful for me (money is beyond tight), when I get into the mode, I'm about trying to figure out how to write whatever article needs to be written. This stuff will always mean something to me, no matter if I'm involved or not. I guess I can't escape that.
Antioch Speedway is having the Larry Damitz Memorial race. This is the third annual event on Saturday night. I'm happy that they're honoring Larry, but there were some missed opportunities associated with this date. Had I been on the scene, I wanted to induct Larry into the Hall of Fame. He totally deserves the honor. He had the longest career of any racer I know. He was an inspiration to many and was still at the top of his game when he passed away. He was one of the nicest people you would want to associate with.
What also disappoints me is the fact that there's not one special race on that night. No division is getting extra laps with a little bit more money on the line. I had been hoping to see that for the Limited Late Model division, Larry's class of choice. For the past two years, I've made a big deal out of that on social media, and Pete Paulsen stepped forward both years to sponsor a big trophy for the Main Event winner. Sadly, the Limited Late Models were not included on the schedule this week.
I saw this coming a mile away, and I was hoping to help do something about it. With Petaluma Speedway not running their Lumberjacks Restaurant Super Stocks this week due to the big Sprint Car show, it was an opportunity to make the Limited Late Model race special for more money. Petaluma racers, some of whom ran with Larry, would love to be a part of a race remembering him. You have to remember, he's won many championships at both race tracks, and he won well over a 110 Main Events in his career just at those tracks.
Far be it from me to criticize John for what he's done, because I know how hard he had to work to get things going. All the stuff that happened during the offseason led to him not even getting started on the facility until mid February, and yet somehow the track still managed to have two playdays and open the season in March. To me, that's an accomplishment. So, if there were a few things on the schedule that people were wondering about, I cut John some slack. He had many things going through his mind and has accomplished quite a bit in just keeping the show going.
I know there's people looking around and wondering about a few things, but what's really cool is that racing still continues. There are some things going on behind the scenes with the intent of making it better for everybody. That's what really matters. It comes down to my motto, as long as the gates continue to open, there's a chance for good things to happen at the race track.
I know people are wondering about me and where I might be located for the year. We have a playday getting ready to happen at Southern Oregon Speedway, and it looks like it's going to happen Saturday. This will be the first playday we've had since Mike McCann took over the track in 2016. Looks like sunny skies too. I'm hoping the May 4th opener will have the kind of weather we are having now. I can only go to the track that I'm nearest to, and business is about ready to get going up here. Mike has put a lot of things into place going into this year, and it should lead to good things.
I have mixed emotions about what's going on right now. I could say plenty, but it wouldn't do me or anybody else any good for me to start talking. There were some anger issues that I went through during the offseason as certain things were going on, but at the end of the day, I still found it best to keep my mouth shut. Though it affected me personally, what point would there have been to say things that might come off as negative toward certain people? Everybody did what they felt they had to do, and everything turned out the way it did. I am still standing and involved in the sport. The blogs are still running and I will be at a race track. Right now, that race track is Southern Oregon Speedway. There's work to be done.
I will be working on debuting a website, which may even be up at the time that this article gets posted. I will be working on souvenir programs, and other things need to be handled for the track. Time to stop procrastinating. Things need to be done and we need to do the best that we can to make things as good as we can. My part in all of this is basically publicity, and I came in here hoping to make things a little bit better than they were before I got here. In my own mind, I believe I've accomplished that. Certain critics may see things differently, but again, you can't spell critic without tic(k), sucking the lifeblood out of our enthusiasm for the sport. I won't blame the decline we've seen at certain places on them, but they certainly aren't doing it any favors.
What does do things favors is an effort to make things better. I saw video footage of Merced Speedway, and I'm greatly impressed with the race track that General Manager Doug Lockwood of S&S Promotions has given the racers. The USAC Western Midget show was amazing, they had good attendance and good racing from start to finish. I get the vision they were seeing when they resurfaced the track and put the banking back in. If this is any indication, I say the Merced people should be out there watching the races every week. I'm damn proud to continue to be associated, even from afar, with this race track and will continue to support them as best I can.
Likewise for Watsonville and Petaluma. I like that John Prentice tries to do things for the Watsonville community. With the Police N Pursuit guys, they have raised over $40,000 this year for the Northern California Special Olympics. Last week was Special Olympics Night, and they made that announcement. I think it's great that when Merced displaced the Bill Egleston Memorial race, Prentice added that show in May. He now has three Stock Car oriented programs, which also includes the August two-day event for Mike Cecil and the Pat & Jim Pettit Memorial Dirt Track Shootout in late September.
I'm probably one who would have tried to bring a Super Stock/Limited Late Model class back to the roster this year if I were going to add a new division. Watsonville has always been about the Stock Car show, and Late Models were the thing for many years. Given the Late Model feel of that class these days, I would have been willing to bet that Watsonville could have probably gotten the car count up to double digits in a relatively short time frame if they were reasonable with the rules. Perhaps that's something that might be considered in the future? That I couldn't tell you, but I can tell you what is happening now.
Mike McCluney and Prentice got together and mapped out a game plan that would bring the Midgets to Watsonville. It just so happens that this new Midget class is the USAC Western Speed2 Midgets that have been running at Madera and various dirt tracks. USAC has kind of been hanging on the vine with this division since it launched as the Focus Midgets about a decade or so ago. In the Northwest, the drivers pulled out of USAC, and the Northwest Focus Midgets are the biggest Midget tour in terms of consistent numbers on the West Coast. Carla and Galen Stewart are two big reasons why as they really know how to organize things.
McCluney has been around the game for a long time, and he's been observing a lot of different things. He was up there watching the Northwest Focus Midgets and learning. But, he's also a USAC guy. The idea is how can we finally get the USAC thing rolling? So, McCluney has put this thing together and is making positive waves. They even got USAC sanctioning on the effort happening in Ventura. Scheduling assures that drivers can support both Ventura and Watsonville without much conflict. On Friday night, they had a good night. What's not to like about that?
Petaluma Speedway has drawn strong numbers for the first two races this season, both in fan attendance and car count. They are just two point races in, and there's lots of good things to talk about and look forward to this year. It really speaks to the leadership of Rick Faeth and what he has done to strengthen the program there. This Saturday night will be another one of those special events that is sure to bring a good car count. It's the first of two scheduled appearances for the Elk Grove Ford Sprint Car Challenge Tour, Presented by Abreu Vineyards.
What I like seeing with Rick is that he took over this track at a time when there were outside threats wanting to close the place down. Some people would walk away from such a problem. This is what happened to San Jose Speedway. Nobody stood up and fought the failed amphitheater, and everything's been leveled. Because Rick has been there scheduling races and interacting within the community, racing lives on and will continue through 2022. I can't say enough about how much I like what's happening at Petaluma Speedway these days. Get out there and enjoy the show if you can.
The interesting thing I noticed on the schedule this week is an IMCA Modified and Sport Modified show at Placerville Speedway. It's not surprising that Scott Russell has continued the tradition Allan Handy started of having the occasional Stock Car oriented programs at a place that's known for having one heck of a Sprint Car show. He's giving the Sprint Cars a night off to go to Petaluma, but this Stock Car program is honoring the Tilford family. Lots of locals like to support this show.
The interesting part is that they have a Modified race on the schedule, and somehow this didn't get included in the All Star Series Tour. I'm a little bit perplexed at how once again John Prentice only ended up with four events. He had landed two dates at Antioch, but that was contingent upon the decision going the other way in regards to promoters. Though I had hoped that John Soares would keep the dates, he chose not to. It is my opinion, and I think others would agree with me, that this show would have benefited both the track and the series. It would not have been one-sided. Then again, what do I know?
I'm not sure how this came to be a Modified and Sport Modified show. Was there ever a time when Prentice and Russell sat down at the table to make this an All Star Series date? And if so, did they have a falling out? The sad thing is this seems to me like it would have worked perfect. Many of the All Star Series regulars want to support this show and see more dates at Placerville in the future. I know Scott is trying to do his own thing and marching to the beat of a different drummer. I know the Sprint Car Challenge Tour arose out of frustrations with the Civil War Series. Perhaps there are ill feelings? That's something I can only speculate on. I just see it as a missed opportunity that this is not an All Star Series event, but the night should go well at Placerville Speedway.
I could probably ramble on and on, but it's time to shut up and get to editing. We're going to see if we can get things out a little bit earlier this week. Until next time...
