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Wingless Spec Sprints, Late Models Return To Action
At Antioch Speedway
Antioch, CA...The competition is heating up along with the August weather at Antioch Speedway. This Saturday night will see another exciting five division lineup of All Star Racing Series action on the fast 3/8 mile clay oval. The DIRTcar Late Models are a back along with the Wingless Spec Sprints. The close battles in the A Modified and Limited Late Model classes continue, and the Hobby Stocks round out what is surely going to be in entertaining show.
The star of the Late Model division this season has been two-time champion Richard Papenhausen. Papenhausen has won all five races held so far, but he had some luck on his side last time in gaining the victory. Kimo Oreta was running along with a comfortable lead when he slowed with mechanical issues on lap 12. Papenhausen was second on the restart but wasted little time taking the lead from past Santa Maria Speedway champion Rick Coffey when the green flag waved. Papenhausen went on to his fifth-straight triumph and increased his advantage even more in the process.
What's interesting is the competition behind Papenhausen is so close that there has been a different second place finisher in all five races. Oreta, Coffey, Paul Guglielmoni, second-ranked Rod Oliver and Shawn DeForest have each earned the honors. Oliver is leading a close battle with Oreta and Mike Hynes for second in the standings. All three of these stars are hoping to evict Papenhausen from the winner's circle this Saturday night.
There seems to be very little doubt that Shannon Newton is on his way to the Wingless Spec Sprint championship this year. Newton has recorded an impressive six feature wins in his 10 starts to have a commanding lead over Rick Panfili. Panfili has his hands full with second year competitor Shannon Newton not far behind him in third. Newton did a stellar job of holding onto a season-best third place finish last time out, giving her four Top 5 finishes for the year.
Two-time division champion Dan Gonderman impressed with his first feature win of the season last time out. Gonderman had posted a pair of seconds and a third in previous weeks, and it seemed a good bet that he would eventually grab a victory. He will be out to pick up his second win of the season this week, and another driver hoping to get a second win is newcomer Dustin Maibes. Some of the stars to watch for this week include Adam Teves, Cameron Martin, Troy Ferry and rookie Jeff Scotto.
The A Modifieds are in the midst of a crucial stretch of races. Last week was the first race of a five race in six week span, meaning the pressure is on the two championship contenders. Danny Wagner came through with a clutch performance last week as he added his second A Modified win to his first ever Winged 360 Sprint Car victory. Point leader Buddy Kniss managed a fifth place finish and still holds a 20 point advantage as the points got just a little bit closer.
Past Modified champion Bobby Motts Jr returned last week and picked up a third place finish, which is his best finish in his limited appearances this season. If Motts is here this week, he could be a threat to win. We've seen seven different winners in the 12 races held so far, and a further interesting fact shows that there have been six different winners in the past six races. Some of the drivers who might be going for #7 in the streak include Trevor Clymens, Gary Hetrick, Kimo Oreta, Sean O'Gara and Raymond Lindemann.
It's an intense, two-car battle for the Limited Late Model championship between 2017 champion Kimo Oreta and 2013 title winner Jim Freethy. Oreta has scored a division-leading four wins, while Freethy has two victories and a division-leading six seconds to his credit. So far, Freethy has not finished worse than second, but the equally consistent Oreta is making this a battle that is sure to go down to the final checkered flag.
Despite the strong efforts of the two frontrunners, there have been two new winners in the last three races. Chris Long drove the John Keith car to a victory three races ago, and the most recent race was won by Chad Hammer after a close battle with Freethy down the stretch. Both drivers would have to be considered threats to win this week. Likewise, two-time champion Mike Gustafson, third-ranked Michael Burch, Mike Walko and John Evans are others to watch for this week.
Some of the most exciting racing taking place at the speedway this year is happening in the Hobby Stock division. After getting a two-week break, the racers are chomping at the bit to get back on the track again. This season has seen two-time reigning champion and current point leader Chris Sorensen move into first on the division's all time win list. Sorensen has a division leading five wins this year, but he was forced to settle for second behind 15 year old Jacob Mallet Jr last time out. The previous week, it was James Thomson collecting his first win, while rookie Ken Johns settled for second. Johns is battling Will Buirch for top rookie honors, and it's still very close between these two with Buirch in the lead.
Sorensen continues to lead the championship chase, but Breanna Troen and Josh Leach are not too far behind him, hoping that he might slip up. Troen has one win to her credit this year, while Leach has picked up three victories. Unfortunately for Leach, he's been in a bit of a slump during the past three races. Troen, meanwhile, has 12 Top 5 finishes in her 13 starts. These three will be tough to beat this week, and others to watch for include Jeff Betancourt, Luke Brignoli, Angela Brown and Alfred Johnson.
It's another nice variety of different classes for fans to enjoy. The racing action will be close and competitive from the moment the green flag waves until the final checkered flag falls. For further information, go to www.antiochspeedway.com.
Wagner A Double Winner At Antioch Speedway
Antioch, CA...August 3...Danny Wagner won his first 20 lap All Star Series Winged 360 Sprint Car Main Event Saturday night at Antioch Speedway. Earlier the evening, Wagner also won the 20 lap A Modified Main Event. Wagner is driving the Dave Johnson owned Sprint Car this season.
The Main Event had a rough start with three yellow flags in the first lap, and two-time champion Art McCarthy set the pace when the race finally got going. Wagner made an inside pass on the backstretch on lap three to take second from Ryon Nelson. Wagner quickly closed in on McCarthy and begin looking for a way around. A high pass in Turn 3 of the 10th lap finally gained Wagner the lead. As Wagner begin to pull away, McCarthy saw a late challenge from reigning champion Matt DeMartini. DeMartini made an inside move in Turn 3 of the 18th lap, but there was slight contact as DeMartini gained the position. McCarthy fell a few positions back as Wagner won ahead of DeMartini, Roberto Kirby, Jacob Tuttle and McCarthy.
Danny Wagner also won his second 20 lap A Modified Main Event to gain a little bit more ground on point leader Buddy Kniss. There was a restart after contact sent Michelle Paul spinning in Turn 2. Officials penalized Raymond Linderman to the rear for the restart, and Wagner jumped into the lead at the waiving of the green flag. Multi time Petaluma champion Michael Paul Jr settled into second on lap two with Bobby Motts Jr gaining third a lap later. By then, Wagner had a straightaway advantage. Wagner caught slower traffic by lap 10, and though he was slowed up just a little bit, once he cleared the traffic, he pulled away again. Wagner scored an impressive victory in the non-stop race, followed by Michael Paul Jr, Motts, Oreste Gonella and Buddy Kniss.
Kevin Brown won his first career 20 lap B Modified Main Event. Brown had the outside front row starting position and raced into the lead at the start ahead of Mark Garner and Tommy Clymens Jr. Point leader Tommy Fraser made a backstretch pass on Clymens for third on lap three. As the lead two cars ran down the back stretch on lap 10, contact sent Brown sideways into the infield as Garner gained the lead over Fraser and Chris Sieweke. Contact from Sieweke sent Fraser spinning in Turn 3 for a lap 15 yellow flag. Moments later, Garner had his motor let go on him in a big cloud of smoke. This put Brown back into the lead. After another yellow flag on the restart, Brown led Fraser and Sieweke on the next restart. Fraser pressured Brown hard and just managed beat him back to the line at the white flag. However, Brown had the better outside line and had the lead by the time they exited Turn 2. Brown went on to win ahead of Fraser, Sieweke, Clymens and Cameron Swank.
David Michael Rosa won his first 20 lap Dwarf Car Main Event of the season. Rosa had the outside front row starting spot and charged into the early lead over Troy Stevenson Jr. Point leader Scott Dahlgren briefly gained third on lap four, but hard charger Devan Kammermann regained the position a lap later. Kammermann quickly set his sites on Stevenson and gained second on lap six. During the closing laps, Kammermann was making a challenge on Rosa for the lead when a yellow flag waved on lap 18. Rosa got a good start and would take it all the way to the checkered flag. Kammermann held off a late challenge from teammate Dahlgren to finish second as Bobby Johnson and Stevenson completed the Top 5.
Racing resumes next Saturday night with the All Star Racing Series Wingless Spec Sprints, DIRTcar Late Models, A Modifieds, Limited Late Models and Hobby Stocks. For further information, go to www.antiochspeedway.com.
Unofficial Race Results
All Star Series Antioch Speedway
Winged 360 Sprint Cars
Heat winners (8 laps)-Danny Wagner, Chris Nelson. Main Event (20 laps)-Danny Wagner, Matt DeMartini, Roberto Kirby, Jacob Tuttle, Art McCarthy, Ryon Nelson, Burt Foland Jr, Chris Nelson, Scott Chapeta, Brad Dillard.
A Modifieds
Heat Winners (8 laps)-Michael Paul Jr, Bobby Motts Jr. Main Event (20 laps)-Danny Wagner, Michael Paul Jr., Bobby Motts Jr., Oreste Gonella, Buddy Kniss, Sean O'Gara, Trevor Clymens, Gary Hetrick, Kimo Oreta, Raymond Linderman.
B Modifieds
Heat Winners (8 laps)-Trevor Clymens, Chris Sieweke. Main Event (20 laps)-Kevin Brown, Tommy Fraser, Chris Sieweke, Tommy Clymens Jr., Cameron Swank, Trevor Clymens, Jason Womack, Nick Caughman Jr, Mark Garner.
Dwarf Cars
Heat Winners (8 laps)-Troy Stevenson Jr, David Michael Rosa, Devan Kammermann. Main Event (20 laps)-David Michael Rosa, Devan Kammermann, Scott Dahlgren, Bobby Johnson, Troy Stevenson Jr, Mike Corsaro, Mario Marques, Tom Van Tuyl, Travis Hensley, Sean Catucci.
Sprint Cars Get One More Tune Up Race
Before Key Classic At Ocean Speedway
Watsonville, CA...There's been lots of exciting things happening at Ocean Speedway in recent weeks. Three weeks ago was the Howard Kaeding Classic and last week was the Mike Cecil Memorial race. This Friday night, the Ocean Sprint Cars, presented by Taco Bravo, return for a tune-up race prior to next weekend's 59th Annual Johnny Key Classic. Also competing Friday will be the Hobby Stocks, Four Bangers and Police N Pursuit Cars.
At the moment, it is looking more and more like Bud Kaeding will be the Ocean Sprint Car champion this season. It his nine starts, Kaeding has picked up all Top 5 finishes and a division leading four wins. The numbers are quite remarkable when you consider his worst finish is a third and he has four seconds. In other words, if Kaeding isn't winning the race, you're having to beat him to get the victory. Bud also won the race named after his grandfather three weeks ago.
Meanwhile, James Ringo is having his best season yet in second. Though he is looking for his first win, he has four Top 5 finishes and eight Top 10s in 11 starts, giving him a 37 point lead over last season's point runner-up, Koen Shaw. The battle is closer for third as Shaw leads Jeremy Chisum by one point, Jeremy's brother Jason Chisum by nine, Kurt Nelson by 15 and Jake Andreotti by 19. Nelson is the only one of the group with a win, and Andreotti has the next best finish with a third place effort.
Other wins so far have been earned by reigning Civil War champion Cole Macedo, 2015 champion Justin Sanders, Dominic Skelzi, Chase Johnson and two-time champion Shane Golobic. Sanders has a pair of wins. There could be a few big names in town to get some laps in before next week's big show, and some of the regular stars to watch for this week include three-time reigning champion Brad Furr, Jayson Bright, Richard Fajardo and Jerry Bonnema.
Following the Mike Cecil Memorial weekend, two-time champion Rob Gallaher has increased his Hobby Stock point lead to 32 tallies ahead of his father, Joe Gallaher. Rob picked up the win in the Friday portion of the big event, giving him a division leading five victories among his 10 Top 5 efforts. Joe Gallaher has a pair of wins, and he increased his advantage to 48 points over DJ Keldsen in the battle for second. This seems to be where the contest is as Keldsen leads past champion Wally Kennedy by just two points in the race for third. Both drivers are hoping to grab their first win of the season.
Jerry Skelton has a win this year and has climbed up to fifth in the standings. Two drivers looking for their first wins of the season are the father and son team of Bobby Huckaby Sr and Jr. They are both Top 10 ranked as Sr has five Top 5 finishes to four for his son. Some of the other stars to watch for this week include Nick Triolo, rookie Ryan Muller and reigning champion Matt Kile.
The Four Bangers are back for their 11th race of the season. Reigning champion Kate Beardsley continues to lead the way by two points ahead of Nicole Beardsley. Both are still looking for their first wins of the season, but they both have nine Top 5 finishes. 2017 champion Bill Beardsley has a solid hold on third in the standings, 41 points behind Kate Beardsley and 40 ahead of top rookie John Grilli. Grilli picked up his third win of the season last time out, giving him an 18 point advantage over one-time winner Ryan McClelland.
The Lloyd Keldsen Jr Special has been fast this year as Dakota Keldsen and brother DJ Keldsen have each driven it to a pair of victories. Some of the other stars to watch for this week include Tony Gullo, Jeff Finsand and Steven Ragsdale.
The Police N Pursuit Cars will be in action for the seventh time this season. Drivers are representing several different law enforcement units from the area. John Hohmann has been fast this season with five Top 5 efforts and a pair of victories, giving the Scott's Valley Police Department representative a 38 point advantage over San Benito Sheriff's Office racer Roy Iler. Iler has four Top 5 finishes, but he's looking for his first win. He leads Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office representative Steven Fernandes by seven points in a closer race for second. Other wins this year have been earned by Jesse Mueller, Dan Anderson and Cliff Sloma. In addition to putting on some good racing, these drivers have also been raising money for the Special Olympics. Others to watch for this week include Justin Rhoades, Adam Rikalo, Tony Weir and AJ Waltrip.
The Ocean Sprint Car drivers have a big show coming up next weekend with the 59th Annual Johnny Key Classic. This is an opportunity to get some more practice in and test some setups ahead of the big race. With Hobby Stocks and Mini Stocks as part of the program, this should be a great night of racing. Further information, go to www.racepmg.com.
Johnson, Hogge, Ahlwardt Win Cecil Memorial Races
At Ocean Speedway
Watsoville, CA...August 3...Nicholas Johnson won the 40 lap Hobby Stock race Saturday night at Ocean Speedway. This was the second night of the Mike Cecil Memorial event, and the win paid $600 for Johnson, who made an impressive charge from 19th starting after a bad effort in his heat race.
Three-time champion Billy Nelson had the outside front row for the Main Event and charged into the early lead. Six-time champion Sam Kennedy wasted little time moving into the second position, and he enjoyed an early battle with point leader Rob Gallaher. During the second half of the race, Johnson had found his way into third, and he battled Kennedy before taking over second. Johnson begin to pressure Nelson during the final 10 laps, and Nelson got a bit sideways entering Turn 3 on lap 37. Johnson moved to the inside and gained the lead. He would lead the remaining three laps for the victory. Nelson settled for second, followed by Kennedy, Matt Kile, Rob Gallaher, Kevin Joaquin, Joe Gallaher, Chris McCabe, Bobby Huckaby Sr and Austin Van Hoff. Eight lap heat race wins were earned by Kennedy, Joe Gallaher and Kile.
Bobby Hogge IV won the 30 lap IMCA Modified Main Event. This was the fifth win of the season for Hogge, and it earned him a $1,000 pay day. The redraw format saw Hogge get the pole position. He charged into the lead at the drop of the green flag ahead of Derek Nance. However, Nance was passed early on by Alex Stanford. Kellen Chadwick moved in to battle Nance for third before grabbing the position as Merced Speedway point leader Troy Foulger had to work his way up from 11th starting. Both Foulger and Chadwick moved around Stanford in an intense, three-car battle for the second position. However, Hogge set a rapid pace up front and took the checkered flag a half straightaway ahead of Foulger. Chadwick settled for third, followed by Stanford, point leader Cody Burke, Shane DeVolder, Austin Burke, Brian Pearce, Tim Balding and Jim Pettit II.
The IMCA Modifieds had a strong 30 car turnout for the race, and the eight lap heat race wins were earned by Stanford, Hogge, Nick DeCarlo and Cody Burke. There was a 15 lap B Main, and Darrell Hughes II outran Robert Marsh for the victory as DeVolder finished third ahead of Carl Berendsen II.
Guy Ahlwardt won the 20 lap IMCA Sport Modified Main Event. His third win of the season earned the current IMCA State point leader a $700 payday. Ahlwardt was able to get a pole position start in the redraw format and charged into the lead at the start. Point leader Jarrod Mounce battled Todd Gomez early on before taking over second. By the halfway point of the race, Kevin Johnson found his way into third, and he had a good battle with Mounce. Mounce fell back a few spots in the waning laps, and Johnson had a solid hold on second. However, nobody was stopping Ahlwardt as he won ahead of Johnson, Bruce Nelson, Fred Ryland, Mounce, Randy Miller, Gomez, Dennis Simunovich, Tanner Thomas and Nick Spainhoward.
The IMCA Sport Modifieds had a 30 car turnout, and Johnson, Miller, Spainhoward and Mounce were the eight lap heat race winners. Kenny Shrader won the 12 lap B Main ahead of KC Keller, Tyler Thomas and TJ Etchison III.
Racing continues this Friday night with Taco Bravo Sprint Cars back in action along with Hobby Stocks, Four Bangers and the Police N Pursuit Cars. For further information, go to www.racepmg.com.
Gallaher, Hogge, Johnson Win On First Night Of
Cecil Memorial At Ocean Speedway
Watsonville, CA...August 2...Rob Gallaher won the 40 lap Mike Cecil Memorial Hobby Stock race Friday night at Ocean Speedway. This was the fifth win of the season for the current point leader. Merced Speedway star Austin Van Hoff led a pair of laps before Joe Gallaher went charging by. However, Van Hoff regained the lead on lap 13. Rob Gallaher passed his father for the second spot on lap 17 and gained the lead from Van Hoff two laps later. Fourteenth starter Justin Gonzales gained the lead on lap 27 as Rob Gallaher fell back to fifth. As Gonzales led reigning champion Matt Kile, Rob Gallaher moved back into fourth on lap 33. Galaher took third from Bobby Huckaby Sr on lap 37, and a yellow flag moments later set up the exciting finish. Rob Gallaher raced into the lead on the restart with Kile following into second. Gallaher would hold up off Kile the rest of the way for the impressive win. Gonzales settled for third, followed by Huckaby Sr, Van Hoff, Sam Kennedy, Ryan Muller, Jerry Skelton, Kyle Bryan and Joe Gallaher. Eight lap heat race wins where earned by Kile and Bobby Huckaby Jr.
Bobby Hogge IV took advantage of a late race restart to win the 25 lap IMCA Modified Main Event. This was the fourth win of the season for the six-time track champion. Alex Stanford made a surprise visit and led the first five laps before being passed by Kellen Chadwick. Hogge quickly settled into second, and Merced point leader Troy Foulger gained third on lap eight. The lead three competitors had a close battle at the front of the pack, but Chadwick was doing a good job of keeping them all behind him. However, there were two yellow flags during the final five laps. On a lap 21 restart, Hogge put the moves on Chadwick to gain the lead. Foulger was able to gain second on lap 24, but Hogge managed to keep him behind for the well earned victory. Chadwick settled for third, followed by reigning State champion Shane DeVolder, Nick DeCarlo, Anthony Slaney, Andy Obertello, Robert Marsh, Jim Pettit II and Cody Burke.
There were 28 IMCA Modifieds, and the eight lap heat race wins went to Anthony Giuliani, Austin Burke, Hogge and Jeff Decker. Hogge also won the four lap Trophy Dash. Brian Pearce picked up the win in the 12 lap B Main ahead of State point leader Trevor Fitzgibbon and Pettit.
Kevin Johnson won the 20 lap IMCA Sport Modified Main Event. Johnson is currently ranked second in the State point race, and this was his second-straight feature win. Johnson started on the second row, but he wasted little time getting into the lead. Dennis Simunovich was second until losing the spot to Bruce Nelson on lap six. A lap eight restart enabled point leader Jarrod Mounce to take over second. Through a pair of yellow flags, Johnson continued to set the pace ahead of Mounce. Johnson would pull away a little bit in the waning laps to score the victory, and Merced point leader Fred Ryland made a last lap pass on Mounce to finish second. Mounce settled for third, follow by Kenny Shrader, Simunovich, Danny Roe, Nelson, KC Keller, Justin McPherson and Adriane Frost.
There were 26 competitors, and the four eight lap heat races were won by Johnson, State pointer Guy Ahlwardt, Chuck Golden and Chuck Weir. Johnson also won the four lap Trophy Dash to make it a clean sweep. Nick Spainhoward made a last lap pass on Kelly Campanile to win the 12 lap B Main. Tanner Thomas finished third.
Legends Night And IMCA Modifieds Highlight
Merced Speedway Program
Merced, CA...This Saturday night, Merced Speedway offers up one of its signature events on the quarter-mile clay oval. It's Legends Night, which is a night that pays tribute to the rich 70 year history of the Merced County Fairgrounds facility. IMCA Modifieds will be competing along with the IMCA Sport Modifieds, Hobby Stocks and Mini Stocks.
Families are an important part of what makes any race track tick. This is certainly the case at Merced Speedway, where there are third and even fourth generation family members competing. On Saturday night, the speedway will honor one of those families. The Porter family has been a part of the speedway since it opened in 1950. Vern Porter competed in Hardtops and was also in charge of track preparation in the early years. In the 1960s, his son Wayne Porter completed in the Hardtops and the Limited Sportsman class.
In the 1980s, Wayne's son Tim Porter started racing in the Late model division. He went on to become a two-time Limited Sprint champion at the speedway and also completed in a few other divisions, including the Sportsman class. In recent years, Tim's son Ryan has become a standout star in IMCA Modified competition. In fact, Ryan is in the championship hunt this year. Other legends will be on hand for a great night of racing and remembering the speedway's rich history.
Saturday night will also be a Highway 99 Series event, which pits the Merced stars against some of the top competitors from Bakersfield Speedway. Extra prize money is being offered for all divisions, and that should attract bigger turnouts all the way around. The IMCA Modified division will be paying $1,000 to win and $600 for second with a minimum $100 to start. The IMCA Sport Modifieds are paying an attractive $750 to win and $400 for second with $75 minimum to start. The Hobby Stocks get $500 to win and $250 for second with a minimum of $50 to start. Even the Mini Stocks get a piece of the action with $250 to win $100 for second and a minimum $25 to start.
Merced IMCA Modified point leader Troy Foulger welcomes all challengers. Driving the Billy Bowers Modified, Troy has been a force at the speedway this year. So far, he's picked up a division-leading four Main Event wins and all Top 5 finishes in his eight starts. Foulger has been tough on the circuit this year and has won at other venues as well. His lead over Ryan Porter is now 29 points. Though Porter has six Top 5 finishes, he is still looking for his first win of the season.
As it is, Merced Speedway offers up one of the most competitive IMCA Modified programs you will find anywhere in the state with stars like two-time champion Randy Brown, four-time champion Ramie Stone, Jesse James Burks and two-time winner DJ Shannon.
Bakersfield Speedway has some top notch talent, and a few of those stars are anticipated for Saturday night, led by Ethan Dotson and Robby Sawyer. Both drivers have a Top 5 finish at Merced this year. Sawyer currently leads the Bakersfield point race. For the Modified race alone, Saturday's show should be worth the price of admission.
However, you'll also get a highly competitive IMCA Sport Modified program. 2016 champion Fred Ryland has returned to make another run at the championship. So far, Ryland leads the way with five Top 5 efforts in his six starts and one victory. His margin is only 11 tallies ahead of two-time winner Kelly Wilkinson in what has been a close battle from the start. IMCA State point leader Guy Ahlwardt is ranking well in the points at several places. Currently, he's third at both Merced and Bakersfield. Guy is still looking for his first win at Merced, and he's only 21 points out of the lead. Patti Ryland, Nick Tucker, Chuck Weir and reigning champion Jeremy Hoff are just some of the local stars to watch for.
However, there will be some Bakersfield competitors coming to make things interesting. Kevin Johnson has been traveling quite a bit this year and is second in the State. He has two Top 5 finishes in his three visits to Merced. Michael Johnson counts himself as a Merced feature winner this year. Garrett Jernagan and Bakersfield point leader Jason Nation are two other drivers to watch for in what should be an increased field of competitors.
Not to be forgotten in the mix is the always exciting Hobby Stock division. There could be some drivers coming from other places to take on the locals in this class as well. Leading the way in the championship chase is two-time winner Shannon Nelson, but her advantage is only five points ahead of 2016 title winner Michael Shearer. The battle continues to get closer with Shearer picking up seven Top 5 finishes in his seven starts. Rookie Allen Neal holds down third in the standings by just five points ahead of Austin Van Hoff and 14 in front of Donnie Shearer. Other drivers to watch for this week include Kristie Shearer, Timmy Crews, Race Shelton and multi-time champion Raul Rodriguez Sr.
Even the Mini Stocks get to have a piece of the action with an increased purse on this night of increased purses for all divisions. Last time out, it was Shawn DePriest grabbing the victory ahead of Hanford and Bakersfield star Gene Glover. DePriest has a division at leading three victories to his credit. If not for missing a race, he would certainly be in the battle for the championship. As it is, he still has a good shot at a podium spot in the standings if he continues racing.
Leading the way is the consistent Lee Ragsdale, who is the only driver with all Top 5 finishes in the seven races held so far. Like his closest rivals, Lucy Falkenberg and Jennifer Rodgers, Ragsdale has one feature win to his credit. He also leads Falkenberg by just seven points in a very close championship chase. Rodgers, meanwhile is 39 points back and 20 ahead of rookie Tyler Post. Most of the aforementioned drivers are anticipated this week, and others to watch for include Jerry Tubbs, Shayla Gould and Austin Sprague.
Saturday's show will be special not just for the racing being offered but because we will be taking time to honor some of the greats who have helped make Merced Speedway the special place it is. It's a night you won't want to miss. For further information, go to www.mercedspeedway.net.
Robinson Wins Sprint Car Challenge Race
At Merced Speedway
Merced, CA...August 3...Jodie Robinson won the 30 lap Elk Grove Ford Sprint Car Challenge Tour, presented by Abreu Vineyards, Main Event Saturday night at Merced Speedway. This was the first win for the 16 year old competitor, and she led all the way from the pole position. Early on, Robinson was being challenge by DJ Netto. Netto actually made a move for the lead, only to see it negated due to an early yellow flag and the no racing to the yellow rule. Robinson continued to lead the way on the restart, and Justyn Cox made his way into second. Robinson drove a flawless race for a well earned victory with Cox settling for second. Point leader Kyle Hirst finished third, followed by Netto, Kaleb Montgomery, Sean Becker, Ryan Bernal, Mitchell Faccinto, Tucker Worth and Chico point leader Kyle Offill.
The Sprint Cars brought an impressive 34 car field for the show, and Robinson set herself up for the pole position by winning the eight lap Trophy Dash ahead of Cox. 10 lap heat race wins were earned by Netto, Hirst, Zane Blanchard and Tim Kaeding. The 15 lap B Main was won by Bradley Terrell ahead of DJ Freitas, Brendan Warmerdam and Sean Watts.
Shawn DePriest won the 15 lap Mini Stock Main Event. This was his third win of the season. Hanford star Gene Glover led some laps before DePriest overtook him and went on to victory. Heat race winner Glover settled for second, followed by Lucy Falkenberg, point leader Lee Ragsdale, Andy Boydstun, Jennifer Rodgers, Tyler Post and Jerry Tubbs.
Timmy Crews continued to roll with his fifth California Sharp Mini Late Main Event win of the season. Crews also won the heat race. He was followed in the Main Event by Carson Guthrie, Riley Jeppesen, Logan Clay and Anthony Brinster.
Next Saturday night is Legends Night at Merced Speedway, which will honor the Porter family. The program will be the third Highway 99 Series event, featuring IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Sport Modifieds, Hobby Stocks and Mini Stocks. For further information, go to www.mercedspeedway.net.
Top Dog Nationals At Petaluma Speedway This Saturday Night
Petaluma, CA...After the one week break, Petaluma Speedway is gearing up for some big shows in August. It starts this week with the annual Top Dog Nationals event for the IMCA Modifieds. The drivers will be competing for a bigger purse. Also in action will be the PitStopUSA.com Winged 360 Sprint Cars, Lumberjacks Restaurant Super Stocks and Santa Rosa Auto Body 600 Micros.
People may not have realized what was going on when Hall of Fame Promoter John P Soares brought the Dirt Modified class to California in 1987. Soares had been back to Iowa and witnessed IMCA Modified racing in person. He knew that this was something that would work at Petaluma Speedway. He was right about that, and the Modified division has grown beyond Petaluma Speedway to become a featured division at tracks up and down the West Coast. In the 1990s, Soares began promoting some of the biggest races for the class in the state, which he called the Top Dog Nationals.
Current promoter Rick Faeth has revived this race, and the increased purse money should attract a few big names to the speedway Saturday night. Last season, it was Troy Foulger coming to town and leaving with the first prize. This year, the local stars will be eyeing the big prize money as this will also be a championship point race. A look at the standings finds Mitch Machado at the top of the list by five points ahead of reigning champion Oreste Gonella and seven in front of Justin Yeager. Interestingly enough, Machado is the only driver in the Top 10 in the standings with a feature win. The other wins have gone to Foulger and two-time Petaluma champion Nick DeCarlo. It's possible that DeCarlo will be here for this race.
Gonella is in a bit of a drought. He won the championship last season on consistency, but he hasn't won a Main Event since 2017. Earlier this year, he made a trip to Antioch Speedway and picked up a win there, but he'd love to break through for a victory with the big money on the line. Another driver to watch this weekend is multi time champion Michael Paul Jr. Paul has had a bit of bad luck with only one Top 5 finish so far, and yet he's within 10 points of the lead. Some of the drivers to watch for this week include Tim Yeager, Ray Trimble, Terry Kaiser and Anthony Slaney.
The PitStopUSA.com Winged 360 Sprint Car season is six races old, and John Clark continues to lead the way. Clark is still looking for his first win of the season, but he earned his second runner-up finish last week and has a third place finish as well. He's being pursued by Joel Myers Jr and Colby Johnson. Johnson continues to gather momentum and is coming off of his second-straight feature win last time out. It's been a wide open battle with four winners in six races. Chase Johnson has a pair of victories, while Brent Bjork and past champion Bradley Terell are also winners. Reigning champion Jake Haulot is still in the hunt, and he'll be out to get a win this week. Others to watch for include Nathan Schank, Angelo Cornet and Roberto Kirby.
It seems like you can't stop reigning champion Mitch Machado in the Lumberjacks Restaurant Super Stock class. Machado chased Matt While for most of the race last time out, but he eventually made the pass and brought it home to his seventh win of the season. Going back to last season, he now has nine straight point earning feature wins in a row. The battle in the standings seems to be between Steve Studebaker and While for second. While has a second and three third place finishes in his last five starts. Studebaker has four second place finishes, but for the second-straight race, he struggled back in 5th. While seems to have the momentum on his side.
Gary Adams is another driver hoping to break through for a feature win. Adams finished third last time out after a good battle with past champion Shawn McCoy. McCoy has finished as high as second this year and could be in line for a win this week. Others to watch for include Austin Ohlinger, Manny Avila, Tim O'Hara, Sean Cook and Paul Hanley.
Nick Robfogel and Justin Adiego are having a good battle at the front of the pack in the Santa Rosa Auto Body 600 Micros division. Robfogel has picked up a pair of wins this season while Kyle Grissom and Koen Shaw also have wins. Last time out, however, Robfogel and third ranked Grissom both failed to make it to the checkered flag. This gave Adiego a big opportunity as he picked up his first win of the season. Adiego has been very consistent this year and is making a serious challenge. He'll be going for his second-straight win this week, and other drivers to watch for include Rob Brown, Sam Borland, Cody Gray, Carroll Mendenhall and Brian Slubik.
For IMCA Modified fans, the Top Dog Nationals this Saturday is the signature show for the class at Petaluma. Sprint Cars are sure to provide speed and excitement, and the Super Stocks and Micro Sprints never fail to put on a good show. It is sure to be another night of great racing action. For further information, go to www.petaluma-speedway.com.
Richards, Langenderfer Win At Orland Raceway
Orland, CA...August 3...Tony Richards won the 20 lap Wingless Spec Sprint Main Event Saturday night at Orland Raceway. Ryan Owens raced into the early lead ahead of Josh Tucker. Richards made a Turn 4 pass on Cort Marchuk to gain third on lap three and made an inside pass on the backstretch on lap five to take over second. Richards wasted little time taking the lead as he made an inside pass on the backstetch on lap six. RJ Baker made a Turn 2 pass on Owens for the second position, and point leader Denny McNary settled into third on a lap nine restart. Moments later, Jerry Douglas rolled his car in Turn 3 for a red flag. He was okay, but his race was over.
Richards led the pack to the green flag, but McNary raced by him for the lead. McNary led through another yellow flag, but a lap 17 yellow flag for Baker slowed the pace once again. On this restart, Richards got a run on the outside and reclaimed the lead. Richards led the rest of the way to win ahead of McNary, Owens, Tucker, Gregory Gebhardt, Marchuk and Josh Jacobo. The eight lap heat race wins were earned by Richards and Douglas.
Jeremy Langenderfer won the 20 lap Pure Stock Main Event. The 2017 champion started back in the seventh row, and Kevin Pendergrass set the early pace. Keith Ross moved into second on lap three, and Langenderfer was already up to fifth by then. Langenderfer moved by James Taylor for fourth on lap four and gained the third position from Maurice Merrill a lap later. When Pendergrass got just a bit sideways exiting Turn 2 on lap seven, Ross and Langenderfer both move by him. The lead duo pulled away from the pack, and a high pass in Turn 1 of the 11th lap gained Langenderfer the lead. Langenderfer led the rest of the way for the impressive victory. Ross settled for second, followed by Pendergrass, Phil Spencer, Paul Stephens, Taylor, Merrill, Steve Martin and John Camper. The eight lap heat race wins went to Langenderfer, Ross and Spencer.
Point leader Tom Davis won another 20 lap Mini Stock Main Event. Davis sprinted ahead at the start, leaving a close three-car battle for second between Jason Libbee, John Kirkpatrick and Barbara Crain. Libbee held the position until Kirkpatrick made a low move in Turn 3 of the 17th lap to take over second. Davis won by a straightaway ahead of Kirkpatrick, and Crain beat Libbee back to the checkered flag for third. Davis won the eight lap heat race.
Jessica McManus won the 20 lap 600 Micro Main Event. She started back in the fourth row in the nine car field as Michael Wasina was the leader from the start of the race. McManus made a high pass in Turn 4 of the 13th lap to take the lead and would hold off Wasina the rest of the way for the victory.
Point leader Michael McCarthy won the 20 lap 250 Wingless Micro Main Event. He went flag the flag to win ahead of Ronnie Heyer.
Racing returns on August 17th with the annual Kids Bike Night event. The Wingless Spec Sprints will be back in action along with Pure Stocks, Mini Trucks, Mini Stocks and Wingless 250 Micros. For further information, go to the Orland Raceway Facebook page.
Keller Auto Speedway Returns
With Four Division Program Saturday Night
Hanford, CA...The wait is over. Racing returns to Keller Auto Speedway this Saturday night with an exciting four division lineup that will include the King Of Thunder Winged 360 Sprint Cars, IMCA RaceSaver 305 Sprint Cars, IMCA Stock Cars and Central Valley Mini Stocks. It will also be Back To School night at the races where kids get in free.
The nearly two month break since the last race has not meant that track officials are sitting around and doing nothing. Improvements continue to be made to the facility. The old back straightaway scoreboard and guardrail have been removed. It's believed that this will help make a safer racing surface. However, there will be a new scoreboard at the speedway, which will be positioned in the infield.
The King Of Thunder Winged 360 Sprint Car Series has events at both Hanford and Tulare. We are 11 races into the series, and Mitchell Faccinto currently leads the battle by just four points ahead of DJ Netto. Faccinto is a three-time winner, while Netto has picked up a pair of victories. Reigning IMCA RaceSaver Sprint Car champion Grant Duinkerken and Danny Faria Jr are dead locked for third, 22 points out of the lead, while Watsonville point leader Bud Kaeding is fifth. We will likely be seeing all five of these competitors for an exciting show this Saturday night. Others to watch for include Steven Kent, Landon Hurst and one-time winners Scott Parker and Tucker Worth.
The IMCA 305 RaceSaver Sprint Cars have had four events in Hanford, and two of them have been won by Brooklyn Holland. Holland finds herself leading a close four-car battle for the championship. Grant Champlin is the only driver with all four finishes in the Top 5, and he trails Holland by just two points. Michael Pombo is seven tallies behind, while one-time winner Kyle Rasmussen is eight points back. It's a wide open battle between these four competitors for track championship honors. Champlin, meanwhile, leads Pombo by four points in the State championship battle. Holland is only 14 points back in that race. Some of the other stars to watch for this Saturday include Brandon Emmett, Lance Jackson, Mauro Simone, Rob Solomon and Ryan Delisle
The IMCA Stock Car battle is equally close. With two victories to his credit, Chad Johnson leads Larry Thompson by just one point. Thompson is the only driver with four Top 5 finishes this year at Hanford. Cody Johnson is only three points out the lead, Troy Patee is six points back and reigning champion Brock Hamilton is trailing by just eight points. Chad Johnson leads Cody Johnson by nine points in the State championship race with Thompson 12 points back in third. Hanford is where the IMCA Stock Car effort in California started, and other notables to watch for this week include Renn Bane, Rod Bane, Tanner Lorenzo, Eric Hamilton and Ron Hurt.
With support from the House Of JuJu Central Valley Mini Stocks, the track has been over run with more than 20 competitors in each of the three previous events. CVMS point leader Dan Myrick leads Gene Glover by five points at Hanford and Jason Cook by 10. Cook is a two-time winner, while Myrick has one Hanford victory to his credit. The CVMS has a $5,000 championship point fund thanks to House Of JuJu of Clovis and Morro Bay. Myrick leads that race by 61 points ahead of Darren Wilson as Clint Massey, Jeff Durant and Glover make up the balance of the Top 5. All of those drivers are anticipated for this race, and other Mini Stock stars to watch for this week include Ryan Blank, Randy Brown Jr, Brent Myrick and 2017 CVMS champion Danny Myrick.
Saturday night promises to be an exciting show from start to finish, and kids get to watch all of the excitement for free. For further information, go to www.racekingsspeedway.com.
Bakersfield Speedway Unofficial Race Results August 3 2019
IMCA Modifieds
Brad Pounds
Robby Sawyer
Logan Drake
Steve Noland
Jake Pike
Jerry Flippo
Trevor Fitzgibbon
Roger Holder
Michael Scruggs
Bryan Clark
Justin Schweitzer
Justin Villanueva
Ryan Daves
Mod Lites
J.D. Brown
Kaden Cochrun
Anthony Balcazar
Sean Conyers
Jakob Carey
Tim Varney
Kenny Cochrun
Candi Varney
Tristan Kanthack
Josh Yadon
Michael Black
Deven Pearson
Pro Stocks
Justin Crockett
Brady Bell
Wayne Coffman
Billy Simkins
Chris Smith
Ryan Smith
Jerry Stewart
Paul Miller
Chris Clinton
Dakota Schweitzer
IMCA Stock Cars
Chad Johnson
Cody Johnson
Jayden Schweitzer
Troy Patee
Larry Thompson
Outlaw Karts
A Main
Riley Clem
Tate Sanders
Bryan Watson
Chris Harrington
Bryce Cooper
Laine Sanders
Tommy Rosenberger
Larry Moody
Tyler Blankenship
Tailer Morrison
George Mignosa
Levi Smith
Alan Ballard
Taylor Marchant
Kruz Griffith
Wyatt Moody
B Main
Bryce Cooper
Tommy Rosenberger
Kruz Griffith
Wyatt Moody
Ryan Bonner
William Holmes
Ian Murray
Intermediate
Jett Yantis
Kennedy Cotton
Cade Lewis
Trenton Rickel
Taylor Whitefield
Aiden McCorkle
Seth Hanson
Box Stock
Jett Yantis
John McKinley III
Tristen Harrington
Wyatt Webb
Seth Hanson
Aiden McCorkle DNS
Beginner Box Stock
Paislee Black
Khloe Cotton
Blake Watson
Merced Speedway Unofficial Race Results August 3, 2019
Elk Grove Ford Sprint Car Challenge Tour, presnted By Abreu Vineyards
A Main
Jodie Robinson
Justyn Cox
Kyle Hirst
D.J. Netto
Kaleb Montgomery
Sean Becker
Ryan Bernal
Mitchell Faccinto
Tucker Worth
Kyle Offill
Joey Ancona
Blake Carrick
Tim Kaeding
Nathan Rolfe
Shane Hopkins
Zane Blanchard
Cole Danell
Andy Forsberg
Bradley Terrell
Brendan Warmerdam
Cole Macedo
Colby Johnson
D.J. Freitas
Sean Watts
B Main
Bradley Terrell
D.J. Freitas
Brendan Warmerdam
Sean Watts
Eric Humphries
Tanner Boul
Michael Pombo
Mark Barroso
Trent Canales
Tim Estenson
Vaughn Schott
Steve Jaquith
Landon Hurst
Michael Faccinto
California Sharp Mini Late Model
Timmy Crews
Carson Guthrie
Riley Jeppesen
Logan Clay
Anthony Brinster
Mini Stock
Shawn DePriest
Gene Glover
Lucy Falkenberg
Lee Ragsdale
Andy Boydstun
Jennifer Rodgers
Tyler Post
Jerry Tubbs
Ocean Speedway Unofficial Race Results August 3 2019
Mike Cecil Memorial Race Results
IMCA Modified All Star Tour
A Main
Bobby Hogge IV
Troy Foulger
Kellen Chadwick
Alex Stanford
Cody Burke
Shane DeVolder
Austin Burke
Brian Pearce
Tim Balding
Jim Pettit II
Anthony Giuliani
Derek Nance
Carl Berendsen II
Harley Turner
Jake Dewsbury
Nick DeCarlo
Jeff Decker
Darrell Hughes II
Andy Obertello
Todd Hermosillo
Anthony Slaney
Robert Marsh
Robert Montalvo
B Main
Darrell Hughes II
Robert Marsh
Shane DeVolder
Carl Berendsen II
Brian Pearce
Jake Dewsbury
Harley Turner
Raymond Keldsen Jr
Terry Decarlo Sr
David Zeiter
Justin Yaeger
Gary Marsh
JC Elrod
Mitch Machado DNS
IMCA Sport Modifieds
A Main
Guy Ahlwardt
Kevin Johnson
Bruce Nelson
Fred Ryland
Jarrod Mounce
Randy Miller
Todd Gomez
Dennis Simunovich
Tanner Thomas
Nick Spainhoward
Justin McPherson
KC Keller
Adriane Frost
Tyler Thomas
Kenny Shrader
Danny Roe
Patti Ryland
Chuck Weir
Haley Gomez
John Ferro
Dennis Gilcrease
T.J. Etchinson III DNS
B Main
Kenny Shrader
KC Keller
Tyler Thomas
T.J. Etchinson III
Patti Ryland
Chuck Weir
Kelly Campanile
Charlie Hunter
Max Baggett
Chase Thomas
Scott Savell
Steven Allee
Dwayne Short
Igor Gandzuk
Hobby Stocks
Nicholas Johnson
Billy Nelson
Sam Kennedy
Matt Kile
Rob Gallaher
Kevin Joaquin
Joe Gallaher
Chris McCabe
Bobby Huckaby Sr
Austin VanHoff
Bobby Huckaby Jr
Cody Bryan
Wally Kennedy
Ryan Muller
Justin Gonzalez
Jerry Skelton
Nick Triolo
Tony Oliveira
Kevin Counterman
Michael Shearer
DJ Keldsen
Ocean Speedway Unofficial Race Results August 2, 2019
Mike Cecil Memorial Night #1
IMCA Modifieds
A Main
Bobby Hogge IV
Troy Foulger
Kellen Chadwick
Shane DeVolder
Nick DeCarlo
Anthony Slaney
Andy Obertello
Robert Marsh
Jim Pettit II
Austin Burke
Cody Burke
Jake Dewsbury
Anthony Giuliani
Mitch Machado
Jeff McCoun
Tim Balding
Alex Stanford
Trevor Fitzgibbon
Brian Pearce
Jeff Decker
Jeff Streeter
Terry DeCarlo Sr
B Main
Brian Pearce
Trevor Fitzgibbon
Jim Pettit II
Mitch Machado
Tim Balding
Jeff McCoun
Justin Yaeger
James Alaga
JC Elrod
Raymond Keldsen Jr
Jeremy Crebs
Gary Marsh
IMCA Sport Modifieds
A Main
Kevin Johnson
Fred Ryland
Jarrod Mounce
Kenny Shrader
Dennis Simunovich
Danny Roe
Bruce Nelson
KC Keller
Justin McPherson
Adriane Frost
Nick Spainhoward
Tim Ragsdale
Tanner Thomas
Chuck Weir
Dwayne Short
Joe Salvi
Charlie Hunter
Todd Gomez
Chuck Golden
Steven Allee
Kelly Campanile
Guy Ahlwardt
B Main
Nick Spainhoward
Kelly Campanile
Tanner Thomas
Dwayne Short
Charlie Hunter
Joe Salvi
Patti Ryland
Haley Gomez
Max Baggett
Igor Gandzuk
Hobby Stocks
Rob Gallaher
Matt Kile
Justin Gonzalez
Bobby Huckaby Sr
Austin VanHoff
Sam Kennedy
Ryan Muller
Jerry Skelton
Cody Bryan
Joe Gallaher
Tony Oliveira
DJ Keldsen
T.J. Etchinson III
Bobby Huckaby Jr
Kevin Counterman
Michael Shearer
Stockton 99 Speedway Unofficial Race Results August 3, 2019
Night Of Champions
Super Late Models
Jacob Gomes
John Moore
Guy Guibor
Justin Philpott
Nick Belletto
Ross Strmiska
Greg Potts
Arron Shankle
Gary Shafer Jr
Ken Boyd
Steve Johnson
Larry Tankersley
Johny Cardoza
Ty Carlson
Carl Pierce
Kyle Gottula
Seth Holman
Brandon Jones
B-Main
Johny Cardoza
Seth Holman
Dennis Byers
Robert Mongonia
Anthony Welborn
Garland Powell
Dominic Lopez
Bombers
Joey Streans
Allen Ryder
Rodney Oliver
Jeana Ramos
Ben Lewis II
Robert Oliver
Barrett Sugden
Harrison Stone
Justin Scantlin
Matt Wendt
Mikala Streans
Jerry Crawford
Troy Walz
Perry Reeder
Kimberly Rouse
Kyle Singleton
AJ Ryder
Roy Luft
Basically 4 Cylinders
Joe Flowers
Dave Kong
Joseph Reichmuth
Andy Rumsey
Matt Richardson
Kenny Burton
Jeffery Harris
Bryon Bishop
Frank Brown
Danny Helm
Dave Keller
Joshua Brown
Andrea Rumsey
Josh Cross
Dave Locke
Ethan Rumsey
Mini Cups
Coupe Allen
Wyatt Sansom
Aiden Philips
Rebecca Duebe
Cash Holman
Madera Speedway Unofficial Race Results August 3, 2019
NSMS/Club Race Children's Hospital Night
North State Modifieds
Scott Winters
Cameron Austin
Jason Philpot
Darrin Knight
Brian Collins
Darrin Sullivan
Keith Bloom Jr
Sal Lopez
Rick Avila
Dale Didoha
Ian Elliot
Dustin DeRosier
Late Models
Buddy Shepherd
Austin Herzog
Jarret Gilmer
Tyler Herzog
Glen Cook
Henk Gaalswyk Jr
Del McIntosh
Elliott Stjerne
David Lewellen
Eloy Bazan
Aaron Mullins
Garland Tyler
Loren Kutz
Trevor Schlundt
Jeff Mead
Greg Lowhorn
Tim Menneke
Ryan Phillpott
Matt Kutz
Joey Brasil
Kent Cam
Zachary Cook
Hailey Liles DNS
North State Hobby Stocks
Howard Holden
Chuck Dozhier
Chuck Aguirre
Richard Herzog
Steve Schermerhorn
Drew Ries
Mike Nicks DNS
MSTs
Ryan Reynolds
Kyle Labrie
Shaun Reynolds
Dennis Brannon
Bert Stephens
Patrick Geiger
Toyota Sedans
Andrew Parr
Andrew Davidson
Kurt Davidson Jr
The Editor's Viewpoint
In the continuing saga that is Movieland Speedpark in Chandler, Indiana, it looks like the run for Reno Fontana as the promoter of that racing facility has about come to an end. There have been many people questioning the legality of his so called purchase of the track from Harold Baker back in December, and it appears as if the courts no longer believe the sale was legitimate.
The stories I hear from Chandler talk about people coming in to run that race track through the years and being removed before they can begin to make a difference. It's almost like Lucy on the Peanuts cartoon and the promoters coming in to run the track are Charlie Brown. Baker plays the character of Lucy, and when things start getting good and the promoter is wanting to make some investments for the long-term, Baker would pull the football away and the promoter would fall flat on their ass. Reno Fontana has sort of come in there and become vilified by long time people who understand how racing is supposed to work, but in absence of Fontana, there aren't many good opinions of Baker either from what I can gather.
Basically, this facility has been in need of some TLC for a long time, the dirt track and the drag strip. People promoting the place for Baker haven't put a lot of money into it, and I don't blame them. Why the heck would anybody want to invest money into a place knowing that the owner will probably pull the rug out from under them? You might come in there and run the place on a budget just for the love of the sport, but nobody in their right mind would come in there and put any money into the place just so that Baker would be the only one to benefit from it.
I'm not sure about what happened with the drag strip and the money being spent on improvements there, but it ended up in court with Baker owing money. Add to that the back taxes for the previous couple of years, and it really looked like Baker was about ready to lose the property. It was to go up for sale at auction so that debts could be satisfied, which I guess meant that Baker would get whatever money was left over. From what I'm reading from the community, there are people who were supposedly interested in the property who wanted to invest in making the track better.
The monkey wrench in this whole deal is Reno Fontana, the Elvis impersonator from California. He claims ties to Chandler, and from what I can gather, he grew up there as a kid. I think he had been far removed from the racing scene there in recent years, though he popped up from time to time talking about big races he wanted to promote and the idea that he would own the track one day. He came in just long enough to screw up other people's plans.
Kevin Baesil was the one running the drag strip, and he was asked to get the dirt track operational. This is information that Kevin has shared on Facebook live streams in the past. Since he wasn't an expert on the dirt track scene and wanted to see the track open as requested, he brought in somebody to handle that side of things. From what I gather, they made the 2017 season happen, and 2018 probably would have happened had Reno not stepped in there and muddied the waters. Nothing happened in 2018 while Reno made some of the biggest, stupidest promises one could ever expect to hear from somebody calling themselves a promoter.
What's become obvious is that Reno might be a racing fan, but he has absolutely no clue what it takes to run a race track. He's the guy who seems to be adept at pulling scams, from what I can see. When you do a little bit of a research on the guy, you're going to come up with a very colorful past. Does this guy seem like he's on the up and up and legitimate, or does he seem like somebody you shouldn't trust? Look up Reno Fontana online and decide for yourself.
There are some very basic things that even a guy with no money can do, and Reno hasn't done any of it. You have a Facebook page and a web page, but what you haven't done is use said pages to post meaningful information to get the fans excited about coming to the show. There aren't pictures of the cars that came out to race.
At first glance, one might suspect that the track had no cars, but that's simply not the case. The first couple of races did okay, even if not as good as other tracks in the area might have done. Still, no action shots or even just cars getting off the trailer in the pits. No video clips from a camera phone. Nothing. Facebook is there to help you generate money, Reno. Are you a promoter or not?
There are no results put up on either Facebook or the web page. There are no articles describing any of the action that has taken place at the speedway, explaining any improvements, if any, that have been made, or any sort of game plan of what a future under Reno Fontana really means. No, I'm not talking about his ramblings in his posts about how he is a man of God, but actual publicity. Nope, none of that there.
What I'm talking about here is the web page that's already been paid for and the Facebook page that you don't even have to pay for. They're not being used to the fullest extent of their ability to generate fan interest and even racer interest in coming to the track. There's another little feature that Facebook has called a boost, and it only cost about $20 or $30 to get the word out to people within even a 50 mile radius of the track. Nothing is being done there. Simple things like this aren't even being done.
Because he was coming in there and telling Harold Baker that he was going to do this and that and the other thing, everything went silent at Chandler Speedway in 2018. Had he never stepped into the picture, would there have been some sort of racing in 2018? It's my opinion that there could have been, but who knows? There were other issues happening out there that required the financial attention of the owner, and for whatever reason, Baker wasn't taking care of business.
This meant that the bank was going to step in and claim what was theirs and people who were owed money were going to court to get what was theirs. Baker was in over his head, and the conditions were right for what they attempted to pull in December of 2018. Baker, from what I gather, knew that the track was going to go up for auction and he had pretty much lost it. From his standpoint, what would he have to lose by making a back door deal with Reno Fontana? He lost the track anyway, so why not? Maybe Reno will take care of him as he surely promised.
It's not difficult to understand how Reno came in and pulled the wool over so many people's eyes. I'm quite sure that if you talk to the guy, he's charismatic enough to convince some people that he really does care about that race track and has a grand plan for its revival. The problem is, the guy didn't have two pennies to rub together. So, if he was going to do anything, he was going to need other people to give him the money and volunteer hours of their time to do it. I've heard of these kinds of stories happening at race tracks before. There's one in Medford that died, but not before a year in which a promoter made promises and was using other people's money to try and save things.
What exactly was Reno planning to do here? That's the question. From what I can gather, he was going to get the race track and then came bankruptcy to avoid having to pay the debt immediately. The other part of the plan might have involved getting government money. There was the deal about him making part of the drag strip accessible to planes. He was looking to increase the property value and get some money from the government, or he was looking to sell a share of the property to somebody for enough money that he could begin to make improvements and also pay back the debt.
What Reno Fontana didn't have was actual money up front to give to the people that were owed so he could move ahead. He didn't have the money to begin to make real improvements to the facility. He didn't have a real game plan when it came to presenting racing programs this year. Did the gates open and were races in held? Absolutely. Were they held under circumstances That would be deemed acceptable to most legitimate promoters? No, not really. At the end of the day, however, Reno could claim that he promoted races at that track. Somehow, I think he's proud of that. Actually, I said this before and I'll say it again, there's an interesting Hollywood movie based on what's been going on in Chandler for the last three years. It's kind of a comedy, the way I look at it. However, nobody in Chandler is laughing now.
Reno seems content to play the game of kick the can down the road. He is hoping to BS his way through a season and come up with a way to actually pay things off and legitimately own the track. So far, he has failed miserably. He just announced that the races that would have been held this past weekend and this coming weekend have been cancelled so he can fight this situation that he says was not caused by him. He may be right about that to an extent, but he hasn't done anything to make it any better either.
What I have observed before is still true now. He has served to come in there and divide the community between people who are true believers or at least wishful thinkers and people who see his line of BS and know he's not the right man to put this track back on the road to recovery. He has not been good for Chandler, in my opinion. He's only divided things and made things worse. He's only taken another year away from that track that could have been used to bring in much needed improvements.
I say the story of Reno Fontana in Chandler, Indiana may be over. It's possible. However, this guy has played the long game in other scams in the past. I don't rule out anything at this point, although it looks like what's going to happen is the property will be auctioned in September and he has promoted his last race there. There's a lot of people hoping that this is the case as they can actually move on to the next chapter. That's okay, but there are still some other worries.
There are no guarantees that somebody coming in and buying the property at auction wants to keep a race track going. People are hoping for that, and it may be the case, but maybe not. There are people who might want to come in there and develop something on the property, although I believe it's in a flood zone. It's not exactly the place you'd want to put condos. Does somebody want to buy that property and improve the facilities to keep racing going? That's the question. The only way we're going to find out is if Reno is completely removed from the picture and the auction goes off as scheduled in September.
I have been trying to contact the Antioch Promoter, and it turns out that yesterday John ended up calling me. It was a very revealing and interesting conversation, and it lets me know how engaged he still is in the process. He's at the helm and very aware of what needs to be done. Is he retiring? I couldn't tell you that, because he didn't sound like a man who was retiring to me. He's sounds like a man who cares about the future of that race track and actually made an effort to get some cars out there this last week when it looked like the show might not go so well.
My effort to call him had to do with the fact that I wanted to keep him updated on the Antioch Speedway Hall of Fame effort and what's going on there, find out about the potential of having a place to land when I get down there for my planned visit in September and find out any information I could on his big race in October. John has some things cooking with a national magazine and there could be an adjustment made to the schedule. This is not to say the big race that he has been talking about is going away, because it isn't. It has to do with the branding of that race. On one level, I'm a little nervous about this, but on the other hand, it makes perfect sense. I know why he would consider this.
I'm not going to say exactly what he's talking about, because I think this is something that he will put out there when he's ready via the website, and I'll take the information from there and put it out further. I'm only trying to help Antioch Speedway, which is why I voluntarily run the Antioch news blog and the Facebook page while continuing my voluntary media effort for Antioch by sending articles to the news outlets.
I did want to find out the information on the big show that is coming up on October 11th and 12. Yes, he confirmed again that he's paying $12,000 to win the A Modified race. He also confirmed that the Friday night program will take the Top 4 finishers from the Main Event automatically into the big show. He further revealed to me some big sponsors coming on board to help with the purse. I have told him that as soon as I get a list of sponsors, I want to put the word out on who they are. They deserve recognition too.
The last three races on the Antioch schedule are all special in their own right. We've got a Hall of Fame, a race remembering John's beloved wife, Donna Soares, and a $12,000 to win race. I know he's doubtful about the Hardtop show and who might show up, but I truly believe the Bay Area racers and some of the Sacramento competitors will show up for this race. It's also my belief that if the Bay Area contingent can't get there act together enough to show up for dates that are booked for them, perhaps it's time to give another look at the Sacramento group and see what terms need to be met to get them to visit Antioch a couple times. Only thing I would advise is don't book on weeks when it's likely to be very hot, because these guys will cancel on you if it gets too hot, whether the you cancel the show or not. Otherwise, they will bring cars.
Other than that, I'm just trying to maintain the media effort, which included 11 tracks this week. It's largely voluntary, and I think we've made a difference for the sport. As I've mentioned, I don't see the effort continuing this way next year, and many things are on the table. I admit I've taken some pride in covering what I call the "core four" tracks, Antioch, Merced, Petaluma and Watsonville. I wish we had a good relationship between the promoters of these tracks, and I still believe an Antioch and Petaluma relationship would benefit both places.
You have to have a give and take relationship where everybody can benefit from sharing potential cars with each other. Watsonville gained from Merced being dark to their regular classes last week for the Mike Cecil Memorial, but Merced had a big Sprint Car Challenge race. It worked out for both. Petaluma went dark, but they're coming back for the Top Dog Nationals, a race that John's father, John P Soares, created. As Antioch has a Modified race and Merced is running a Highway 99 race for their IMCA Modifieds, who's to say who will show up? I just know that Rick Faeth is paying $1,500 to win, and this is the biggest IMCA Modified race of the year at Petaluma. Cooperation is the name of the game.
I broke my own rule on Monday of not writing articles for tracks if they don't get the information to me in a certain time frame. I put out a call for Orland results on Saturday afternoon, and the person who could get those results to me was alerted. However, none were forthcoming. As the deadline came and went, I saw that there was a way to get some information for Orland via videos from the Iron Horseman. This caused me to take a few hours out of my day to do an article for Orland, and I'm not even sure I made it in time for any of the papers to run it. I just wanted to help the track as I've been getting my preview articles in the papers. From the shots of the grandstands, they seem to be doing pretty well. I'd like to think that the media effort helps in some regard.
Orland is one of those tracks I would like to continue to cover if I'm doing a regular media effort of any kind next year, and this is because they are one of those "underdog" tracks that I believe in. But, they need to put some results out there in a more timely manner.
They pulled in 14 Pure Stocks and had a good show, plus a 10 car Wingless Spec Sprint field this last week. The racing was good. Now comes the August 17th Kids Bike Night. I wonder if perhaps this race could be named after the late Olin Crain, who had been a fixture at the speedway for many years. His wife Barbara has been one of the biggest supporters of this race in getting trophies and bikes to give away to the kids. To me, if you're going to have a memorial race for a racer in Orland, I can think of none better than Rollin Olin.
They have a big race at Hayfork this weekend. This is the Eighth Annual Clyde Cordell Memorial race. I do wish the folks at Mountain Valley Raceway would be sure to include his name on the title of the race, and not simply refer to it as The Fair Race. Yes it's happening during the Fair and it will be big, but Clyde was somebody who believed in that race track in the early days when they were putting it together. I don't know that he got to see the fruits of the labor pay off, but he'd probably smile knowing that the biggest race of the year has his name on it. They racers compete for increased purse money and to have their name included on the perpetual trophy.
Jerm Smith went to Hayfork for the big Independence Day race and seems to have been impressed by that. I'm not sure if he's related to Josh Smith, the past champion there, but I know he's been involved in the Rocky Hill Speedway revival effort that started a decade or so ago. When things were going good there, I believe he was involved. He's trying to help Hayfork recruit drivers for this race, which can be a challenge. He's trying to recruit racers to support the B Modified show. The track is saying that they will have increased purse money for all the divisions, not just the Hobby Stocks and Mini Stocks. The one hindrance they might have in getting B Modified support is that it's not IMCA sanctioned. I would certainly hope they pursue sanctioning next year. In any event, this Saturday's show at Hayfork should be big, and I will cover it if I get the information.
Nothing is getting out if I don't stop writing and start editing. So, on that note, I'll in this column. Until next time...
