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Watsonville, CA...Ocean Speedway will be hosting one of the biggest IMCA Modified shows of the year this Friday and Saturday night. It's the Ninth Annual Pat And Jim Pettit Memorial Shootout race. Also competing on both nights will be the IMCA Sport Modified and the Hobby Stocks.
The Jim and Pat Pettit Memorial Shootout has become more than just a race. It has become a marquee event that everybody seems to circle on their calendars. Last season, well over 100 competitors showed up across all three divisions, and that included an impressive 57 IMCA Modifieds. It actually begins on Thursday night with a special car show party, complete with awards for best appearing cars as well as good times and conversations among old friends.
The event began nine years ago when Pat Pettit passed away. The mother of Jim Pettit II had been a longtime supporter of the speedway along with her husband, Jim Pettit Sr. Jim Sr passed away last year. He was known for sponsoring many race cars and events at the speedway through the years, and track Promoter John Prentice even dedicated the seat Jim sat on when he was at the speedway in his memory.
When you're talking about IMCA Modified competitors for this show, you're talking about a who's who of the best drivers the state of California has to offer. Drivers will even come from out-of-state to take a crack at the money, but the usual favorites include names such as six-time track champion Bobby Hogge IV, past champions Nick DeCarlo and Brian Cass, Bakersfield stars Robbie Sawyer and Ethan Dotson and many, many more.
However, the race still takes place during IMCA points season, and that means there are two championships left to be decided. Friday and Saturday are regular Watsonville point affairs, and a look at the standings finds last Friday's winner, Austin Burke, leading reigning champion brother Cody Burke by just five points with Pettit lurking close behind in third. The Saturday show will be the fourth and final All Star Series event, and Al Balding leads Anthony Slaney by 11 markers in that race.
With $3,000 on the line for the winner on Saturday and $1,000 to win on Friday, there will be plenty of top name competitors lining up for a shot at the bigger prize. This will include reigning Merced Speedway and four-time Antioch champion Troy Foulger in the Bowers Racing Modified. He has been a Main Event winner this season at Watsonville. Stars from all over will take on the local contenders, such as Jeff Decker, Raymond Keldsen Jr, Anthony Giuliani and Todd Hermosillo.
Though there are two point racing opportunities, unless Jarrod Mounce stumbles, he's headed for the IMCA Sport Modified championship. Mounce has been very consistent this season and has backed that up with a pair of feature wins as he leads Adriane Frost by 30 points going into the night. Both drivers will be hoping to pocket the big money being offered, and a field of in excess of 40 competitors is anticipated for their show.
Having recently clinched the IMCA State championship, Guy Ahlwardt will roll into town hoping to pick up another big win. Just a few weeks ago, Ahlwardt pocketed $2,000 for a win at Merced Speedway. Second-ranked State competitor Kevin Johnson remains one of the top stars at Watsonville with three victories to his credit. He's sure to mount a challenge for the win, but the all star cast of characters for this show should include the likes of Dennis Simunovich, Justin McPherson, Randy Miller, Chase Thomas, Tanner Thomas, Todd Gomez, Trevor Clymens and many more.
Just watching a great show of IMCA Modifieds and IMCA Sport Modifieds alone makes this event worth attending, but that's not all fans are going to get. The popular Hobby Stocks continue to be a part of this show. With six feature wins to his credit, it appears as if Rob Gallaher is on his way to a track championship, but he'd love to pick up the win in this big event. However, other stars will be among the field to make this a more challenging proposition. This is likely to include three-time track champion Billy Nelson, who has won this race in the past. Rob's father, Joe Gallaher, is a two-time winner this year and a definite threat to get the glory.
You're sure to see such stars as DJ Keldsen, recent winner Wally Kennedy, Nick Triolo, Jerry Skeleton, Bobby Huckaby Sr and Jr and Matt Kile among the competitors from the area. There is likely to be some stiff competition coming from down south, including Merced Speedway champions Shannon Nelson and Michael Shearer. Car count should be well into the 20s or even the 30s for the Hobby Stock division.
The season is coming to a close, but everybody knows that at the end of September, the biggest Stock Car happening at the speedway is a show they won't want to miss. It's also an event that Jim and Pat Pettit would surely be proud of. For further information, go to www.racepmg.com.
Austin Burke Holds Modified Point Lead With Feature Win
At Ocean Speedway
Watsonville, CA...September 20...Austin Burke won the 25 lap IMCA Modified Main Event night at Ocean Speedway. This was the first win of the season for Burke, and he will carry a slim four point lead over brother Cody Burke going into next week's big Pat and Jim Pettit Memorial Shootout race.
Austin Burke charged into the lead at the start ahead of Jeff Decker. However, Cody Burke moved into second on a lap two restart. There was a final yellow flag on lap four, and Austin continued to lead his brother Cody Burke on the restart. Decker ran a strong third, and they ran that way all the way to the checkered flag. Jim Pettit II settled for fourth, followed by IMCA State point leader Trevor Fitzgibbon, Raymond Keldsen Jr, Jeff McCoun, Todd Hermosillo and Kyle Bryan. The eight lap heat race win went to Hermosillo.
Bower Wins Midgets Race In First Start
Blake Bower won the 20 lap Western Midgets Main Event. Bower is one of the stars of the 600 Micro program at Dixon Speedway, and he was making his first appearance with the Western Midgets. Bower charged into the lead at the start ahead of Evan Bonnema and point leader David Prickett. The three competitors ran closely throughout the first half of the race, and Prickett took second from Bonnema on lap 12. However, Bower maintained his advantage and put just a little bit more distance between he and Prickett by the time the non-stop race ended. Bonnema settled for third, followed by Randi Pankratz, Adam Teves, Greg Edenholm, Richard Fitzgerald and David Raquenio. Pankratz and Prickett won their respective eight lap heat races.
Simunovich Impresses With Third Sport Modified Triumph
Dennis Simunovich won the 20 lap IMCA Sport Modified Main Event. This was the third win of the season for Simunovich. John Ferro led two laps before being passed by IMCA State point leader Guy Ahlwardt. Simunovich followed into second, and the only yellow flag of the race flew on lap seven. On the restart, Simunovich and Kevin Johnson both charged by Ahlwardt for the top two positions. The rest of the race ran caution free, and Simunovich scored the victory ahead of Johnson, point leader Jarrod Mounce, Ahlwardt, Adriane Frost, Randy Miller, Steven Allee, Kelly Campanile, Max Baggett and Travis Slayter. The two eight lap heat race wins went to Ahlwardt and Miller.
Kennedy Goes Flag To Flag For Hobby Stock Win
Wally Kennedy won the 20 lap Hobby Stock Main Event. This was the first win of the season for the past division champion. Kennedy had a front row start for the race and charged into the lead ahead of Terry Traub and Nick Triolo. The Top 3 competitors ran relatively close through the first half of the race. On the 17th lap, Triolo and Terry Campion both got by Traub, and a yellow flag waved on lap 18. As Kennedy continued to lead on the restart, it was three-time time champion Billy Nelson moving into the second position. However, Nelson couldn't challenge the flying Kennedy. Campion settled for third, followed by current point leader Rob Gallaher, Traub, Jerry Skeleton, Joe Gallaher, Nick Triolo, Jill Knobel and Bobby Huckaby Jr. There were two eight lap heat races, and wins went to Kennedy and Traub.
Iler Captures Police N Pursuit Championship With Victory
Roy Iler won the 15 lap Police N Pursuit Main Event. this was the first win of the season for San Benito Sheriff's Office representative Iler, who also won the eight lap heat race. He also secured the division championship with his impressive performance. With a pole position start for the feature race, Iler led from the moment the green flag waved. There were no yellow flags, and Iler stretched his advantage to about half a straightaway by the time the checkered flag waved. Justin Rhodes of the California Highway Patrol was second, followed by Nate Graham, Dan Anderson, Steven Fernandes, Adam Rikalo, Pat Sullivan and Tony Weir.
Next weekend is the annual Pat and Jim Pettit Memorial Shootout race. IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Sport Modifieds and Hobby Stocks will be competing on both Friday and Saturday night. For further information, go to www.racepmg.com.
Oreta A Double Winner In Chet Thomson Memorial
At Antioch Speedway
Antioch, CA...September 21...Kimo Oreta won the 17th Annual Chet Thomson Memorial Hardtop race Saturday night at Antioch Speedway. The race had to be restarted after front row starters Joel Hannagan and Tommy Thomson bumped wheels racing to the green flag. Hannagan was eliminated as Thomson spun into one of the big infield tires. Terry DeCarlo led the restart. An outside pass on the backstretch on the third lap gained Oreta the lead. Oreta pulled away to a big lead as DeCarlo and Ken Retzloff battled fiercely for second. A yellow flag for debries bunched the field on lap 15 and erased Oreta's lead. However, Oreta resumed command on the restart and brought it home to an impressive victory. DeCarlo held off Retzloff for second as Thomson and Matt Dragoon completed the Top 5.
Oreta returned later to win the 20 lap Limited Late Model Main Event. This was the sixth win of the season for Oreta as he clinched his second championship in the last three seasons. Michael Burch led the first five laps before Oreta charged by in Turn 4 to take over. Mike Gustafson made a low pass in Turn 4 of the ninth lap to take second, and Jon Haney spun in Turn 4 for the only yellow flag on lap 11. Oreta continued to lead on the restart as Ryan Cherzian took second from Gustafson. Oreta ran smoothly down the stretch and held off Cherezian for the win. Gustafson settled for third ahead of Mike Walko and Haney.
Troy Foulger won the 20 lap A Modified Main Event. This was Foulger's first visit of the season after wrapping up the Merced Speedway championship, and the four-time Antioch champion looked good in victory behind the wheel of the Bowers Racing Modified. Reigning champion Nick DeCarlo took the lead from Buddy Kniss on the second lap. Foulger quickly moved into second, and he and DeCarlo traded slide job passes for the next few laps. Following a lap eight yellow flag, Foulger raced into the lead on the resart. DeCarlo had a push exiting Turn 4 on lap 10, and Jeff Decker raced by on the inside for second. However, Foulger drove a flawless race and won ahead of Decker, DeCarlo, new champion Buddy Kniss and Justin Gant.
Trevor Clymens won the 20 lap B Modified Main Event. This was he third win of the season for the two-time champion. He charged into the lead when the green flag waved on the non-stop race. Trevor Clymens ran a fast pace and built up a straightaway advantage over Kevin Brown by the time the race ended. Troy Foulger and point leader Tommy Fraser had a close battle for third, and Fraser finally made the pass in Turn 2 on lap 15 to grab the championship clinching third place finish. Foulger and Tommy Clymens Jr rounded out the Top 5.
Jason Robles won the 20 lap Hobby Stock Main Event. This was his first win of the season. Robles had a front row start and charged into the lead ahead of Will Buirch and point leader Chris Sorensen. They ran 18 laps without a yellow flag, and a slower car in the path of the second place battle allowed Sorensen to make an inside move on the front stretch for the lead. However, the close contact racing left debris on the track. A yellow flag waved, negating Sorensen's pass as there is no racing to the yellow flag. Robles led the restart and brought it home to the checkered flag. Buirch had a career best second ahead of Sorensen, Breanna Troen and Ken Johns.
After a week off, we return on October 5th with Donna Soares Memorial Hall Of Fame Night. The All Star Racing Series A Modifieds, DIRTcar Late Models, Limited Late Models, Hobby Stocks and Bay Area Hardtops will be competing. For further information go to www.antiochspeedway.com.
Unofficial Race Results
All Star Series Antioch Speedway
A Modifieds
Heat Winner (6 Laps)-Troy Foulger. Main Event (20 Laps)-Troy Foulger, Jeff Decker, Nick DeCarlo, Buddy Kniss, Justin Gant, Chester Kniss, Mike Hynes.
B Modifieds
Heat Winners (6 Laps)-Tommy Clymens Jr, Tommy Fraser. Main Event (20 Laps)-Trevor Clymens, Kevin Brown, Tommy Fraser, Troy Foulger, Tommy Clymens Jr, Cameron Swank, Dennis Gilcrease, Danny Aves, Kenny Shrader Jr.
Bay Area Hardtops
Heat Winners (6 Laps)-Ken Retzloff, Kimo Oreta. Main Event (20 Laps)-Kimo Oreta, Terry DeCarlo, Ken Retzloff, Tommy Thomson, Matt Dragoon, Dave Mackey, Dave Reed, Gene Haney, Joel Hannagan.Limited Late Models
Heat Winners (6 Laps)-Jimmy Robbins, Ryan Cherezian. Main Event (20 Laps)-Kimo Oreta, Ryan Cherezian, Mike Gustafson, Mike Walko, Jon Haney, Michael Burch, John Evans, Chad Hammer, Jimmy Robbins (DNS).
Hobby Stocks
Heat Winners (6 Laps)-Chris Sorensen, James Thomson, Larry MacKenzie. Main Event (20 Laps)-Jason Robles, Will Buirch, Chris Sorensen, Breanna Troen, Ken Johns, Lori Brown, Jacob Mallet Jr, James Thomson, James Graessle, Maddison Motts.
Christian, Machado, Robfogel Win
Petaluma Speedway Championship Finale
Petaluma, CA...September 21...Jimmy Christian won the 25 lap PitStopUSA.com Wingless Spec Sprint Main Event Saturday night at Petaluma Speedway. This was the second win for Christian. With a ninth place finish in the feature race, Angelique Bell wrapped up the division championship. Jimmy Christian and Scott Chapeta shared the front row for the Main Event and charged into the first two positions at the start. Christian drove a flawless race, and though Chapeta ran close behind him throughout the distance, he scored a well-earned victory. By virtue of his second-place finish, Chapeta beat Sparky Howard for second in the standings. Cody Fendley finished third in the Main Event, followed by Adam Christian, Terry Schank Jr, Howard, Bruno Bianchi, Cameron Martin, Bell and Eden McCormick.
There were 24 Sprint Cars for this race, and Fendley set the fastest time of 14.688 on the three-eighth mile adobe oval. Marcus Smith was second quick at 14.977. They ran four 10 lap heat races with wins going to Fendley, Bob Davis, Adam Christian and Jimmy Christian.
Mitch Machado won the 25 lap Lumberjacks Restaurant Super Stock Main Event. Machado has won all 11 point events aboard the Baker Motorsports entry to wrap up the division championship. Machado and his closest rival, Steve Studebaker, started in the second row of the Main Event and were soon running up front. However, once Machado got the lead, all Studebaker could do was follow not too far behind in second. Matt While had another solid performance in third, followed by Shawn McCoy, Sid Hess, Tim O'Hara, Austin Ohlinger, Brian Azevedo and Snazzy Duckworth. Machado also won the eight lap heat race.
Jeremy Tjensvold won the 20 lap Jake's Performance Hobbies Mini Stock Main Event. This was the sixth win of the season for Tjensvold as he wrapped up the division championship. Tjensvold shared the front row with defending champion Tom Brown. As has been the case for most of the season, Tjensvold and Brown ran close at the front of the pack, but Tjensvold was just a little bit quicker in victory. Darien Balestrini was a solid third, followed by Cody Bolles, Sophie Shelley, Ben Baxmen, Casey Monahan, Antonio Miramontez, Trevor Rodriguez and Roy Dearing. Tjensvold and Brown won their respective eight lap heat races.
Nick Robfogel won the Santa Rosa Auto Body 600 Micro Main Event. Though this was his division-leading fifth feature triumph, Robfogel still lost the championship battle to Justin Adiego, who finished second in the feature race. Adiego had the pole and set the early pace ahead of Robfogel. On the sixth lap, Robfogel went by Adiego for the lead. Anton Gianini was running a strong third. Only an early yellow flag slowed the pace, and Robfogel managed to stretch his advantage over Adiego to a straightaway by the time the race ended. Gianini settled for third, followed by Rob Brown, Jeremy Charon, Kyle Grissom, Amber Fields, Savannah brown and Charles Emery.
The track will be dark next Saturday night, but three special events are lined up for October. On October 5th, it's the Ninth Annual Adobe Cup race, featuring the PitStopUSA.com Wingless Spec Sprints and the Lumberjacks Restaurant Super Stocks. For further information, go to www.petaluma-speedway.com.
Johnson Wins Merced Speedway Sport Modified Finale, Ryland Wins Division Championship
Merced, CA...September 21...Kevin Johnson won the 30 lap IMCA Sport Modified Main Event Saturday night at Merced Speedway. Johnson has been traveling all over the state this year and will finish second in the IMCA State championship race behind Guy Ahlwardt. This was his fourth visit to Merced and his first win here.
Because he had the highest point average of the 12 top competitors through heat races, Johnson found himself starting back in the 12th position for the Main Event. As he worked his way to the front of the pack, it was the Thomas brothers, Tanner and Chase, running at the front of the pack. Johnson would take the lead from Tanner Thomas and go on to score of the victory. Tanner Thomas held on for second ahead of Chase Thomas, Kelly Wilkinson, Patti Ryland, KC Keller, Nick Tucker, Richard Ragsdale, Ahlwardt and Tony Peffer. Fred Ryland had a disappointing finish in 14th, but he still wrapped up his second championship.
The IMCA Sport Modifieds produced a 23 car field for their point season finale. Tanner Thomas, Chuck Weir and Chase Thomas where the eight lap heat race winners. Dwayne Short won the 12 lap B Main ahead of Chris Falkenberg and Peffer.
Dakota Keldsen won the 20 lap Mini Stock Main Event. This was the second win of the season for Keldsen, but it came after apparent winner Chris Corder was disqualified in post-race tech inspection. Chris Corder and Tyler Post shared the front row for the feature race. Three-time champion Corder would lead Post as Keldsen worked his way forward from the seventh row and eventually overtook Post for the second position. After the tech inspection disqualified Corder, Keldsen got the win ahead of Post, Jennifer Corder, new champion Lee Ragsdale, James McGranahan, Jennifer Rodgers, Austin Sprague, Eddie Humphrey III, Brian Widdowson and Tracy Glass. Jennifer Corder and Ragsdale won their respective eight lap heat races.
Chris Birdsong won the 20 lap Valley Sportsman Main Event. This was his first appearance since his win earlier in the year. Birdsong started in the third row and battled his way past 2017 champion Jerry Cecil for the second position. Birdsong then overtook Rick Elliott to grab the lead and eventual victory. Elliott clinched the championship by finishing second in the feature and winning his heat race. Cecil settled for third, followed by Dwayne Short, Eric Seely, two-time champion by Mike Friesen and Marcus Lung.
Timmy Crews won the 15 lap California Sharp Mini Late Model Main Event. This was the seventh win of the season for Crews, and it wrapped up a successful title defense for the competitor out of Chowchilla. Crews also won the eight lap heat race. He and fellow second row starter Logan Clay battled for most of the race before Crews prevailed. Clay settled for second ahead of Kaylin Lopez, Carson Guthrie, Kennzzie Brown and Jeremiah Enriquez.
This concludes the championship season at Merced Speedway, but the John Fore Jr Memorial Dirt Nationals will be happening on October 25th and 26th. IMCA Modifieds will be competing along with IMCA Sport Modifieds, Hobby Stocks and Mini Stocks. For further information, go to www.mercedspeedway.net.
Racing Continues At Siskiyou Speedway Saturday Night
Yreka, CA...On the heels of the successful Rod Restad Memorial race, Siskiyou Golden Speedway will keep on having events, weather permitting, all the way through the end of October. This Saturday night, the IMCA Sport Modifieds will be competing along with the Mini Stocks and the Jefferson State Jalopies.
Last weekend, Promoter Kevin Barba and his crew offered the fans a packed four division program with big money on the line for the winners. It was Nick Trenchard winning the annual Rod Restad Memorial $2,000 IMCA Modified event, while Todd Cooper won a thrilling photo finish with Jorddon Braaten for the $1,000 prize in the IMCA Sport Modifieds. Everybody's talking about the great racing program.
The IMCA Sport Modified championship battle has been decided, and it's Ethan Killingsworth who won the honors with his seventh place finish in the 21 car field last week. His closest rival, Ryder Boswell, didn't fare as well in the feature race and will settle for second in the standings. The two drivers put on a good battle all season long, but Killingsworth had slightly better results with three feature wins during the course this season. Though points won't be on the line this week, there's always the bragging rights of another feature victory.
With all of the Oregon tracks and many of the California tracks not hosting IMCA Sport Modifieds this weekend, it's hoped that a few racers will come to Yreka for another good night of racing. Normally, Yreka might be closed down like the other tracks, but Barba wanted to see if he could give the racers an opportunity to get their racing fix before the rains and colder weather really set in. Forecasts are looking good for Saturday, meaning the race should go on.
Colt Boswell had a better run last time in sixth as he secured the third point position ahead of two-time feature winner Randy Wright. Both racers are anticipated this Saturday night along with another two-time winner, Merissa Henson. Hanson will be looking to rebound from a slightly disappointing eighth place finish last time out. We're likely to see a mixture local competitors and a few of the top stars from Medford and elsewhere this weekend.
Mike Whitaker saved his best for last in the Mini Stock championship battle as he won the final two events. Darek Alford led the standings coming into last week's point finale, but the young competitor had a disappointing seventh place finish. With the victory, Whitaker joins teammate Marilyn Yawnick as a three-time division champion. Zak McMurry reminded everybody that he is still a factor anytime he is on the track as he finished second for the second time this season to go with a pair of victories. If not for a couple of bad breaks this year, it might have been McMurry winning the championship.
With no points but bragging rights on the line, Whitaker, Alford and McMurray are three competitors who should be leading the charge this Saturday night along with Yawnick, four-time winner Terry Kendrick, Michael Kendrick and Terry Alford. Medford stars Hunter Magnan and Ashtin Hedges were on hand last week, and Magnan finished third. Both drivers have done well in Medford and could be threats to win this week as well.
Karl Bernstein and JJ Smith will have the Jefferson State Jalopies on hand this weekend. Marilyn Yawnick won the race last week, snapping a three-race winning streak for Michael Colson and clinching the championship in the process. The Jalopies, which are built from truck frames and are unique to Yreka, give the fans a different style of racing to enjoy. Smith and Kassidy Wilkinson are the other two drivers to win this year. It's likely that Smith and Bernstein will race this week. A fifth car is in the works for next year.
Though the point season is over, racing season continues at Siskiyou Golden Speedway with this exciting show. The track has also extended an invitation to other divisions, and they are welcome to come race. For fans wanting to get their racing fix before the weather begins to change, this is a great opportunity. For further information, go to www.siskiyougoldenspeedway.com.
Trenchard, Cooper Win Rod Restad Memorial Races
At Siskiyou Speedway
Yreka, CA...September 21...Nick Trenchard won the Rod Restad Memorial 50 lap IMCA Modified Main Event Saturday night at Siskiyou Golden Speedway. As luck would have it, Trenchard drew the outside front row next to Medford champion Zach Fettinger. Fettinger, unfortunately, saw his race end early. Trenchard battled past champion Travis Peery before scoring the big $2,000 victory. Peery settled for second ahead of 2018 track champion Ryan McDaniel. Jeffrey Hudson was making only his second start in a new car and held off Albert Gill to finish fourth. John Arnberg Memorial winner Jimmy Lipke finished sixth, followed by Dave Duste Jr, new track champion Duane Orsburn, Ray Kniffen Jr and Steve Borror. Orsburn and Peery won their respective eight lap heat races.
Todd Cooper won the 20 lap IMCA Sport Modified Main Event. The win paid Cooper $1,000 aboard the David Pierce owned entry. Cooper is the champion at Marysville Raceway. He shared the front row with Medford star Branden Wilson, and the duo, along with Matt Sanders, had a good battle at the front of the pack. Three-time Medford champion Jorddon Braaten started back in the sixth row and rapidly worked his way to the front of the pack. Braaten managed to get around both Wilson and Sanders, but Cooper beat Braaten back to the line in a near photo finish for the thrilling victory. Matt Sanders settled for third, followed by Wilson, Isaac Sanders, Colt Boswell, new track champion Ethan Killingsworth, Merissa Henson, Willie McFall and Brant Philippe. The four eight lap heat race wins went to Henson, Killingsworth, Braaten and Wilson.
Steve Borror won the 20 lap Calculated Comfort Outlaw Pro Stock Main Event. This was the second win of the season for the 2016 champion. Dr Scott Lenz shared the fifth row with Borror, and the duo worked their way through the pack to battle for the victory. Borror would prevail at the checkered flag, but Lenz wrapped up his third consecutive championship with a second place finish. James Flowers outran his father, Scott Flowers, for the third place finish. John David Duffie settled for fifth, followed by Kenneth LaPlant Jr, Rick Lukens, Colby Hammond, Matt Harlow and Jeff Haudenshild. Borror and Lenz were the eight lap heat race winners.
Mike Whitaker won the 20 lap Mini Stock Main Event. This was the second win of the season for Whitaker, and it came after Kassidy Wilkinson was disqualified in post-race tech. Zak McMurry finished second, followed by Hunter Magnan, Michael Kendrick, Marilyn Yawnick, Ashtin Hedges, Darek Alford, Hayfork visitor Jack Turner and Terry Alford. The eight lap heat race wins went to Wilkinson and Hedges.
Next Saturday night, the IMCA Sport Modifieds are scheduled to appear along with the Mini Stocks and an unannounced division. For current news from the race track and scheduling updates, go to www.siskiyougoldenspeedway.com or check out The Siskiyou Golden Speedway Facebook page.
Interstate Sprint Car Series Returns
To Coos Bay Speedway Saturday
Coos Bay, Oregon...While the point season may be over, there are still two big events remaining on the Coos Bay Speedway dirt track schedule. This Saturday night will be the return of the interstate Sprint Car Series. Joining them will be the local NASCAR Sportsman Late Models, Street Stocks, Mini Outlaws, Hornets, Dwarf Cars and Jr Stingers.
Fans of the interstate Sprint Car Series have been watching the emergence of young Tanner Holmes as a star of the Sprint Car ranks. Not only did Holmes win the Week of Speed Series championship in August, he was also crowned the Interstate Sprint Car champion this year. Holmes built a comfortable lead of nearly 100 points, which left the battle for second. Kinzer Cox claimed the runner-up honors by a mere five points over last season's series champion, Tyler Thompson. Shane Forte and Steven Snawder made up the balance of the Top 5 in the standings this year.
Usually, the Interstate Series brings in 20 or more competitors for their shows, and Coos Bay fans may remember their visit last September. Local star and two-time track champion Dave May shocked the field by picking up an impressive victory that night. It's possible that we could see such local stars as Donovan Prather, Lawrence Van Hoof and Brett Hulsey among the top competitors coming in from throughout Oregon to compete in this big show.
Braden Fugate wrapped up his Sportsman division championship by winning the season finale. Fugate won 12 Main Events to collect the $1,000 championship being offered by NASCAR. Fugate sees good competition from Mike Taylor, Tom Williams and Jared Simmons, and that's not likely to change for this race.
The last point event for the Street Stocks was an opportunity for Charlie Withers to shine. Withers has been competing for several seasons, but it hasn't been often when he's picked up a feature win. He will likely be out to see if he can get two in a row, but new champion Steve Dubisar may have something to say about that. Dubisar won eight Main Events this season to secure the division championship. Some of the stars to watch for this week include Tyler Rockwell, 2018 champion Ken Fox and Jesse McIntyre. With a $1,000 prize being offered the following week as part of the Prather family Lucas Oil Open, it's possible that some other Oregon stars could make a visit this week for a tune-up.
Rob Lauver may not have been running for Mini Outlaw points this season, but he did show up in the later stages of the season and picked up an impressive three victories in his fast VW Beetle. Sam Talon did win his third championship in a row and won most of the races, though Lauver certainly provided a formidable challenge to him. These two could do battle this week with other stars such as Jason Kellam, Kelly Rhealyn and Jason Berrier anticipated as well.
Hannah Robison is the Hornet division champion, and she was fast and consistent all season long. It was Trace Fugate winning the season finale, and the two could have an interesting battle this week with other stars, including 2018 champion Tyler Tullos, Gabrielle Boles, Steven Parker and Ray Marshall, looking to pick up the bragging rights with the victory.
Championship point racing is over for the Southern Oregon and Northwest Dwarf Car groups, but they have a racing opportunity at Coos Bay this weekend. The drivers in the two groups enjoy making visits to Coos Bay and put on a good show whenever they're in town. In the Northwest group, Jake Van Ortwick won the championship ahead of past champion Ryan Martinez, James Brinster and Jake Tupper. Josh King picked up his fourth Southern Oregon Dwarf Car championship after a good battle with Camden Robustelli. Chad Cardoza and ageless veteran Fred Hay made up the Top 4 in that race.
The last time the Dwarf Cars were in Coos Bay was in late June, and it was Robustelli and Cardoza scoring the 1-2 finish with Northwest representatives Martinez and Shane Youngren in third and fourth, respectively. The bragging rights will be on the line this Saturday.
The Junior Stinger division will likely graduate Griff Smith into the Hornet class next season. Smith won an amazing 12 races in 14 starts to wrap up his second consecutive championship for the Hornet class for kids 11 to 14 years old. The good news is several drivers have been joining the ranks, and the average has been 8 to 10 cars over the last half-dozen races or so. Alex Butler was the only driver close to Smith in the championship chase and is one of only two drivers to beat Smith for Main Event glory. Fourth-ranked James Shingleton was the other winner. These three may be the drivers to beat, but third-ranked Drake Vincent, Teagan Montgomery and Kelsee Workmann are among the others to watch for this week.
This will not be the final race of the season as the Prather family Lucas Oil Open is scheduled for October 5th. The Super Late Models will race for $2,000 to win, and the Dirt Modifieds and Street Stocks will also be racing for $1,000 winner's prizes. Sportsman Late Models, Hornets and Mini Outlaws will also be on the card for the big money show. For further information on these final two races, go to www.coosbayspeedway.us.
Hardtops Part Of Orland Raceway
Championship Night On Saturday
Orland, CA...September 28...Orland Raceway will be wrapping up their 2019 championship season this Saturday night, though one special event remains on the schedule in October. This Saturday, the popular California Hardtops will make their third and final appearance of the season on the 1/5 mile dirt oval. The Pure Stock division will be wrapping up a close championship battle. Also competing will be the Mini Trucks, Mini Stocks and the 600 Micro Sprints.
The California Hardtop drivers enjoy their visits to Orland Raceway and take pride in giving the fans a good show. The two wins at the track this year have both been earned by Ron Ruiz. He and Ken Clifford have been at every CHA event held so far and are both anticipated on Saturday. Roger MacShain, who won the final Placerville race, finished second at the previous Orland race as well. He could be there with his fast Sedan again this week. The competitors do a good job of maintaining their beautiful old Coup and Sedan race cars from the 1930s and 40s, and some of the other stars to watch for include Joe Hopp, Jason Armstrong, Joe Shenefield, Mario Romano and Larry Wells.
The Pure Stocks have been bringing the biggest car counts to the speedway this year, and the competition has certainly been fierce. It was Wes Smock picking up the win last time out after an intense battle with Kevin Pendergrass. Neither driver is in the championship hunt, though Smock is contending for a Top 5 point position after a late start. The battle has been between reigning Mini Truck champion Keith Ross and Phil Spencer all season long. Both drivers have been Main Event winners this year, but recent weeks have been much more challenging to the two. It may come down to winning this race to determine weather Ross or Spencer will be the champion.
As usual, past champion Steve Martin has been a strong supporter of the class and is third in the standings. John Camper, another Top 5 point competitor, ran well last time out as he won the B Main and charged all the way to a sixth in the feature race. Drivers have an opportunity to make one more move up in the standings, and some of the stars to watch for this week include reigning champion Paul Stephens, 2017 champion Jeremy Langenderfer, James Taylor, Maurice Merrill and Thomas Pavlik.
Barring anything unusual, Kalvin Kvalvik will win the Mini truck championship. Kvalvik has been smooth and consistent all season long, and he's also picked up three feature victories. He won the most recent race to build his lead to 50 points over William Fogle. Fogle has Dan Libbee just 24 points behind him, while multi time feature winner Dan Webster trails Libbee by just two points in a closer race for third. These four stars are anticipated this week along with James Wooddell, Beux Chandler and Anthony Esquaville
There have only been two wins that have slipped through the grasp of new champion Tom Davis. Furthermore, this will be his third consecutive Mini Stock championship. He leads past champion John Kirkpatrick, who was behind the wheel of a new car last time out as he hopes to improve his chances. Barbara Crain is coming off of another Top 3 finish and could also be a threat to win this race. Jason Libbee, Dusty Hills and Tammy Whicker are others to watch for this week.
The 600 Micro class has seen several different drivers throughout the course of the season, and rising young star Tyler Rockwell picked up the win in the most recent race. Colby Grieg and Jessica McManus are also feature winners this year. Tony Alosi and past champion Jeromie Crismon are in the battle with Rockwell to win the season championship.
Saturday will be the final point race of the season as well as the final opportunity to watch some Hardtop racing. Announcements on purse and divisions running at the October 12th Battle Of The Axles will be forthcoming. You can find the latest news on the track by going to the Orland Raceway Facebook page.
Jones, Miraglio, Catucci Win Opening Night Of
Dwarf Car Nationals At Marysville Raceway
Marysville, CA...September 20...Shawn Jones won the Preliminary Feature for the Pro Dwarf Car division Friday night at Marysville Raceway. This was the opening night of the 24th Annual Western States Dwarf Car Nationals, and over 80 competitors came to do battle in the three different classifications. Kevin Miraglio won the Veterans 20 lap Dwarf Car Preliminary Feature, and Sean Catucci scored the victory in the Sportsman Dwarf Car Preliminary Feature.
Shawn Jones is the reigning Hunt Series Wingless Spec Sprint champion, and he would start the Pro Dwarf Car race in the third row. Nevada racer Joe Frock set the early pace ahead of Petaluma star Mark Henson. A yellow flag waved on lap four for a five car pileup in Turn 1. Frock continued to lead on the restart with Jones getting past Hanson for second. Frock led through a lap six yellow flag, but a yellow flag on lap seven for Danny Wagner in Turn 1 opened the door for Jones to take the lead on the ensuing restart. Jones led through one yellow flag slow down on lap 11 as Hanson and Frock ran in second and third, respectively. The final yellow flag waved for Ryan Winter in Turn 3 on lap 18. Jones resumed command on the restart and brought it home to a satisfying win. Hanson finished second, followed by Frock, Shawn Whitney, Thomas Leiby, Ryan Plexico, Jessica Swanson, Wagner, Ben Haney and Gene Pires. These 10 competitors will start in Saturday's Fast Dash to set the first five rows of the lineup for the big Main Event.
35 of the Dwarf Car competitors on hand were in the Pro class, and there were four eight lap heat races with wins going to Hanson, Frock, Rory Mortensen and Scooter Gomes. There was a 15 lap B Main, and 2018 NorCal champion Ryan Winter led all the way to score the victory, followed by Justin Winter, John Levitt and Haney.
Kevin Miraglio looked impressive in his Veterans Dwarf Car win. South Bay Dwarf Car point leader Mark Biscardi led the first three laps before Miraglio took over. Dan Geil settled into the second position, and Mike Reeder gained third on lap seven. They ran in that order until Reeder made a move around Geil for second on lap 13. Miraglio held nearly a straightaway advantage over Reeder by the time the race ended. Biscardi charged back to a third place finish with his last lap pass on Geil, who settled for fourth, followed by Mike Corsaro, Eric Weisler, Brian Quilty, Wade Ehrlich, Antioch champion Scott Dahlgren and Glenn Sciarani. The eight lap heat race wins were earned by Biscardi, Miraglio and Buddy Olschowka as 24 drivers competed in this class.
Sean Catucci won a rough Sportsman 20 lap feature that included nine yellow flags. Catucci led the first two laps before Travis Hensley took over on a lap three restart. Casey Warren took second from Catucci on a lap five restart. Mike Dahle slipped past Catucci for the third position on lap 10. Shiloh Borland brought out a yellow flag in Turn I of the 13th lap. Hensley was still leading the way ahead of Dahle and Catucci on the restart. However, a lap 15 yellow flag changed the race. Hensley had problems on the backstretch on the restart lap as Catucci regained the lead. The first attempt to restart the race resulted in a big six car pile up in Turn 1. The red flag was waved to sort out the mess, and the division had used up their 30 minute time limit by then. Catucci ended up winning ahead of Giovanni Bertolli, Jimmy Damron, Wayne Ireton, Travis Day, Keith Costas, Kenny Cacuk, Tim Steger, Michael Williams and Warren. Eight lap heat race wins went to Michael Williams, Catucci and Damron as there were 25 competitors in this class.
Pit Stops
Antioch Speedway hosted the Chet Thomson Memorial Hardtop race for the fourth time. The race, which originated at Vallejo Speedway in 1967, was having it's 17th running. The Bay Area Hardtops movement, which branched out from the California Hardtop Association, now has a dozen known cars in existence, and there were eight of them for this race. The only California Hardtop Association member to make the trip was Dave Reed, who was joined by in the pits by CHA regular Ron Ruiz for this race.
A few of the competitors were scrambling to make preparations at the last minute, including Tommy Thomson and Dave Mackey. Thomson didn't have the motor in his car as of about a week earlier, but with crew chief Gary Faw working hard, the son of the man this race is held in memory of was ready to go. Mackey was still making repairs to the rear end of his car after a crash at Orland Raceway.
Doug Braudrick had the Junkyard Dog #16 car ready for this show. This was a car that was built as a replica to a car his father owned at the old Vallejo Speedway. You'll find a certain Vallejo Speedway flavor in the Bay Area Hardtop ranks as Mackey runs a car in tribute to The Dudley brothers and Thomson is driving a car that originated at Vallejo Speedway. In fact, Tommy won races with that car in the 1970s. Defending race champion, Terry DeCarlo, put a fresh coat of white paint on the body that up until last year had the original paint job the car ran when Harold Hardesty competed at the Ashland and Medford, Oregon tracks.
Everybody was excited to be here for the show, and Ken Retzloff kicked things off with a heat race win. Retzloff previously had two runnerup finishes at the Thomson Memorial race, and having won a race in Placerville this year, he had hopes of scoring a victory this time around. The Doug Braudrick car was moving around very nicely with Late Model and Modified star Joel Hannagan behind the wheel. Halfway through the heat race, unfortunately, Hannagan had problems and pitted from the lead. This gave the lead to Kimo Oreta, and he rolled to the victory.
Oreta was piloting the #100 car that was built to get the late Larry Damitz back into Hardtop racing once again. Damitz had started his career for 20 years racing Hardtops and won multiple championships. When Antioch Speedway gave the Northern California effort it's first dates over a decade ago, a car was prepared for Larry's return to the class. This has certainly ignited controversy among people who question whether the car is truly in the spirit of what a Hardtop is. Regardless, this car has been at most of the Antioch races that have been held since the car's debut.
Oreta was about to have one of those big nights that racers dream of. He jumped into the lead in the Main Event and was never really threatened after that. The battle remained for second for most of the distance. DeCarlo held the spot, and Retzloff looked high and low for a way around. However, even traffic wouldn't cost DeCarlo the runnerup finish as Retzloff settled for third. Tommy Thomson ended up fourth, but his road to that finish was not easy.
Thomson and Hannagan shared the front row of the Main Event and led the pack to the green flag. Unfortunately, the two competitors bummed wheels, resulting in Thomson spinning into one of the big infield tires. Hannagan made it around to the back straightaway before he lost power to end his race. Despite having severe right side damage and a shifted seat, the running gear was fine in the Thomson car and he continued. After another incident heading into Turn 3 a lap later, Thomson regrouped and managed to close in on Retzloff for a close fourth place finish. Making his Antioch debut, Matt Dragoon finished fifth. The Bay Area Hardtops will be a part of the Donna Soares Memorial race on October 5th.
Despite not having the best of car counts, there were a couple of interesting storylines at play for the A Modifieds. It's doubtful that many people were expecting to see the #49 car roll out of an enclosed trailer, but that was the case this week as newly crowned Merced Speedway champion Troy Foulger returned in the Bowers Racing Modified. This was the first visit in over a year for the four-time Antioch champion, and he was about ready to engage in a classic dual with reigning champion Nick DeCarlo for the lead.
DeCarlo got the lead early, but it wasn't long before Foulger was in second and making a serious challenge. To the delight of the crowd, this duo exchanged slide job passes in the turns for a few laps. It was Foulger gaining the lead on a lap nine restart, and he went on to pick up the victory. Decker managed to get by DeCarlo after DeCarlo pushed on exit in Turn 4 on the 10th lap. In scoring the victory, Foulger became the seventh-straight different winner. Foulger has also positioned himself as the driver to beat in the upcoming West Coast Nationals on October 17th through 19th.
For much of the season, Danny Wagner and third-generation racer Buddy Kniss had a good battle for the point lead. However, Wagner had a rough early August and ultimately abandoned his championship challenge from the second position. Kniss was very consistent all season long and was 4th on this occasion. He has also picked up three feature wins to write his name in the books as a champion in this the 30th season for the division at Antioch Speedway.
There are still two races remaining on the schedule, and the next show will be for $1,500 to win on October 5th. This is the final point race of the season, and it's also the Donna Soares Memorial Hall of Fame night. Originally, Promoter John M Soares intended to run a $12,000 to win event on October 11th and 12th. In fact, Soares had secured nearly $9,000 in sponsorship for this event, drafted a payout and was about ready to make the announcement official when he was persuaded to drop the race in favor of a proposal made by Chad Chadwick.
Chadwick had been wanting the date to be moved as it was scheduled on top of another race in the state, and ultimately he was given the opportunity to promote his West Coast Nationals event on October 17th through the 19th. This big event certainly has a George Steitz feel to it. The 17th will be a practice day that will include a barbecue, live music and cornhole tournament. There will also be a full program on Friday night with some qualifiers being determined for Saturday's big money event. The A Modifieds and the B Modifieds will be the competing divisions.
It is hoped that there could be 50 or more A Modified competitors for this race, and the Saturday Main Event alone will pay a purse of roughly $26,000. Just to take the Main Event green flag will assure a driver $500 at the pay window, while the winner will walk away with $7,500. This is the biggest paying race for this division on the West Coast this year. The B Modifieds will receive a nice chunk of change with all Main Event starters earning a minimum of $150 and the winner walking away with $1,500. We're still waiting on more details about this event and will refrain from speculating as to who might show up to compete. With this kind of money on the line, it's likely to be an all star field in both classes.
Tommy Fraser pretty much knew he had the B Modified championship wrapped up, but he was still hoping to grab his ninth victory of the season. As the previous winner, however, he knew he would start deep in the pack. The racing conditions were prime, and this resulted in a feature race with no yellow flag slowdowns. Fraser enjoyed a close battle for third with A Modified star Troy Foulger, who was piloting the Haley Gomez car. However, Fraser would prevail for the third place finish.
It's been one of those years for Trevor Clymens, who had to abandon a potential third championship season for medical reasons that would cause him to miss a few races. However, he still managed to notch a pair of victories coming into the night and was assured of Top 5 point status. With $750 on the line, however, Trevor was hoping to end the point season on a high note. He sprinted into the lead and was never really challenged by Kevin Brown, who did a superb job of finishing second to hold on to second in the standings ahead of top rookie Cameron Swank.
Trevor Clymens wasn't really delighted about the news, which is still unconfirmed, that Antioch will go with an IMCA sanctioning in 2020. He had purchased an A Modified earlier this year, and on nights where the B Modifieds aren't running, he's been bringing the other car out to get more laps. IMCA would make him choose between classes, rather than bouncing back and forth. Therefore, Trevor has decided to sell the A Modified and stick with the B Modified. He's selling that car as well, but his plans are to upgrade for next season. Meanwhile, brother Tommy Clymens Jr did well in his first season back at the speedway since the early part of the previous decade. Tommy won his heat race and finished fifth in the Main Event as he too was among the Top 5 in the standings.
Kimo Oreta already had a big night by winning the 17th Chet Thomson Memorial Hardtop race, but he had business to take care of in the Limited Late Models. He was pretty much assured of his second championship in the last three years in the Sundrop racing #15 car, but he was looking for a little bit of Main Event glory. Going into this race, he already had five victories, but he had the surprising Michael Burch running in front of him in the early stages of the feature race. Oreta remained persistent and made a Turn 4 pass on lap six to grab the lead. Once he got it, he would take it to the checkered flag for his sixth victory.
Earlier this season, the fast El Camino of Ryan Cherezian seemed headed for a victory when problems struck late in the race. Cherezian was back and managed to grab the second position from longtime competitor Mike Gustafson. Ryan didn't let Orera get too far ahead of him, but he still settled for another second place finish. He's still looking for his first victory in the class, and looking as good as he did this time, a win next time wouldn't be out of the question.
We haven't seen a lot of Gustafson this season, but he was looking good on this occasion as he battled previous feature winner Mike Walko to grab a third place finish. After winning his heat race, one-time winner Jimmy Robbins seemed like a good bet to get the feature win, but Robbins unfortunately had mechanical issues just prior to the feature race and was forced to scratch. Burch, meanwhile, slipped back to a sixth place finish behind Jon Haney. Rival Chad Hammer ended up eighth, and this duo still has a close battle for third going into the October 5th finale. This could end up being a battle for second if Jim Freethy doesn't show.
Chris Sorensen was basically coming into the night hoping not to stumble. August was a brutal month for the two-time reigning champion, but his seventh win of the season at the previous race put him back on track as he hopes to hold off the consistent Breanna Troen. Sorensen carried a 32 point lead into this race, and he pretty much knew that if he maintained that advantage, the likelihood of losing won't be very good on October 5th as long as he takes the Main Event green flag. Still, Chris wasn't leaving anything to chance. After winning his heat race, he ran a very close third behind the surprising Will Buirch.
Jason Robles hasn't been competing very much in this decade, but he's been a welcome return to the class. He finished second to Sorensen in the previous race, and with his Main Event front row start, he wasted no time getting the lead. Buirch, however, wasn't far behind Robles, but he had his hands full with Sorensen and James Thomson. A very close battle developed in traffic, and it looked like Sorensen had managed to steal second from Buirch. However, there was debris on the track, and the yellow flag that followed negated the Sorensen pass. Buirch prevailed for second, which was his best ever effort and keeps him in the battle with Ken Johns for top rookie honors. Sorensen settled for third, and he seems to be in a good position to win the title.
For much of the race, Breanna Troen wasn't even running in the Top 5. She's had a streak this season that has seen her fail to get a Top 5 finish only twice this year. The yellow flag that came just a couple of laps from the finish gave Troen an opportunity on the restart to charge into fourth, where she finished ahead of Johns. Johns, who is the nephew of longtime Petaluma Sprint Car and Street Stock competitor Norm Johns, increased his Top 5 streak to nine-straight races as he finished fifth. The Hobby Stocks were a highlight on the night as they delivered another solid 16 car field.
The 59th consecutive championship season at Antioch Speedway wraps up on October 5th with Donna Soares Memorial Hall of Fame night. The A Modifieds will be competing for $1,500 to win. Both the DIRTcar Late Models and Limited Late Models will be there along with the Hobby Stocks and the Bay Area Hardtops. It should be a great night of racing, and there's already much speculation about what next year will bring. Before we even get there, the West Coast Nationals A Modified and B Modified event on October 17th through 19th will be a can't miss event.
Petaluma Speedway wrapped up their championship season Saturday night with another four division program. The closest battle at the track has been in the Jake's Performance Hobbies Mini Stocks. Teammates Jeremy Tjensvold and Tom Brown have run closely all season. Brown was the reigning champion, but he certainly found it challenging to keep up with Tjensvold. However, Tjensvold picked up six wins in his Ford Pinto, including the season finale. This gave him the championship over three-time winner Brown, though it was still close. It's been interesting to note that there has not been a repeat champion in this class in over a decade, and they continue to get new drivers into the program via Mini Stocks.
The driver who has caught the attention of the racing community is Mitch Machado. Machado was already coming off of an amazing championship run, but when he teamed up with Fred Baker for a new car this year, he took it up a notch. Machado won all 11 point races in the Lumberjacks Restaurant Super Stock class to repeat as champion. Two-time champion Steve Studebaker gave it a valiant effort and only missed a Top 5 finish once in his 11 starts, but he was still a distant second, 73 points out of the lead. Machado could make history by winning the Bob McCoy Memorial race on October 5th, which is part of the Adobe Cup event. Should he win this race, he'd be the only driver in division history to win every Main Event held for the class for an entire season.
The strongest divisions in terms of car counts all season long have been the General Hydroponics Redwood Dwarf Cars and the PitStopUSA.com Wingless Spec Sprints. Petaluma has the strongest Spec Sprint program going in the state, and again more than 20 competitors were on hand for the point season finale. By virtue of her ninth Top 10 finish, Angelique Bell secured the championship, but Scott Chapeta made it close in the end. Chapeta had his season-best second place finish in the finale to finish within 13 points of Bell as past champion Sparky Howard fell 23 points back in third. It was Jimmy Christian winning the point finale as the division had five different winners throughout the season.
Another close championship battle took place in the Santa Rosa Auto Body 600 Micro division. Justin Adiego used consistency as his key to the championship. He had eight Top 5 finishes in eight starts, which included a victory. Though Nick Robfogel charged to his fifth win of the season in the finale, Adiego used his second place finish to maintain his championship margin by just 12 points.
Petaluma Promoter Rick Faeth chose not to book anything this weekend as Ocean Speedway has the Pat and Jim Pettit Memorial Shootout race for the IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Sport Modifieds and Hobby Stocks. However, Petaluma will have three events in October, starting with the annual Adobe Cup race on October 5th. This show will pay $5,000 to the PitStopUSA.com Winged 360 Sprint Car winner, while the Lumberjacks Restaurant Super Stocks will race for $1,500 to win in the Bob McCoy Memorial race.
Ocean Speedway will be keeping points for a couple more weekends. The big show this Friday and Saturday will be points for the IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Sport Modifieds and Hobby Stocks. While it appears as if second-generation racer Jarrod Mounce is on his way to the IMCA Sport Modified championship, the IMCA Modified race could still go either way. Big money on the weekend will bring an increased field, which means all of the local competitors will be challenged just making it into the show. Should somebody stumble, the door will be open for somebody else to make a move.
Last Friday, Austin Burke picked up his first IMCA Modified win of the season. His two-time feature winning brother and reigning champion Cody Burke is now five points back, while another past champion, Jim Pettit II, is only 16 points out of lead. Either of these drivers could still claim the glory. With two point earning opportunities this weekend, all of the championship contenders will have to be on their game. It's interesting to note that there have been seven different winners in the 13 races, and six-time champion Bobby Hogge IV has five of them.
Past Hobby Stock champion Wally Kennedy scored his first win of the season to keep him in the hunt for third in the points behind DJ Kelson and ahead of Jerry Skelton. With six wins to his credit, past champion Rob Gallaher seems to be on his way to another championship. His father, two-time winner Joe Gallaher, also has a pair of victories. The Hobby Stocks will also be part of the October 4th season finale along with the Ocean Sprint Cars, Four Bangers and IMCA Sport Modifieds.
Friday's show did wrap up championship points racing for the Police N Pursuit cars and the Ocean Midgets. The Police N Pursuit race saw Roy Iler win the finale and steal the championship from John Hohmann, who was absent. This division was added in recent seasons and is seen as sort of a public outreach for law enforcement units to the public. The officers also use their efforts to raise money for the Special Olympics. Iler is a member of the San Benito Sheriff's Office, while Hohmann is from the Scotts Valley Police Department.
The Ocean Midgets were added to the program as a way to help give some life to the struggling Northern California Midget effort. They are running the Western Midgets rules, and this effort has been spearheaded by Mike McCluney. There were 10 racers for the Friday show, and we also saw the fifth different winner of the season as Dixon Speedway 600 Micro racer Blake Bower picked up the win. Three-time winner David Prickett secured his fifth top five finish and a 24 point advantage over Randi Pankratz in the championship chase. Pankratz has been a regular at Ventura Raceway in recent seasons, but she has been supportive of the Watsonville effort. Racers are talking about the Western Midgets, and it looks like this effort has some momentum heading into the offseason as they look ahead to 2020.
Bud Kaeding had a choice to make as the King of the West Sprint Car Series was in Stockton at the same time the Ocean Sprint Cars were in Watsonville a month ago. After hot lapping his Sprint Car at Watsonville to receive show up points, he headed to Stockton. When the night was over at Watsonville, the third-generation racer held a slim one point advantage over James Ringo. Though Kaeding has been leaps and bounds quicker than most of the competition, his hold on the championship is tenuous at best going into October 4th. Should he falter at all, Ringo could emerge with the title. It's also not out of the realm of possibility that last season's championship runner-up, Koen Shaw, could sneak past both racers and into the championship. Shaw is only 29 points out of the lead, and it will be interesting to see what happens when October 4th comes around.
Merced Speedway has wrapped up their championship season. The Hobby Stocks were done as of September 14th, and Shannon Nelson withstood the late onslaught of 2016 champion Michael Shearer to claim the title. Her early season surge that saw her score her two victories served her well as she maintained a good enough lead in the end despite Shearer picking up eight Top 5 finishes during the course of the season. An early-season struggle didn't prevent Austin Van Hoff from taking third in the standings. Though he didn't win, he did finish as high as second to hold off top rookie Allen Neal by just seven points.
We also saw the dominant performance in the IMCA Modifieds of Troy Foulger come to a conclusion on September 14th with Foulger driving the Bowers Racing Modified to his sixth win in 11 starts. There wasn't much doubt that Foulger was going to be the champion, and Ryan Porter and Ramie Stone managed to hold on to second and third, respectively. Stone, surprisingly, didn't have any Top 5 finishes, but Porter had seven of them. Jesse Burks wrapped up top rookie honors by finishing fourth in the standings ahead of veteran Bob Williamson.
Last Saturday was the night for Fred Ryland to wrap up his IMCA Sport Modified championship effort, and it wasn't a very good night for him as he failed to get a Top 10 finish for the first time this season. Still, the consistent Ryland held off two-time winner Kelly Wilkinson by 10 points with State champion Guy Ahlwardt only 13 points out of the lead. Patti Ryland had just her second Top 5 finish of the season to secure fourth in the standings.
Consistency was the name of the game in the Mini Stocks as Lee Ragsdale was the only driver with 11 Top 5 finishes in 11 starts, including a victory. He beat one-time winner Lucy Falkenberg by 48 points, and she only held off Jennifer Rogers by three points to keep second. Like Falkenberg, Rodgers and fourth ranked Tyler Post were one-time winners, and Post was also the top rookie this season. Shawn DePriest made it all Top 5 drivers with at least one feature win, and he topped the class with four victories.
It was Timmy Crews winning seven of the 11 California Sharp Mini Late Model Main Events, and he beat Logan Clay for the championship by 37 points. Both Clay and Crews had all Top 5 finishes. Crews recently won his first Hobby Stock feature. One-time winner Carson Guthrie and two-time winner Riley Jeppesen completed the Top 4 as Kaylin Lopez was the top rookie.
This year was the 20th anniversary of the return of the Valley Sportsman division, and there was a first time champion atop the list. The honors went to last season's runner-up, Rick Elliott. Elliott was a three-time winner, while Jerry Cecil had two victories to finish second in the standings. Cecil was last season's champion, and two-time champion Mike Friesen ended up third in the rundown ahead of three-time feature winner Dwayne Short. It was Chris Birdsong making only his second appearance of the season his second victory aboard the Rod Poor Tribute Car.
Merced Speedway will remain dark for most of October to allow all of the other tracks to get in their special races. On October 25th and 26th, they bring down the curtain on the 2019 schedule with the annual John Fore Jr Memorial race. IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Sport Modifieds, Hobby Stocks and Mini Stocks will all be competing for an increased purse, and the track is hoping that the car count will grow this year over last season.
Up north, Siskiyou Golden Speedway had perhaps their best show of the year. This was the annual Rod Restad Memorial race. The IMCA Modifieds were receiving $2,000 to win, but there was a little bit of nitpicking as the purse would drop rapidly from there. However, the $100 to start money was better than the previous season's guarantee, and 13 competitors came to support the Yreka effort. This could go a long way towards seeing a few more IMCA Modified races scheduled there in the future.
Fresh off of his impressive win at the Southern Oregon Speedway finale, Duane Orsburn only needed to make a Main Event start to secure the division championship in Yreka. He managed that and a heat race win as well, meaning that Nick Trenchard's championship hopes were over. Trenchard, however, has been money in Yreka, and this was no different. The two-time track champion won this race ahead of past champions Travis Peery and Ryan McDaniel. All in all, it was a good show.
Not to be outdone, the IMCA Sport Modifieds thrilled the crowd with a photo finish. Fresh off of his Marysville championship in the David Pierce car, Todd Cooper showed up and battled Branden Wilson and two-time winner Matt Sanders early on. It was Jorddon Braaten coming from the sixth row to make the late challenge in traffic. However, Cooper scored the $1,000 victory by the slimmest of margins. It was a photo finish, and electronic scoring showed Cooper winning by just .001.
Matt Sanders settled for third ahead of Wilson and Isaac Sanders. Another thing to be decided was the track championship itself. Three-time feature winner Ethan Killingsworth carried a three-point advantage over Ryder Boswell going into the night, but Boswell was out early and settled for a disappointed 17th place finish. With his seventh place effort, Killingsworth won the championship. It was only a couple of years earlier when Killingsworth seemed to be a sure Mini Stock champion before being eliminated in a front straightaway crash during the season finale. This talented young driver has looked very impressive so far, and the best may be yet to come for him.
The Mini Stock championship seems to always come down to the and in recent years, and that was again the case on Saturday. Mike Whitaker picked up his second-straight feature win as he needed to come up big for the night. He was trailing young Darek Alfred by a slim margin coming into the night. Alford, however, ended up seventh in the feature race, and this meant the championship went in favor of Whitaker. He now matches teammate Marilyn Yawnick with three division championships. Another young challenger, Zak McMurry, ran second in the feature race, but we haven't seen any point list to see if he ended up third in the standings.
We were unaware that a point race was being kept for the Jefferson State Jalopies. These four cars are being maintained by JJ Smith and Karl Bernstein, the founders of the class. Initially, the Jalopies weren't even listed on the schedule, and results were not posted for Saturday night. However, Yawnick was the feature winner on Saturday, and reports from the track are that she is the Jalopy champion.
The Calculated Comfort Outlaw Pro Stocks were part of the program as roughly 60 total competitors were in the pits. Dr. Scott Lenz has been a dominant force in this class for the past three seasons as he's headed for his third-straight championship. However, the last champion other than Lenz, Steve Borror, was there to remind everybody how fast he still is. Both drivers came from deep in the pack, but it was Borror prevailing for his second-straight Yreka win. Lenz doesn't often settle for second, but he did on this occasion ahead of James Flowers and his father, Scott Flowers. It is the elder Flowers who is second in the points ahead of son James and fifth place feature finisher, John David Duffie.
Southern Oregon Speedway wrapped up their season on September 14th. There had been a "to be announced" listed on the schedule for last Saturday night. What had been initially considered was a second special Late Model show to follow the Cottonwood Classic on August 24th. However, Promoter Mike McCann abandoned the idea relatively early and felt that ending the season on the 14th would be a better move for the track as the turnaround process continues.
The drama in the point battle was left to the Kendall Oil Winged Sprint Cars. Only four points separated Bailey Hibbard from Mike Wheeler and Charlie Thompson going into the night. This probably shouldn't have happened, but Wheeler missed a race due to a planned Hawaii vacation and promptly blew a motor on his return. Mike Wheeler kicked things off first with a second place heat race finish giving him a one point lead before Bailey Hibbard was set to start on the front row of his heat race. When Hibbard contacted a tire coming out of Turn 4 on the start, he didn't finish his heat, and he was never really able to recover from there.
2016 champion Jake Wheeler, the nephew of Mike Wheeler, bolted into the Main Event lead and was never really threatened as he scored his second feature win of the season. In the winner's circle, Jake contemplated that he could make a point run next season. His return to this class was helped made possible by car owner Ron Osborne as Jake Wheeler maintains a Winged 360 Sprint Car that he runs at several different tracks. Actually, his father and crew chief Vern Wheeler Jr has kept very busy helping the efforts of both Jake and Mike. With his second place finish, Mike Wheeler solidified the championship.
Bailey Hibbard would settle for second in the final rundown as Charlie Thompson had a Top 5 run going until mechanical issues ended his race. Despite his late start to the season, Johnny Burke would end up with top rookie honors ahead of Anissa Curtice. With Tanner Holmes absent from the show, Jake Wheeler was able to move into the Top 10 in the final point rundown.
We thought there might be drama in the Southern Oregon Dwarf Car point battle as Camden Robustelli and reigning champion Josh King had been going back and forth with wins. Both drivers had three victories at Southern Oregon Speedway, and King's impressive season has seen him win at seven different tracks. However, King carried enough of a lead that he wasn't likely to lose unless he stumbled badly in the final race. Being the kind of season this has been, King not only didn't stumble, he outran Ryan Smith and the consistent Chad Cardoza to notch the win and his fourth championship within the group. Robustelli will settle for another second ahead of Cardoza and ageless veteran Fred Hay. Hay has been getting Top 5 finishes somewhat regularly this season, and he finished fourth in the finale ahead of heat race winner Michael Johnson.
Jordan Braaten needed only to take a green flag in his heat race to secure the third IMCA Sport Modified championship of his career at his home track. He did that, adding the Oregon State championship to his credentials in the process. Braaten again had to start deep in the pack and could muster a fifth place feature finish behind Mike Medel. Medel might have been a bit surprised that he ended up second in the standings as the Sanders brothers seemed like locks for second and third for a while. However, with Isaac Sanders absent from the race, both Medel and Branden Wilson got by. Wilson was gunning for a clean sweep with Dash and heat wins, but the surprising Bartley Foster forced him to settle for second in the feature race.
Foster only had a couple of starts prior to this one, and his low average put him up front for the race. However, the past Outlaw Kart champion did a superb job of staying smooth and scoring the surprising victory ahead of Wilson. Also doing a good job to secure Top 10 point status was Joby Shields. Shields ended up a season-best third at the finish line.
After mechanical issues in the Trophy Dash, Jesse Bailey ended up scratching from the Main Event in the IMCA Modifieds. Not wanting to have any sort of issues in his heat race, incoming leader Zach Fettinger decided not to start a heat race at all. He lined up last in the feature race. By taking the green flag, he knew he would be champion. He ended up battling Jeremy Richey and Jeffrey Hudson to finish third at the checkered flag. Hudson was debuting the new Don Roemer car. However, all eyes were on the battle at the front of the pack.
Duane Orsburn kicked things off with a Trophy Dash win, but Ray Kniffen Jr forced him to settle for second in their heat race. This would be the only blemish of the night for Orsburn as he charged into the lead and withstood constant pressure from three-time champion Albert Gill. Gill has been battling motor issues this year, but they were sorted out for the final race. They caught traffic, and it looked like Gill might make a move on the outside, but Orsburn still prevailed and forced Gill to settle for another second place finish.
All in all, it's been a good season at Southern Oregon Speedway, and there is much to look forward to as most of the key events held this year and the divisions the fans have enjoyed will continue to be on the schedule.
The only dirt track still going in Oregon is Coos Bay Speedway, and they will run a big Interstate Sprint Car Series show with Dwarf Cars and a few of the regular classes in support this Saturday. On October 5th, if the weather allows it, the Prather family Lucas Oil Open will be a show to see. The NASCAR Super Late Models will compete for $2,000 to win. Street Stock drivers get $1,000 to win, and the track will also have a Modified race paying $1,000 to win. The Hornets, Sportsman Late Models and Mini Outlaws are also on the card.
September 14th was championship night for the NASCAR Whelen All American series, and there wasn't much drama to be had in the Super Late Models. Preston Luckman picked up his seventh win to go along with his 14 Top 5 finishes, beating previous champion Brody Montgomery by 42 points. With the State point fund money that's also involved, Luckman stands to make over $5,500 this year, but second for Montgomery and third for Wayne Butler are still worth a nice sum of money. Toby McIntyre gave it a good effort in the final race with a third place finish, which will keep him fourth in the standings. The Top 5 drivers, which includes fifth place Thor Kristensen, make a trip to the pay window.
Braden Fugate put the exclamation point on his Sportsman Late Model championship with his division-leading 12th feature win. The title in this class is worth $1,000, and runnerup and two-time feature winner Mike Taylor will make out pretty well for second in the standings.
The word was that if the Street Stocks could produce a 10 car field this Saturday night, their feature winner's prize will go up to $500, meaning they get an opportunity for extra money in their last two races. With his eight victories, Steve Dubisar will pocket $700 for his championship, and one-time winner Leroy Rockwell will finish second in the standings ahead of previous champion Ken Fox and one-time winner Charlie Withers. As none of the other tracks are running, there could be some Street Stock visitors this week.
Sam Talon finished fifth in Street Stock points, and he also won his third-straight Mini Outlaw championship. This class isn't one of the Top 4 NASCAR divisions, and we're unclear what their championship prize ultimately is worth. Talon did win 11 features, but third-ranked Rob Lauver scored all three of his feature wins in the later stages of the season, making it an interesting race as Lauver pilots a popular VW Beetle. Jason Kellam will end up second in the standings.
The Hornet division, because they do have a strong car count, is the NASCAR Division 4 class with a $500 championship. With her seven victories out of 13 Top 5 finishes, the championship wasn't really in doubt for Hannah Robison. This was fortunate as her season finale didn't go so well, while Trace Fugate picked up his second win. The consistent Steven Parker ended up second ahead of four-time winner and previous champion Tyler Tullos. With 10 Top 5 finishes, Gabrielle Boles will end up fourth.
The next driver likely to join the Hornet class is Junior Stinger champion Griff Smith. Smith has done well in his Hornet against kids of his peer group, 11 to 14 years old. He won his 12th Main Event in the finale as only one-time winner Alex Butler was anywhere close to him in the standings. Drake Vincent ended up third with nine Top 5 finishes, while James Shingleton was fourth as a one-time winner.
It seems as if the NASCAR experiment at Coos Bay Speedway, now three seasons old, is working pretty well. It's a bit surprising that nobody else in Oregon is taking a look at NASCAR sanctioning as a possibility, especially given the point fund monies the drivers are competing for. In any case, Drake Nelson has done a good job of keeping an attractive schedule for the fans and maintaining decent car counts. If the weather holds, these last two events should be good.
Bakersfield Speedway Unofficial Race Results September 21, 2019
IMCA Modifieds
Kyle Heckman
Brad Pounds
Robby Sawyer
Robert Sanders
Jerry Flippo
Roger Holder
Steve Noland
Bryan Clark
Justin Schweitzer
Charles Paul
Donald Scott
IMCA Stock Cars
Jayden Schweitzer
Larry Thompson
Cody Johnson
Troy Patee
Chad Johnson
Lucas Oil POWRi Lightning Sprints
A.J. Bender
Bobby Michnowicz
Aiden Lange
Jeff Dyer
Jarrett Kramer
James Turnbull
Dominic Del Monte
Eric Greco
Wink Schweitzer
Cody Nigh
Robb Pelmear
Pat Kelley
Jason Arnolde
Jon Robertson
Mark Henry
Greg Sandling
Doug Nunes
Ken Coulston
Stockton 99 Speedway Unofficial Race Results September 21, 2019
Super Late Models
Ty Carlson
Aaron Shankle
Larry Tankersley
Gary Shafer Jr
Dennis Byers
Joey Stearns
Garland Powell
Greg Uffins
Justin Philpott
Basically 4 Cylinders
Josh Cross
Joe Flowers
Andy Rumsey
Ethan Rumsey
Mark Hunt
Brian Cobb
Mathew Richardson
Danny Helm
Rod Previtali
Bryon Bishop
Dave Keller
Joshua Brown
Andrea Rumsey
Legends
Cody Winchell
Rob Nacimento
Pete Soto
Sheldon Crouse
Keith Clement
Kevin Travels
Dylan Washburn
JK Kinney
Marysville Raceway Unofficial Race Resuts September 21, 2019
WSDCA Dwarf Car Nationals
Pro Dwarf Cars
A Main
Joe Frock
Shawn Jones
Shawn Whitney
Darren Brent
Danny Wagner
Jessica Swanson
Ryan Amelin
Mike Grenert
Thomas Leiby
Adam Teves
Ryan Plexico
Mark Hanson
Gene Pires
Chad Matthias
Toby Brown
Garrett Brady
Travis Dutra
Robert Johnson
Devan Kammermann
Darren Brown
Tim Fitzpatrick
Sean Banks
Tyler Rodriguez
Ben Haney
B Main
Adam Teves
Darren Brown
Mike Grenert
Darren Brent
Travis Dutra
Toby Brown
Ryan Amelin
Tim Fitzpatrick
Chad Matthias
Garrett Brady
Tyler Rodriguez
Robert Johnson
Sean Banks
Devan Kammermann
Dustin Loughton
Cory Brown
Devin Breese
Alan Heeney
Chris Kress
Ryan Winter
Veteran Dwarf Cars
A Main
Brian Quilty
Mike Reeder
Scott Dahlgren
Eric Weisler
Tommy Brown
Wade Ehrlich
Buddy Olschowka
Steve Kapaun
Kevin Bender
Tim Fitzpatrick
Mario Marques
Ron Jones
Britney Sandoval
Austin Quilty
Dan Geil
Mark Biscardi
Mike Corsaro
Robert Kozinski
Rick Holbrook
Glenn Sciarani
Danny Mortensen
Eddy Claessen
Dan Zuger
Jeff Fitch
Sportsman Dwarf Cars
A Main
Travis Hensley
Jimmy Damron
Michael Williams
Vernon Hubbard
Tip Holcombe
Travis Day
Troy Stevenson Jr
Adam Krey
Kylee Johnson
Wayne Ireton
Mack Aceves
Keith Costas
Casey Warren
April Halliday
Tim Steger
Shiloh Borland
Adam Freitas
Sean Catucci
Alex Anderson
Victor Vaz
Kenny Cucuk
Jamie Faulkner
Giovanni Bortoli
Mike Dahle
Super Stocks
Matt Micheli
Jay Norton
Rod Oliver
George Magenheimer
Eddie Gardner
Todd Whipple
Marysville Raceway Unofficial Race Results September 21, 2019
WSDCA Dwarf Car Nationals Night #1
Pro Dwarf Cars
Preliminary Feature
Shawn Jones
Mark Hanson
Joe Frock
Shawn Whitney
Thomas Leiby
Ryan Plexico
Jessica Swanson
Danny Wagner
Ben Haney
Gene Pires
John Levitt
Michael Curry
Ryan Winter
Justin Winter
Brad Ernst
Rory Mortensen
Chris Kress
Chad Matthias
Mike Grenert
Tim Fitzpatrick
Scooter Gomez
Robert Johnson
Tyler Rodriguez
Darren Brent
B Main
Ryan Winter
Justin Winter
John Levitt
Ben Haney
Cory Brown
Travis Dutra
Toby Brown
Devin Breese
Sam Borland
Dustin Loughton
Ryan Amelin
Alan Heeney
Devan Kammermann
Veteran Dwarf Car
Preliminary Feature
Kevin Miraglio
Mike Reeder
Mark Biscardi
Dan Geil
Mike Corsaro
Eric Weisler
Brian Quilty
Wade Ehrlich
Scott Dahlgren
Glenn Sciarani
Mario Marques
Britney Sandoval
Steve Kapaun
Ron Jones
Robert Kozinski
Eddy Claessen
Austin Quilty
Danny Mortensen
Dan Zuger
Buddy Olschowka
Tim Fitzpatrick
Kevin Bender
Sportsman Dwarf Cars
Preliminary Feature
Sean Catucci
Giovanni Bortoli
Jimmy Damron
Wayne Ireton
Travis Day
Keith Costas
Kenny Cucuk
Tim Steger
Michael Williams
Casey Warren
Victor Vaz
Tip Holcombe
Travis Hensley
Mike Dahle
Adam Freitas
Jamie Faulkner
Gene Herndon
Adam Krey
Alex Anderson
Kylee Johnson
Shiloh Borland
Vernon Hubbard
Troy Stevenson Jr
Mack Aceves
Placerville Speedway Unofficial Race Results September 21, 2020
Placerville Posse Shootout Night #1
Rico Abreu
Shane Golobic
Kyle Hirst
Andy Forsberg
Colby Copeland
Justyn Cox
Michael Faccinto
Ryan Robinson
Willie Croft
Tanner Carrick
Bobby McMahan
Cody Lamar
Bubba DeCaires
Jodie Robinson
Blake Carrick
Stephen Ingraham
Mike Benson
Tim Kaeding
Jarrett Soares
JJ Ringo
Tony Gualda
Jake Morgan
Cole Macedo
Kalib Henry
B Main
Cole Macedo
Tony Gualda
Mike Benson
Stephen Ingraham
Kurt Nelson
Jimmy Trulli
Steven Tiner
CJ Humphries
JJ Hickle
Sean Becker
Shane Hopkins
Justin Sanders
Michael Sellers
Jake Haulot
Kyle Offill
Joey Ancona
C Main
Steven Tiner
Sean Becker
Shane Hopkins
Justin Sanders
John Clark
Pat Harvey Jr
Ryan Bernal
Brad Dillard
Tyler Brown
BCRA Midget Lites
Jacob Williams
Dakota Albright
Alex Lewis
Steve Hendricksen
Bryce Bogardus
Scott Kinney
Brandon Leedy
Danika Jo Parker
Craig Holsted
Terry Bergstom
Chase Gaal
Jeff Griffin
Dan Parker
Chris Gaal
Cody Shormantine
Placerville Speedway Unofficial Race Results September 20, 2019
Placerville Posse Shoot Out Night #1
A Main
Justyn Cox
Rico Abreu
Shane Golobic
Kalib Henry
Andy Forsberg
Kyle Hirst
Ryan Robinson
Justin Sanders
Michael Faccinto
Bobby McMahan
Tim Kaeding
Tony Gualda
Shane Hopkins
Sean Becker
Cole Macedo
Blake Carrick
Tanner Carrick
Bubba DeCaires
Kurt Nelson
Tyler Brown
Andy Gregg
Chase Johnson
Kaleb Montgomery
Ryan Bernal
B Main
Blake Carrick
Kurt Nelson
Bubba DeCaires
Chase Johnson
Jake Morgan
JJ Ringo
Mike Benson
Brad Dillard
Carl Droivold
Colby Copeland
Joey Ancona
CJ Humphries
Cody Lamar
John Clark
Kyle Offill
Jodie Robinson
C Main
Jodie Robinson
Kyle Offill
Brad Dillard
Cody Lamar
Michael Sellers
Jarrett Soares
Jake Haulot
Jimmy Trulli
JJ Hickle
Mike Cook
Madera Speedway Unofficial Race Results September 20, 2019
Nut Up Pro Late Models
Jeremy Doss
Austin Herzog
Logan Zampa
Ross Strmiska
Jack Wood
Carlos Vieira
Racin Vernon
Jason Aguirre
Toni Breidinger
Tim Skoglund
Mike Beeler
Tyler Herzog
Ryan Hart
Rick Thompson
Kolby Berry
Dylan Zampa
Henk Gaalswyk Jr
Glen Cook
Blaine Rocha
John McCullum Jr
Jr Late Models
Joey Iest
Jay Juleson
Jadan Walbridge
Seth Wise
Jake Bollman
Kabe McClenny
Elvis Rankin
Kercie Jung
Cole Brown
Bradley Erickson
Austin Edwards
Lilly Mead
Kale McClenny
Robbie Kennealy
Holly Clark
Calvin Hegje
Hailey Liles
Mini Cups/Bandoleros
Nathaniel Edwards
Jeffrey Erickson
Riley Massey
Harley Kennealy
Joey Kennealy
Ethan Nascimento
MSTs
Ryan Reynolds
Bert Stephens
Patrick Geiger
Shaun Reynolds
Dennis Brannon
Kyle Labrie
Ocean Speedway Unofficial Race Results September 21, 2019
IMCA Modifieds
Austin Burke
Cody Burke
Jeff Decker
Jim Pettit II
Trevor Fitz
Raymond Keldsen Jr
Jeff McCoun
Todd Hermosillo
Kyle Bryan
IMCA Sport Modifieds
Dennis Simunovich
Kevin Johnson
Jarrod Mounce
Guy Ahlwardt
Adriane Frost
Randy Miller
Steven Allee
Kelly Campanile
Max Baggett
Travis Slayter
John Ferro
Charlie Hunter
Justin McPherson
Hobby Stocks
Wally Kennedy
Billy Nelson
Terry Campion
Rob Gallaher
Terry Traub
Jerry Skelton
Joe Gallaher
Nick Triolo
Jill Knoebel
Bobby Huckaby Jr
Ryan Muller
Cody Bryan
Tony Oliveira
Thomas Summers
Norm Ayers DNS
Police n Pursuit
Roy Iler
Nate Graham
Dan Anderson
Justin Rhodes
Steven Fernandes
Adam Rikalo
Pat Sullivan
Tony Weir
Western Midgets
Blake Bower
David Prickett
Evan Bonnema
Randi Pankratz
Teves Adam
Greg Edenholm
Richard Fitzgerald
David Raquenio
Keoni Texeira DNS
Adam Lemke DNS
Petaluma Speedway Unofficial Race Results September 21, 2019
Santa Rosa Auto Body 600 Micros
Nick Robfogel
Justin Adiego
Anton Gianini
Rob Brown
Jeromie Charon
Kyle Grissom
Amber Fields
Savannah Brown
Charles Emery
Victor Guerra DNS
Jack Clark DNS
PitStopUSA.com Wingless Spec Sprints
Jimmy Christian
Scott Chapeta
Cody Fendley
Adam Christian
Terry Schank Jr
Sparky Howard
Bruno Bianchi
Cameron Martin
Angelique Bell
Eden McCormick
Jessica Walker
Zack Albers
Tony Bernard
Bob Davis
Jeff Scotto
Rich Otterstrom
Keith Calvino
Bob Newberry
Dennis Furia Jr
Nick Robfogel
McLaughlin Rory
Ricky Brophy
Ryon Siverling DNS
Marcus Smith DNS
Jake's Performance Hobbies Mini Stocks
Jermy Tjensvold
Tom Brown
Darien Balestrini
Cody Bolles
Sophie Shelley
ben baxmen
casey monahan
Antonio Miramontez
Trevor Rodriguez
Roy Dearing
Randy Miramontez
Troy Williams
Lumberjacks Restaurant Super Stocks
Results are not official
1 #9z Mitch Machad
2 #46 Steve Studebaker
3 #3 Matt While
4 #60 Shawn McCoy
5 #51d Sid Hess
6 #27 Tim O'Hara
7 #85 Austin Ohlinger
8 #07a Brian Azevedo
Siskiyou Golden Speedway Unofficial Race Results September 21, 2019
IMCA Modifieds
Nick Trenchard
Travis Perry
Ryan McDaniel
Jeffrey Hudson
Albert Gill
James Lipke
David Duste Jr
Duane Orsburn
Ray Kniffen Jr
Steve Borror
James Anderson
Zach Fettinger
Jeff Faulkner
Mini Stocks
Mike Whitaker
Zak McMurry
Hunter Magnan
Michael Kendrick
Marilyn Yawnick
Ashtin Hedges
Darek Alford
Jack Turner
Terry Alford
Kassidy Wilkinson DQ
IMCA Sport Modifieds
Todd Cooper
Jorddon Braaten
Matt Sanders
Brandon Wilson
Issac Sanders
Colt Boswell
Ethan Killingsworth
Merissa Henson
Willie McFall
Brant Phillipe
Randy Wright
Mitch Henson
Kyle Pitkin
Chad Wormington
Rich McCoy
Wyatt Westfall
Ryder Boswell
Brionna Fuller
Austin Petray
Calculated Comfort Outlaw Pro Stocks
Steve Borror
Scott Lenz
James Flowers
Scott Flowers
John David Duffie
Ken Laplant
Rick Lukens
Colby Hammond
Matt Harlow
Jeff Haudenshild
Ginny Flowers
Johnny Cobb
Michael McLeod
Merced Speedway Unofficial Race Resukts September 21, 2019
IMCA Sport Modifieds
Kevin Johnson
Tanner Thomas
Chase Thomas
Kelly Wilkinson
Patti Ryland
KC Keller
Nick Tucker
Richard Ragsdale
Guy Ahlwardt
Tony Peffer
Cody Parker
Chris Falkenberg
Frank Cefaliello Jr
Fred Ryland
Bruce Nelson
Dwayne Short
Chuck Weir
Jeremy Hoff
B Main
Dwayne Short
Chris Falkenberg
Tony Peffer
Jeremy Hoff
Richard Ragsdale
Frank Cefaliello Jr
Travis Slayter
Jakob Ebersole
Kodie Dean DNS
Tony Hornyack DNS
Stanton French DNS
Mini Stocks
Dakota Keldsen
Tyler Post
Jennifer Corder
Lee Ragsdale
James Mcgranahan
Jennifer Rodgers
Austin Sprague
Eddie Humphrey III
Brain Widdowson
Tracy Glass
Jerry Tubbs
Shawn DePriest
Lucy Falkenberg
Chris Corder DQ
California Sharp Mini Late Models
Timmy Crews
Logan Clay
Kaylin Lopez
Carson Guthrie
Kennzzie Brown
Jeremiah Enriquez
Valley Sportsman
Chris Birdsong
Rick Elliott
Jerry Cecil
Dwayne Short
Eric Seely
Mike Freisen
Marcus Lung
The Editor's Viewpoint
I've only been back in Antioch for a few days, but it's been really nice to see familiar faces again. I've already shared a few laughs with people and had some discussions of racing past and present. Also had an intriguing offer made from an old friend that I've worked with in the past, although at this point it's all talk. I came down here to have some fun, see old friends and be back at Antioch Speedway to help however I can while I am here. I have accomplished those goals. I came here to help with the Donna Soares Memorial Hall of Fame Night, which will be happening on October 5th. Everything else will be what it is.
On Saturday night, the announcer, Wylie Wade, surprised me by asking me if I wanted to announce the Chet Thompson Memorial Hardtop race. I jumped at the opportunity. For one thing, it's an opportunity to announce, and I'll do that when I can. I enjoy that sort of thing and have since I was a kid. The other thing was this race means something, and I got to announce a race that I'm sure a hero of mine, Butch Althar, got to announce at the old Vallejo Speedway.
I think Wade knew he could jump in there and call the race and tell everybody who was out there and that sort of thing, but I think the reason he let me do it was because I knew more of the history surrounding this division and the race in general. One thing I will say is I think there are a few effective ways in which we could make this race a little bit better. I had a few ideas that started coming to my mind a few weeks ago, but it was too late. I'm not talking about things that are necessarily huge investments, but nice touches that show the history and flavor of this race.
Chet's son, Tommy Thomson was one of the founding racers for the revival of this effort in the Bay Area a decade ago, and he was totally on board with bringing back his dad's race. It was the biggest Hardtop race at Vallejo Speedway back in the day, and I think that just acknowledging the history and heritage of this race is important. As I said, there are a few touches I could see adding to this race. So, if I was able to help out on the microphone and let people know more about these racers and more about Chet, I'm honored to have been able to do so. Had I known for sure that this was going to be the case, I would have made sure I was even more prepared than I was. I guess I did okay.
The elephant in the room was the absence of the California Hardtop Association, other than an appearance by Dave Reed with top CHA competitor Ron Ruiz in the pits with him. I know a few people might think I'm going to fly off the handle or just get negative about the other group. Nope. I am disappointed in them not showing. That's just the way I feel, and certain people I communicate with in that group will know and understand my feelings there.
However, I also understand why things are the way they are within the group. I can respect that, because the Hardtop presence at Antioch Speedway is more because of the Bay Area side wanting this to happen. Yes, the race could have and should have been bigger with support from the other group, but they didn't owe it to the track to show up. If this race is to continue and both groups are going to continue, I would do what I could to help make it so that this particular race, at least, would get support from everybody who can come.
However, the Bay Area group finally put their best foot forward and showed a glimpse of what they are capable of. By my count, there are a dozen cars in the area that are ready to go or close, and a couple of racers outside of the area that, if they are informed that races are happening, might make the effort to show up. So, one of my biggest concerns with this group is leadership making everybody aware of when the races are. I think that can only help because, from what I see, the Hardtops are not merely a division booked on the schedule at Antioch Speedway. They are a group called the Bay Area Hardtops and therefore need just a tick more leadership to get the support on any given race date. In my mind, there's no reason why there can't be a half-dozen to eight of these cars every time they are booked. If that type of turnout occurs each time, the ranks will grow from people who join to be a part of it.
I have been critical of Dave Mackey and have felt that maybe a few other things could have been done on his behalf as the one who has been spearheading the Bay Area movement. However, I would be remiss if I didn't point out what was even acknowledged by Reed. Mackey has a long-standing offer for the other group to pay their entry into the pits. To me, that goes above and beyond in attempting to make them feel welcome. Reed certainly expressed his appreciation on the matter. I still feel a bit more organization in communicating what's going on with the group and establishing their presence will only help matters in the long run, but I won't say that Mackey has done nothing. He's certainly made an effort to establish the group. My main concern is that they need to show up with more cars or I worry that race dates may slip away in the future.
The other part of the equation here is that everybody within the ranks is busy and it's not so easy for them to do what I think needs to be done to keep the support going. Fair enough. Maybe something can be worked out in the next few months, and there's one race left to go here on October 5th. My hope Is that a half a dozen or more cars show up to reinforce the message that there is something left of this group that's worth keeping on the schedule. I hope it happens. Most of the racers didn't suffer too much damage, other than poor Tommy Thomson and Joel Hannagan in the Doug Braudrick car, who got a little bit too close for comfort racing to the green flag.
I could easily go on and on about the Hardtops and nostalgia type of stuff. I think most people know my stance on this class and the Sportsman division and how I support the cause. My hope is that the division fits on the schedule in the future and that more cars are here. I've been talking to people behind the scenes on the subject and what I think needs to be done, but we need to understand one thing when it comes to Hardtops and Antioch Speedway. It's up to the Bay Area side of things to put the representation on the track. Unless the California Hardtop Association is booked as a group and the terms they seek are met, you'll only see those drivers if they feel like coming to Antioch. They already have a schedule they support. As I said, even if I am disappointed in their lack of support for this race, I understand and respect where they are coming from.
However, in my mind the Antioch Speedway show was headlined by the Hardtops last week. I know some people may say, what? All year long, the schedule said Chet Thomson Memorial Hardtop race. This was what was held. Obviously, the All Star Racing Series A Modifieds, B Modifieds, Hobby Stocks and Limited Late Models were there to entertain the crowd, and Kimo Oreta had one of those big nights where he won both the Hardtop race and the Limited Late Model portion of the show. I know the observation that people will make about his win in the Hardtop class, but you'll excuse me if I sidestep that discussion for now. I'm trying not to run longer than I already am.
One of the elephants in the room at Antioch these days is car count and the fact that it isn't as good as it has been in the past. I'm hearing more calls for sanctioning. That is to say, people want IMCA sanctioning on the Modifieds and Sport Modifieds. I'm consistent in my opinion on this subject. I do not like IMCA, and I have a hard time getting behind supporting this association. However, the racers like it, the rules are sensible and even if the perks of winning a track championship through this association are lacking, racers support the IMCA sanctioned shows. So, if that's the direction that is chosen, I get it. I wouldn't stand against it and would certainly support whatever gets cars to the race track.
A lot I can say about what I'm hearing right now at Antioch Speedway, but I also feel that it's important for me to observe and measure my words while things play out. People are hearing lots of rumors, but until certain things happen, all you're hearing are rumors. My only concern is that racing continues at Antioch Speedway, and steps are taken to make things better. Are those good old days of 1500 to 2000 fans in the stands and 100 cars in the pits gone? Let me put it to you this way, we're coming up on 2020, and times have changed. You want those kinds of numbers, you have to bust your ass and do it week-in and week-out. You might get a night like that once in a while, but I can assure you that's not something that occurs on a regular basis at most venues on the West Coast these days. It just doesn't.
Where I'm concerned at any race track, I always put it very simply and honestly. In me, you'll get somebody that works on the media side and however the promoter needs me and will do what I can to make things better. I believe, through my own observations through the years, that what I can do helps increase the ranks. However, I will never tell anybody that if I am brought into the equation, you're going to see X amount of people in the stands or the pits and it's just going to be great overnight. All I can say is I work hard, do everything that I can to help things get better and believe that over time that will happen. There is potential for Antioch Speedway to grow, but I caution people to measure their expectations, even if big changes are made.
I've spoken with John Soares and Chad Chadwick, although my conversations with Chad weren't as long as hoped. Even in our brief interactions, I can see Chad's enthusiasm for what he envisions for this place. I heard the term "Make Antioch Speedway great again", which quite honestly is an overused sort of paraphrase these days. But I get the idea behind it. The enthusiasm is obvious here, and I've heard through other sources the ideas he has in mind. My thought is always to measure what you're doing, make the right moves at the right time and don't lay all of your cards on the table just yet. There are things that can be done heading into the 2020 season that will help put things on the right path. It's not merely about throwing money at the track, and that can be a tough proposition. Believe me, I understand the business model here and it's not something that Is cheap. This is one of the most expensive facilities to run on the West Coast.
In John I've always respected the man because he's guided the ship through more than 20 years. He's been the one putting his own money behind it to keep it going, and even if people aren't delighted with him sometimes, they need to understand that he does care about the sport. He's only in it now I think because he worries that there isn't as much of a future. However, he holds out hope that things will get better and continues to do the things that need to be done so that racing continues. Bear in mind there are facilities everywhere that struggle to open at all or cancel for various reasons, and Antioch has run almost every race that's been scheduled under John's watch since he got here. Most of what hasn't been run has been due to weather, so this is a man who has put his money where his mouth is and has done good things through the years.
I also think people need to be very careful when they look at the future of this race track and automatically decide that certain divisions should just be cut from the rotation. Doing too many of those sorts of moves isn't good unless you're planning on booking a more limited schedule. I believe John booked 27 dates this year, and you're looking at dropping divisions? Unless you want to book the hell out of classes that are struggling to get count as it is, this may not be the smartest move. However, if you look over at your neighbors at Watsonville and Petaluma and consider a schedule with eight or nine fewer races on it, it becomes more possible.
Running the Winged 360 Sprint Cars and Late Models are not cheap. We do this up at Southern Oregon Speedway, and they are two of the highest purses paid. We've been fortunate enough up there that the numbers have held up, but that's just not the case everywhere. If you're a promoter who likes to guarantee what you pay, you're still shelling out quite a bit of money even if only seven or eight cars show up. You have to ask yourself, are resources being spent in the right place? Late Models have sort of died in California, and there are other Sprint Car options that could be pursued. This could mean a couple of special big races during the season to give fans their fix, while dialing back from running a regular show.
Two other divisions on the chopping block are Wingless Spec Sprints and Limited Late Models, from what I've heard. I'm against dropping either class from the schedule as neither carries a high price tag, and maybe a few things should be tried before it's decided that they need to go. Your closest neighbor down the road, Petaluma Speedway, could be a good dancing partner if it's given a shot. Historically, Antioch has worked better with Petaluma than almost every other track that it's tried to work with, and that could be the case again. Something could be scheduled with regards to both classes that makes it possible for drivers to go back and forth.
This leaves you four other divisions that are in your regular rotation, plus Hardtop visits, which I hope continue. You will have A Modifieds, B Modifieds, Dwarf Cars and Hobby Stocks. Sanctioning the Modified classes will probably be something that occurs in the future, at least I would hope. I'm hearing all kinds of rumors about the Hobby Stock division, and I hope that people stop and think before they mess with this class too much. John needed to only do one thing with the Hobby Stocks to help level things out this year, and he did that. Rather than running them 27 or 28 times, he put them out there 20 times. Fewer dates, off weeks and what do you know? The numbers have grown. Antioch has a stronger Hobby Stock class than some of the other places, and they're doing it with more sensible, affordable rules. I caution against opening the rules up because you think out of town people are coming when you might just be sacrificing your own local racers due to budgetary reasons. I'd still look at an entry-level type of class, such as Hornets, but that's me.
I will step away from this subject partially but I still want to talk about sanctioning. I have noticed that NASCAR still lurks about as a potential sanctioning for the race track. Coos Bay Speedway jumped into this three years ago as the first dirt track on the West Coast since Watsonville to sanction weekly racing. It's the NASCAR Whelen All American Series. California currently has four tracks in the state with sanctioning, all of them pavement. This includes Irwindale, Roseville, Kern County and Orange Show. I understand you can go as high as five divisions, and I've seen the point fund being offered for the first four. I have been amused by the idea that the Hornet champion in Coos Bay will win more point fund money than the IMCA Modified champion at several different venues. Really, that's insulting, but it shows that NASCAR has a bit more interest in offering racers a pot of gold at the end of the season's rainbow.
In Oregon, they actually have a State point race based on just Coos Bay Speedway. It's rather interesting, in my opinion, to see that the regulars of that track also compete for an additional $2,000 for the State championship, $1,000 for second and $500 for third. If you get two NASCAR tracks in the State, that money doubles. Therefore, the four California tracks are competing for a $4,000 paycheck with $2,000 going to second and $1,000 going to third. Currently, only one driver from Irwindale and one driver from Kern County are making a run at that money.
Here's where it gets interesting. Imagine Antioch Speedway were to jump into NASCAR. I heard talk about how to make things better and change things a little bit. In my mind, one of the biggest motivating factors towards bringing sanctioning to a race track is the point fund money you would receive at the end of the season. We already know that one class would be competing for $3,500 in championship prize money. It's pretty good money for the Top 5 drivers. Furthermore, Division 2, Division 3 and Division 4 get good money. In the case of Antioch, you have the potential of A Modifieds, B Modifieds and Hobby Stocks getting some of that cash. Now, Division 1 also competes for that big State point fund money. Therefore, in addition to competing for your track championship, you have a shot at an additional $4,000 in State championship money. Yes, you're competing with with other pavement tracks, but here's where the thought gets a little bit crazier. Maybe it's just a bit of what if.
What if a track like Watsonville joined Antioch in going to NASCAR? Both tracks share A Modifieds, B Modifieds and Hobby Stocks. Watsonville's fourth division would be Mini Stocks, and Antioch would probably be the Limited Late Models. But, they have three divisions in common, and now the Modifieds would have two tracks that would improve their chances in the State. Suddenly, the Antioch-Watsonville circuit returns. It's an interesting thought, although the odds of something like this happening aren't so good.
I'm aware there are people within the NASCAR ranks interested in rebuilding the short track series. These days, the Winston Racing Series is called the NASCAR Whelen All American Series, and there are several tracks throughout the country that are a part of this deal. So, you could add Antioch and Watsonville and it would be cool. Watsonville might seem unlikely, but all it takes is one track to start the trend. Antioch Speedway might seem the most likely candidate for this move as they are currently not sanctioned.
However, my guess is that if you see a sanctioning banner waving over Antioch Speedway, the track will take the safe path of going with IMCA like everybody else. But man, what an interesting statement it could be. I'm hearing talk about how people want to see a return to the "glory days" of the past, and if you look at it that way, there was a NASCAR banner hanging over Antioch and several other tracks back in those days.
One thing I do know about Antioch Speedway is that this track has been running continuous racing seasons since 1961. In that time, there have been so many great people on the track and behind-the-scenes who have made the track so special. Having a Hall of Fame at the track has been a dream of mine for over two decades, and I'm honored to have been able to get this thing started. I know everything hasn't been perfect in the way I organized it, but I also feel we are on the right track to making it better. Good people will be brought in to help make it better. On October 5th, we will be inducting 15 new members into the Antioch Speedway Hall of Fame, making it 26 people total. There are so many more who deserve the honor, and this will continue to be a tradition.
I'm happy to be here for this big event as I will be handling the ceremonies. Even more so that we are having this race in memory of Donna Soares. For 20 years, Donna ran the front office for Oval Motorsports here at the speedway. She was such a wonderful person that many of us loved, and it's still hard to believe that we lost her about a year ago. We remember her with this race and will continue to do so in the years to come. Seeing John tear up as he talks about her just drives home the point that much more about how much he loves and misses her. It hasn't been quite the same without her, but we're going to have a night that she can be proud of.
My intentions were to be here through the big show John had booked on October 11th and 12th. I can tell you that he landed a significant chunk of sponsorship for this event, and it was coming together nicely. As Chad Chadwick wanted to make a foray into promoting, John handed the big show to him, but the sponsorship he had secured, in large part, came from people who have another commitment on the weekend in which Chad wanted to run the race. Therefore, Chad has had to work on all of that, while offering an absolutely incredible purse for the West Coast Nationals, which will happen on October 17th through 19th.
You may be hearing a lot more about Chad and his vision for racing in Antioch, but he's hoping to make a big splash with this event. I think you can compare what he is aiming for here to the shows that George Steitz promoted for many years. It's not just about the great race you will see for the big money, but also about all of the competitors who will be here having a good time that weekend. There's a lot of special things that are being planned, and Chad's vision is about making it more fun and building up a community that wants to build up racing in the area. Ambitious, yes. There's lots of potential in his vision, but there are no magic wands either. This is a good start to the agenda, but it will be about hard work over a period of time that will make things better in the long run.
Southern Oregon Speedway wrapped up their season on September 14th, and I know there are people wondering why racing didn't continue through the end of September. There's always that potential for one or two more races, but in Oregon, rain will hit you in September. I think that Mike McCann had a good schedule, and September 14th was the right time to call the season. It ended on a positive note with much hope headed into the future, but I know there were a few teams that wanted to race one more time. In my opinion, racing season in Oregon doesn't last nearly long enough, but sometimes I think racing season in California goes on longer than it needs to.
What you get in Oregon is tracks attempting to run two-race weekends more often in order to get more races in. They know that race dates during the season are going to get rained out, so you are currently seeing Cottage Grove setting a trend up there with more two-race weekends that is being followed now by Willamette Speedway. I don't envision Mike doing the same sort of thing at Southern Oregon Speedway, though he might look at the schedule next year and see about getting a couple more races in. When you do two-race weekends more often, despite losing a few races during the season thanks to rainouts, you're still getting more racing in. It still comes down to Cottage Grove ending their season at the same time Southern Oregon Speedway did, and the rain is coming. Coos Bay may be bracing for rain this weekend, and this was supposed to be the weekend of the Interstate Sprint Car Series show. This doesn't include the Prather family Lucas Oil Open, which will pay $2,000 to the Super Late Models. I'm thinking that October rains will wash out that show as well, but who knows?
Siskiyou Speedway saw the window of opportunity to get the Rod Restad race in. Again, this race was taking place right after Southern Oregon Speedway closed, but there seemed to be more optimism among IMCA Modified racers, and more of a willingness for them to come to the Yreka track. Perhaps it's the idea that Promoter Kevin Barba is doing things just a bit different than the association. He was paying $2,000 to win this race for the IMCA Modifieds, while IMCA Sport Modifieds would cash in a $1,000 paycheck in their feature race. Purse dropped rather quickly, but the Modified portion was still paying $100 to start.
Nitpicking began, because this seems to be the order of the day. No promoter seems to be immune from critics, even when they're paying a bigger purse. It's something that kind of annoys me, because I still don't think some racers realize how lucky they are to have some of the race tracks they still have, and whining, bitching and complaining will only help close the gates to some places.
My contention is Yreka needs an IMCA Modified class and has potential to rebuild it. However, the only thing giving it any chance is for racers to show up at shows like this and make a car count. With 13 drivers showing up, maybe Kevin takes a look at the numbers and it helps him set an even better purse, as far as paying further down, than what they had this year. The drivers who came out to race will be the reason why it gets better, and they will also be the reason why more dates might happen next year, if that's the case.
Kevin is rolling the dice, and I don't know if it will come up the way he wants or not. The problem is, he wants to run through October and weather may dictate what he can actually do. I suspect there will be rainouts and cold weather, but as this is the only game in town in the area, maybe he has a race or two that turns out to be successful. In my mind, however, this past weekend's race might have been the one to go out on. Looking at the numbers, they brought in about 60 competitors for the show, making this the biggest car count they've had all year. I don't know how attendance looked, but hopefully that was reflected in the good car count. You want to go out on a high note, and Kevin is going back to the drawing board with another race this weekend.
Saturday's show featured the big 50 lap IMCA Modified race, won by Nick Trenchard. I'd say I'm surprised, but I'm not. This guy comes up money very often in the big shows in Yreka. The IMCA Sport Modifieds gave the fans a thrilling photo finish, won by Todd Cooper. The Mini Stock battle for the championship was close, and Mike Whitaker was able to use his win to get the championship. Fans even saw a classic battle between champions Steve Borror and Scott Lenz for the Calculated Comfort Outlaw Pro Stock feature win, going to Borror in the end. Maybe this was the race of the year for Yreka, and you certainly want to end on a high note.
Kevin had BCRA Midgets penciled in for this coming weekend, but that show has been canceled. They cited BCRA and their concerns about car count as to why the association canceled, but I certainly wonder about that. No, I don't doubt that there was a concern about car count, and I've written about this in recent weeks. There's issues going on with BCRA that, if left unaddressed, well certainly make it harder for them to get dates in the future. Rather than drop the night since this class was going to be the headliners, Kevin added IMCA Sport Modifieds and Mini Stocks to the roster with the possibility of a third class. I don't know if the Pro Stocks would be up to a visit, so it seems like the Jefferson State Jalopies are on deck to be there.
Actually, it may be that the IMCA Modifieds get the invite as well, provided the racers want to come support the show. My thought, if they're able to pull off a show that puts 40 or more cars in the pits, is go ahead and end the season with that one, drop the October idea and work on making 2020 a better season. I just don't feel there's much left that they can prove, but more to lose, by running into October. I want to see them be successful, regardless of what happens beyond this week.
Watsonville opens the gates to the Pat and Jim Pettit Memorial Shootout this Friday and Saturday night, and I expect well over 100 total cars between the IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Sport Modifieds and Hobby Stocks. This has become a happening and is actually the biggest show on the schedule at Watsonville, in terms of car count. It couldn't happen on a better night as Mr and Mrs Pettit were two people who did much behind-the-scenes to help support racing at that track, in addition to Jim Pettit II being one of the top drivers in the area over the last nearly 40 years. I'm here in Antioch and have actually had an invitation extended to me to go to that race. I can tell you I'll be watching it, but I'm not sure if I'll be there in person or not. It depends on how the week goes for me. Regardless, I support this effort at Watsonville and this race is very important
Petaluma Speedway stays dark this week, and I think part of the intent was so that the fans of that track would be encouraged to head to Watsonville along with the local IMCA Modified competitors. From everything I'm seeing, Rick Faeth has done perhaps the best job in the Bay Area of bringing car count and fan support on a regular basis. Despite what future may be in store for Petaluma, because they talk about closing that place a lot, the show goes on. Rick may get my vote for Promoter Of The Year, and I'd certainly have no issue with handing out a DCRR Award Of Excellence to him, if I were handing out awards these days. He's done great.
The track has three shows lined up for October which are all specials. Point racing is done. The annual Adobe Cup race on October 5th will pay the PitStopUSA.com Winged 360 Sprint Cars $5,000 to win once again, while the Bob McCoy Memorial Lumberjacks Restaurant Super Stock race will pay $1,500 to win. Fans of Wingless racing can enjoy the USAC West Coast Sprint Cars on October 12th along with twin 25s for the General Hydroponics Redwood Dwarf Cars and South Bay Dwarf Cars. If that's not enough, they'll have another show the following week, headlined by a $1,000 to win McLea's Tire Service IMCA Modified race.
This Is where it gets a bit unfortunate. With the rain outs and a short schedule as it was, Rick put an IMCA Modified race on the schedule back in late June or early July. He wanted to send a message to his drivers that they were important, hence the increased purse. The fact that Chadwick had been wanting Antioch to stay away from the October 11th and 12th weekend, due to Bakersfield racing that weekend, led to the three-day Antioch show the following weekend. That puts them on top of Petaluma. The issue is you put the racers in a very difficult position, but I support racers doing what's right for their local race track.
What you have to remember is this Modified discussion we've been having started when the late John P Soares brought the class to California in 1987. He was promoting Petaluma Speedway at the time, and it was three years later before another Bay Area track, Antioch Speedway, followed him. Petaluma has the oldest running Modified show on the West Coast, and I know the racers want to race there. I know they're looking over at Antioch Speedway with $7,500 to win, and some will be tempted to go. On the other hand, for them to get more dates at Petaluma next year, which I know they want, they need to show up and support this race. If you're a racer who wants racing at your home track, what would you do?
I could go on, but at some point I need to shut up. I've given a little bit more thought to the Movieland Speedpark drama that's unfolding in Chandler, Indiana. I don't hold Reno Fontana in high regards due to some of the things I've heard about him, but I can also play devil's advocate. Without getting into my personal views about the way the world works or politics, it comes down to the fact that a tax bill that has been accumulated by Harold Baker as to partially why there's been an attempt to auction off a property that has belonged to Baker for years. Reno knows the system and knows how to work it.
My thinking is that Baker got in over his head at some point. At 90 years old, it's pretty remarkable that the man is still active in the world as it is and not just off in some retirement home. I know he was friends with Reno's father and has known Reno a long time. If Reno is tenacious enough to play the system, and you're looking at them taking away your property and putting it up on auction, what are you going to do? It doesn't matter that Baker might have signed a piece of paper saying one thing or the other, the midnight deal he did with Reno was designed to keep anybody from stealing the property. I forward this theory in the hopes that if Reno ultimately wins, Baker will still be taken care of and not hung out to dry. Perhaps Reno is a good enough guy to do that?
They're going to take your property away from you. This is property you paid for and bought, but the old loophole is taxes. When the government or the banks want something, they get it. They do things like eminent domain to take away property if they think it's in the name of "progress" or whatever their agenda is. All you have left as a recourse is working the system and playing any game you can. I have referred to Reno as a con artist, and this is because of things that I have seen in the past. I have no doubt he knows how to play the game and will delay and do what he can in the hopes that ultimately he can secure the money and keep the property.
Look at it this way. If you want property that's paid for, and somebody is going to try to take it away from you, are you going to lay down and quit or are you going to fight to keep what's yours? I know how the system works, and again, without getting too much into my personal beliefs, sometimes you have to fight the system with all the tools at your disposal, even when you're outnumbered or out financed. There's another thing that I haven't put out there in following this story.
I mention the anti Reno, anti Movieland Speedpark pages on Facebook. If you think those pages sprung up merely from fans who care about their race track, think again. I don't know who is behind this current page that puts out all the other information that Reno might not want you to know, but I can guarantee you they have a vested interest in getting that property through auction, and therefore they have an agenda behind why they even exist. I like having the information, because when you only get one side of the story, you're not getting the whole story. But I would be remiss in reporting this stuff if I didn't play devil's advocate and look at the other side.
Reno is playing the game in court to delay things, and there's only one reason. If he doesn't have the money now to pay, he's hoping that he can have the money to pay by the time the deadline passes, or extending the goalposts and seeing if he can get the money by then. The delay game is all he might have until maybe he gets lucky and gets the money. In my mind, he's trying to save a property that was owned by Harold Baker and paid for, minus the fact that the government says he owes taxes and there's a bill from the paving and grading company that Baker himself didn't sign off on, but rather the person who was leasing the facility from him. It's more complicated than I can get into here, but it's all so simple.
You have people that want the property taken away so that they can get it at auction, and they have a voice on social media as the Movieland Update page. You have Baker a little bit old now and maybe not as able to fight the system in court, and therefore you have Reno Fontana, who may or may not actually own the place now. Reno is going to work the system anyway he can, and that's where we currently are now. The auction is off, for now. There are people working to get the auction back on so that they can get the property and do what it is they want to do. Do I blame Reno when I look at it this way? Nope. He's fighting for property that's owned, rather than letting somebody get it for pennies on the dollar through an auction.
People in Chandler, Indiana want their race track. I've written about that, and I have written about what it means to them. And I know they don't want the sideshow. They want racing. They want repairs to the facility and all of that. The problem is, if this property does get auctioned, there is no guarantee that it's going to be a race track when a new owner is brought in. It may be, but it may have another future. In that case, after this whole story has unfolded, maybe racing will be dead after all. Or, Reno may ultimately win, and then the next question will be asked. Does Reno have what it takes to make the race track big again, or is he smart enough and trustworthy enough that he could bring somebody in who could save it? Sadly, the drama isn't over yet, but there are certainly different ways to look at it.
On that note, I'm going to end this column. Even though there's not a lot to do, there's enough. I'm hoping not to have a busy week so that I might continue to enjoy my visit. Until next time...
