Antioch Speedway, Diamond Mountain Speedway, Petaluma Speedway, Siskiyou Golden Speedway, More

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Siskiyou Golden Speedway To Open 
For Race On Saturday Night

Update as of 2 pm Thursday afternoon

Yreka, CA...Promoter Kevin Barba proudly announced at just before 1 pm on Thursday afternoon that Siskiyou Golden Speedway got the okay to have an actual race on Saturday night. Barba had been negotiating with county health officials and originally had an agreement for practice on both Friday and Saturday nights. However, they were given permission to upgrade the practice on Saturday to an actual race.

The covid-19 guidelines will still be enforced. This means using social distancing and no more than three people allowed per car counting the driver. They will be able to have as many as 300 people in the pits for this event. Participating divisions will be the IMCA Modifieds and the IMCA Sport Modifieds.

Misty Buchanan, the speedway's Social Media Director, made the announcement in a brief live stream. Drivers were instructed to make comments below the video or contact the track directly in order to sign up. Within moments, past IMCA Sport Modified champion Colt Boswell and last season's championship runner-up, brother Ryder Boswell, signed up. Division rookies Ryan Peery and Dylan Sauer as well as Travis Pruitt were threw others in the IMCA Sport Modified ranks to throw their hats in the ring. 

In the IMCA Modified division, Travis Peery, Albert Gill, Paul Culp and James Anderson were the first four drivers to sign up. Peery is one of the track's top competitors in recent years. Though he's been gone for a while, he's excited to be back at his home track again. He's won some races at the speedway in his career, and his most recent victory was a $1,000 triumph at Coos Bay Speedway last October. Gill is a multi-time Yreka and Southern Oregon Speedway champion. Culp was fourth in Late Model points at Cottage Grove Speedway last season with two victories to his credit.  At press time, 2019 Coos Bay Speedway and 2018 Cottage Grove Speedway Late Model champion Preston Luckman signed up as well as 2018 and 2019 Cottage Grove IMCA Modified champion Jake Mayden.

This is breaking news, and several drivers are expected to sign up in the hours ahead. The track will allow up to 300 total people into the pits, but you have to sign up first so that they can get a head count for this event. One of the quickest ways to contact them is through the Siskiyou Golden Speedway Facebook page.

On Friday night, the speedway will still have the scheduled practice. Some of the people who were hoping to practice on Saturday in the other divisions can reschedule that for Friday if they choose. Alternatively, some of the drivers in the two Modified classes may want to go from having a practice to an actual race.

Barba and his crew have worked hard to get the track ready for this occasion, and they have worked hard to make a race finally happen. That day is finally here. Saturday night, Siskiyou Golden Speedway will hold its first IMCA Modified and IMCA Sport modified race of the year. 

Due to covid-19 guidelines, the race will not allow fans in the grandstands. However, you are likely to see updates posted by Misty on the Siskiyou Golden Speedway Facebook page, which is a good site to get current information.

Spec Sprints Invade Antioch Speedway Saturday, 
New Race Dates Announced

Antioch, CA...Racing action continues at Antioch Speedway this Saturday night. Though the grandstands are still closed due to covid-19 guidelines, SpeedshiftTV will be broadcasting all of the action. Things are evolving quickly, and there could be an announcement in the near future that some fan attendance may be possible. However, you'll have to watch the website for those announcements. One announcement that was made on the website on Monday night was important scheduling information.

There have been reports that the Hunt Wingless Spec Sprint Series was coming to Antioch Speedway, and it has now been confirmed for this Saturday night. They headline a three division show that will also include the IMCA Sport Modifieds and the Hobby Stocks. Following a midweek practice, the IMCA Sport Modifieds will return for their second-straight week, joined by the IMCA Modifieds and the Super Stocks on June 20th. On June 27th, the Winged 360 Sprint Cars come back along with the Delta Dwarf Cars, Hobby Stocks and Four Bangers. This is the most scheduling information we've been given since the virus forced the shutdown back in March, and it's an indication that things are progressing quite nicely.

Saturday night will mark the first time ever that the Hunt Wingless Spec Sprint Series has been at Antioch Speedway. Back in 1999, Antioch was where this division launched. With Don O'Keefe Jr and Don Martin II doing the groundwork in putting this division together, then Promoter John M Soares added the division to the roster. This is the 22nd season for the class in Antioch, and it's also the 11th season for the Hunt Series. Some of the best drivers in the class make it a point to be there whenever and wherever this series appears.

Last season, the team of car owner Barry Pries Jr and driver Jake Morgan teamed up to claim the championship by just over 100 points ahead of car owner Brian Sperry. Sperry had three-time series champion Terry Schank Jr and Shane Hopkins taking turns behind the wheel, and Brian even drove the car himself. Cody Spencer was the owner and driver who finished in third. When originally conceived, the Hunt Series attempted to follow the old Civil War Series model where participating tracks didn't run the division on nights in which the series was scheduled elsewhere. This helped give the series some of the biggest car counts for the division.

Drivers have been asking when this series might make an appearance at Antioch Speedway, and new Promoter Chad Chadwick answered the call and found a place for them on the schedule. Local standouts such as two-time track champions Bob Newberry and Dan Gonderman are anticipated along with reigning track champion Shannon Newton Roy Fisher and Jeff Scotto. The series should deliver a good car count with plenty of excitement on Saturday night.

Though the track hasn't posted point standings as they navigate through the covid-19 situation, the IMCA website has the Sport Modified standings listed after two events. At four events, it becomes an official point race. On Memorial Day Weekend, Bakersfield champion Michael Johnson and past State champion Brian Cooper were the winners. Cooper's win came in the first round of the George Steitz Memorial Freedom Series. Johnson is listed with a one point advantage over Todd Gomez and a three point lead over reigning champion Tommy Fraser. Both drivers turned in solid efforts on Memorial Day Weekend. Only eight points out of the lead is past champion KC Keller. Kenny Shrader is nine points back and Brent Curran trails by 11 markers. Shrader picked up a lucrative victory last season in the West Coast Nationals.

The track will surely see some top caliber talent, and this is likely to include two-time champion Trevor Clymens and past Antioch and Merced champion Fred Ryland. Several drivers have built cars for this class as it continues to grow. Others to watch for include Tommy Clymens Jr, Todd Clymens, Kevin Brown, Jacob Haas and Haley Gomez.

We haven't seen a point list for the Hobby Stocks after three events, but it's almost a certainty that three-time Ocean Speedway champion Rob Gallaher would be leading. Rob turned in a stellar effort last weekend in picking up his second win of the season to go along with a third place finish. His lead probably wouldn't be too big over past Antioch Mini Truck and Petaluma Dwarf Car champion Travis Dutra. Dutra built a car during the offseason and has been very impressive with consistent Top 5 finishes. James Thomson got what appeared to be a second place finish last week after an intense battle with Dutra, only to be disqualified in tech for an illegal shock. Thomson is determined to return as fast as ever this week to prove that the shock had nothing to do with his impressive finish. 

After finishing second in the standings last year, Breanna Troen has set her sights on the division championship, and she had a strong Top 5 run once again last weekend. These drivers are among those to watch out for this weekend from a roster that could reach into the 20s once again. Others to look for include Josh Leach, Gene Haney, Ken Johns, Aiden Ponciano, Lori Brown and Mitchell Locicero.

Saturday night should be another exciting show. Fans who tuned in online last week saw some intense side-by-side battles in the Main Events, and they'll be able to catch all of the action on SpeedshiftTV again this Saturday night. For further information, go to www.antiochspeedway.com.

Diamond Mountain Speedway To Open With Fans 
This Saturday Night

Susanville, CA...Jeff Olschowka has been in negotiations with Lassen County Health officials to determine when Diamond Mountain Speedway would be able to open. Not only did he negotiate an opening date for this Saturday night, but he also managed to get some fan attendance. The speedway will be using social distance guidelines in the stands, meaning seating will be limited. They are unable to open the concession stands just yet, but they hope that will change for future races.

Jeff made a splash with his scheduling announcements recently. This Saturday night will see the IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Sport Modifieds, Hobby Stocks and Mini Stocks all take their turns on the clay oval. On June 26th, these very same divisions return for another race. On the 27th, the Mini Stocks will take a night off, but the Late Models and Tri State Pro Stock Challenge Series will be there to make an exciting show to close out the June activities.

This Saturday's IMCA Modified showdown will run for $1,000 to win. Drivers from Oregon are making plans to be there for what should be an exciting show. Last season, Chris Nieman notched the division championship. He won that title by 15 tallies ahead of Wade Kennemore. Larry McCracken, Matt Murphy and Mitch Murphy made up the balance of the Top 5 in last season's standings. Most of these drivers are anticipated along with other notable stars such as Riley Simmons, Wade Kennemore, Scott Foreman and Chris Olexiewicz.

The IMCA Sport Modifieds will compete for $400 to win. Much like the IMCA Modifieds, there are drivers from Oregon and Northern California planning to make the trip to Susanville. It's likely that some of their fans will be coming since they have an opportunity to actually spectate at this show. Multi-time Hobby Stock champion Richard Longacre is adapting quite well to the IMCA Sport Modified division. Last season, Richard used consistency to win the championship by 26 points ahead of the Neiman's. Both Chase Neiman and Shayna Nieman tied for the second position in the final rundown.

Jimmy Ray Huffmon and Colton Chew made up the remainder of the Top 5. Previous champion Jason Emmot finished sixth. These stars are anticipated along with hard chargers such as Ryan Svensson, Rusty McMillan, Nathaniel Howard and Kelly Kennemore. Word out of Yreka is that their track's previous two champions, Trevor Tiffee and Ethan Killingsworth, will be coming to town.

The Hobby Stock division will also get a $400 to win first prize. The fact that other area tracks haven't been able to get open could lead to a few surprise visitors. Last season's championship went to Jacob Hutson. Doug Weeks, Steve Buhr, Fred Kresge and David Woods made up the Top 5 in the standings. Sometimes the count hasn't been spectacular in this division, but the numbers should be up a little bit for this race. 

Even the Mini Stock division should see some drivers from out of town, and that could include multi-time Orland Raceway champion Tom Davis, who has taken a liking to the Susanville track. Since Tom tends to win more often than not when he makes his appearances, you can see why he likes the place. Larry Whitebird also enjoys competing at his home track and has won multiple Mini Stock championships, including last season. Billy Gibson, Johnny Moya, Bion Barr and Anthony Hovland were last season's Top 5 performers, and hard charger Suzi Schmitt ended up sixth. 

Saturday's show promises to be a thriller from start to finish. Tracks all up and down the West Coast have been wondering when they will open, much less when they can have fans in the grandstands. The Susanville track has accomplished both goals on the same weekend. For further information, go to the Diamond Mountain Speedway Facebook page or check out www.dmspeedway.com.

Petaluma Speedway Set To Host 
The Dwarf Car Nationals This Weekend

Petaluma, CA...After lengthy discussions with the county health officials, Petaluma Speedway Promoter Rick Faeth has finally managed to get the gates open for an event at Petaluma Speedway this Friday and Saturday night. This will be the annual Western States Dwarf Car Nationals, hosted by the local General Hydroponics Redwood Dwarf Car Association. There are still strict covid-19 guidelines in place which will keep the grandstands closed for the weekend.

The Dwarf Car Nationals brings together some of the top teams from throughout California, Oregon, Nevada and other states. Last season, the two-day show brought roughly 70 competitors across the three classifications. The Dwarf Car Nationals features a Pro division, a Veteran division for the older competitors and a Sportsman division for the newcomers. Last season, NorCal Dwarf Car Association star Ryan "Ice Chip" Winter won the Pro Main Event, while Antioch Speedway champion Scott Dahlgren was the Veteran winner. Local star Michael Affonso won the Sportsman Main Event after winning the Preliminary Feature a night earlier.

Chad Matthias was the Redwood Dwarf Car champion last season. This was his second title with the group, and he outlasted such stars as runnerup Mark Hanson, previous champion John "Scooter" Gomes, Matt Hagermann and Kevin Miraglio. The Redwood Dwarf Cars were also a part of the ASCS Sprint Car event back in March. They produced a stellar field of 42 competitors as drivers from out of the area flocked to town to be a part of the show. Two-time Antioch Speedway champion Danny Wagner got the win that night ahead of Winter and reigning NorCal champion Michael "Spanky" Grenert.

Supporting the Dwarf Cars on Saturday will be the PitStopUSA.com Wingless Spec Sprints. Last year saw an up turn in car count with the group. Past Chico Silver Dollar Speedway champion Angelique Bell was a one-time winner during the course of the season. She used consistency to notch the title. Scott Chapeta was able to overtake past champion Sparky Howard in the season finale to claim runner-up honors. Cody Fendley and Keith Calvino made up the balance of the Top 5 last season. With a big series event not far down the road, it's uncertain who might support the show, but other drivers to watch for include Bob Davis, Bradley Terrell, Tony Bernard and Dennis Furia Jr.

Petaluma Speedway is finally opening its gates, and this is as big an event as it gets for the Dwarf Car division. The grandstands will be closed, unfortunately. At press time, there was no word on any live broadcast, but the speedway has been using the Race Monitor app for live scoring, which enables people to keep track of the show as it happens. For updates on potential live streaming or other important news, go to the Petaluma Speedway Facebook page or www.petaluma-speedway.com.

Racing And Practice On The Schedule 
At The Siskiyou Golden Fairgrounds Tracks This Weekend

Original story posted Wednesday night at 10 pm.  See article at the top for update.

Yreka, CA...Siskiyou Golden Speedway has held multiple practices for the past three weekends, and all would have to be classified as a resounding success. Promoter Kevin Barba has been in negotiations to open the big track for a race, even if it's with an empty grandstand. Reportedly, there could be an announcement very soon concerning when the opener will happen, but Friday and Saturday will see practices on the big track again. Also on Friday night, the little Outlaw Kart track will open for an event.

The Yreka Outlaws made the announcement a few weeks ago that they could have as many as 100 people on the facility. They begin taking reservations for competitors and crew members. Our most recent report is that they had reached the allowed capacity within covid-19 guidelines at 100 people and 31 different Outlaw Karts from various classifications. Despite the limitations, this wasn't really a bad Kart count at all. However, it's been announced that they can have more people and more spots are available. The best way to find out what's going on at the little track would be to go to the Yreka Outlaws page.

Understandably, some of the Siskiyou Golden Speedway competitors are frustrated by another practice and just want to race. A few of them may be headed elsewhere to make that happen. However, drivers are already signing up to be a part of practice this weekend. Word has gotten out that Barba and his crew have been providing good racing surfaces, and more racers want to get out there to test their equipment. Reportedly, several drivers from Southern Oregon are on the list this time.

Southern Oregon Speedway'a most decorated IMCA Modified champion, Mark Wauge, wants to make some laps in his Late Model ahead of a potential visit to Susanville at the end of the month. Wauge was last season's top rookie at Southern Oregon Speedway. Two-time Southern Oregon Speedway IMCA Sport Modified champion Mike Medel has his car wrapped and ready to go. With nothing happening in Oregon, Mike will come practice in Yreka this weekend. The Cardoza Dwarf Car team has signed on with two cars, and John David Duffie is coming to town as well. Duffie has notched several Pro Stock wins in his career. Though he's most recently been a Top 5 point competitor driving for Arlen Heath, we've heard reports that John may have a Late Model for this practice. 

Mini Stock competitors Tim Hedges and Ashtin Hedges will also be coming in from Medford, joined by local Mini Stock star Terry Alford. Some of the others who have expressed interest include local star Ryder Boswell, Randy Wright, Late Model racer Eric Massey, Hornet graduate Dylan Sauer and young Outlaw Kart graduate Brionna Fuller. Fuller was at practice last week as well. She will also be competing in an Outlaw Kart on Friday.

Outlaw Kart racing is set to begin on Friday at the little track, and racing could happen soon at the big track. We've heard rumored reports that June 20th could potentially be the date for a no grandstands race, and we've also heard rumors of at least one visiting group of racers being invited that night. However, these are rumors. To get the facts on what's really happening, go to the Siskiyou Golden Speedway Facebook page for the big track and the Yreka Outlaws Facebook page for the little track.

The Editor's Viewpoint

Monday Evening Thoughts

Each day I've been documenting the things I read as we are on the path to getting these race tracks opened. As I sit here writing the first paragraphs of this column, I think this will probably be the last time I write the column in this manner. They are getting to be just a bit long, and it looks like most of the tracks that we feature on the blog will be opened by the end of June. There are still a couple tracks that we're waiting to hear from.

I will reiterate that I'm greatly disappointed in the states and the way they are handling things like local level sporting events. This includes auto racing. I don't think they have a true understanding of what it is we do on any given Friday or Saturday night, and they've made no effort to outline a path to get these tracks open again. We've just sort of stumbled through and found our way. The World of Outlaws drafted the only plan that I know of other than whatever was proposed by Kenny Shepherd to the Madera County Health officials. If there had been some sort of organized plan, this wouldn't be the way it would have been done.

We started seeing tracks opening midway through May. Other than Madera Speedway, which didn't open until last Saturday, I am unaware of any restrictions being put on how many people could attend in the pits. What's interesting about that is it flies in the face of some of the other public gatherings. People couldn't go to church in some cases. We saw some bar and grill establishments open to a limited capacity. The race tracks could open with no fans in the grandstands, but there wasn't really a limit to how many total people could be in the pits. Seriously, if a track could get 500 or more people in the pits, which I believe has happened at least a couple of times in California so far, they did just that.

The only limitation I saw listed for pit attendance was how many people could come with a car. I've seen it listed as three people and I've seen it listed as high as six people, which is the case at Antioch Speedway. So, you could pack the pits at some of these places with as many people as you could get. There were probably conservatively more than 300 people in the pits at some places. Whether they were engaging in social distancing or not, this is just what was happening, but the grandstands were still closed.

Picture some of the shots you may have seen on the live stream when the camera panned across the pit bleachers. They were not socially distancing in those bleachers. I mean, I don't necessarily care, because this whole virus thing was BS from the word go, but they're not socially distancing. Don't kid yourself. This was obvious at not only Antioch Speedway, but Marysville Raceway as well. At least Marysville attempted to show some sort of effort to socially distance by allowing crew members to use the empty grandstands to watch their driver's particular race. They did not do that at Antioch Speedway.

I'm not saying this to point a finger at any track. What I am saying is it's ridiculous that the state allowed the pits at race tracks to be packed as much as they were, but we can't even talk about fans going into the grandstands. It's mid June, and it doesn't look like any fans will be attending races in California yet. I think there's a shot at the end of June, but we'll see. Now, if you're going to allow 300 people to gather in the pits, give me one good reason why you can't allow that to happen in the grandstands. Just one.

Jeff Olschowka at Susanville was making a pitch for some fan attendance for his race this Saturday night. While I think the odds are probably against that, I haven't heard anything as I write this. He could probably get 500 people in those stands by using the social distance guidelines. I don't know exactly how many. I'd have to ask him. You could have done that at any of these tracks that have opened their gates, and while some fans might not have wanted to risk going to the track, others would have been there. If they couldn't purchase tickets at the track, they would have purchased them online. Whatever. 

I'm not even talking about opening up the concessions. If you're worried about safety concerns, you could have kept them closed and allowed fans to bring food and drink for the first couple of races. At least the fans could have bought tickets and supported the track that way. No guidelines were set up to even begin this, and I find it absolutely ridiculous that we are in mid June and still aren't there yet. Yet, you can pack the pits with however many people you can get back there. Don't kid yourself, this is what's keeping Antioch Speedway going. Chad isn't stupid. He doesn't want people talking about how many people are in his pits, but there's a plethora of people in those pits. All he did was agree to the certain guidelines expected by the county health officials. I'll leave you to decide whether social distancing was maintained or how many people were wearing masks. The agreement was still made.

If that's the case, why couldn't the same thing have been done with the grandstands? Why couldn't they open at these race tracks? If it's deemed that running concessions is problematic, don't open them. Or, if you have to limit what you can serve, do that. About the only other thing that might be needed is hand sanitizing stations and somebody manning the restrooms to keep them clean at all times, the latter of which I know is being done at Madera Speedway. But if you can get 300 to 500 people in the pits, you can do the same in the grandstands. You can also not allow crossover privileges, thereby meaning this isn't an even bigger mass gathering. It's gathering at two different points.

I'm seeing people talk about this in Oregon as we are at the point where 250 people can gather. I am under the impression that this is what it is all around the state, which I wasn't clear on when I released the previous Viewpoint. River City Speedway in St Helens is lobbying to have a race, and they may announce something soon. In the meantime, they are opening up spots for the first 35 Four Cylinder competitors and first 35 Dwarf Car competitors to practice this Saturday night. The maximum allowed in the pits will be 250 people. I would think they could have included another division in this, but maybe these two divisions will actually give them 250 total people. I don't know. 

When it comes to making the most out of the 250 people you can get, Heather Boyce at Cottage Grove Speedway takes the cake. What she has done is set a practice for this Saturday that will allow all 7 of her divisions to practice at different times during the day. This means nobody that wants to come out there and practice or crew is likely to be turned away, and I would suspect there will have been a total of 300 to 350 people in the pits during the course of Saturday, that is if the weather holds and they don't get a rain out. The forecast looks pretty gloomy so far.

As I mentioned, most of the tracks that we cover here are likely to have opened by the end of this month. Ocean Speedway was not happy to have had to cancel this Friday's race. There might have actually been a chance that they could have held a race. I don't know, and this is just guessing. It was the Pombo/Sargent Classic, and that would have been the NARC/King of the West Winged 410 Sprint Car Series and a very high purse. On the 19th, they will be opening with the Taco Bravo Sprint Cars, IMCA Sport Modifieds, Hobby Stocks, Four Bangers and South Bay Dwarf Cars. No grandstands as of yet, which makes me a little grumpy, but I believe they will have SpeedshiftTV. That announcement should be made soon.

I saw where the city of Stockton was having a meeting to decide whether or not they want to make wearing masks mandatory. That's the level of stupidity going on in that city at the moment. I'm not so sure they were cleared to hold the race they had at Stockton 99 Speedway on May 31st, but they got it done anyway. The Southwest Tour Series is claiming that they will be in Stockton on July 4th, rescheduled from the cancellation they just had there last Saturday. Whether they will have grandstand admittance by then, I don't know. I'm still holding out hope that somebody will allow fans in the stands in California at a race track before the end of June.

I really thought Siskiyou Golden Speedway had a chance to get a race approved for this weekend. There's not a doubt in my mind that Kevin Barba tried, and he showed that he could work within their guidelines in having the practices he's been having for the past three weeks. Unfortunately, it's practice again this weekend. They'll be doing it on Friday night and Saturday. This has helped the track as Kevin and his crew have figured a few things out that are making things better for when the season does start. It's also helping the racers to at least get on the track and make some good laps at full speed. Though it may not seem like it at this point, a fourth-straight week of practice at Siskiyou Golden Speedway is a plus. As always, keep going to their Facebook page. They update it quite a bit.

Wrapping up my Monday thoughts, and the clock says it's just past midnight. Mike made the decision to put something out on the Southern Oregon Speedway Facebook page. It's not the good news that people were hoping to hear, but it's not the bad news it could have been. The door isn't shut on putting cars on the track for practice, and that could happen. I don't have an ETA on when that's possible. When I look at what Cottage Grove is hoping to do this weekend with their practice on Saturday, I like that model. It makes for a long day for the track personnel involved, but the racers get their turn on the oval.

The thing is, the Southern Oregon Speedway roster is pretty big when you take into consideration the divisions that compete there. If you break it up into groups, you make sure that there's probably going to be no limitations. Everybody who wants to be there will get a shot at the track during the day. I'm not sure 250 spots would allow everybody who wanted to practice to get that opportunity. Then again, by the time the track could open for practice, there may be other things to take into consideration. The fact is, several drivers in the area have already practiced in Yreka, so they are ready to race.

Susanville will offer these guys an opportunity this Saturday night and on the weekend of the 26th and 27th. Though Yreka had the door shut on them for a race this weekend, who knows on the 20th? After Cottage Grove has their practice this weekend, will they be going for a race on the 20th? Coos Bay Speedway didn't make a Monday statement as I thought they would, but Tuesday may yield some answers. Are they doing races on the 17th and 20th? it looks like they're all in when it comes to the dragstrip after what they did last weekend. They have announced dates for the coming weekend for them.

Opening for a race in front of empty grandstands does not fit the business model for the Medford track. That's just the way it is. Fans are needed to make racing a reality. You can go the streaming route, but money from that is drying up. It's not going to be as profitable to go with a company like SpeedshiftTV as it was a month ago, because there are so many tracks using the service now. Once people are paying their $40 a month or their yearly subscription, how much of a share will the track get of the viewing revenue, unless people sign up directly to buy that particular stream? I figure there will be fewer of those. So, a track that might get $2,000-$3,000 or so a month ago could be lucky to get $1,000 now. I assure you, $1,000 doesn't quite make up for the $5,000 or so that you're not getting out of the grandstands, not to mention the concessions.

I still maintain that the dam has to break on the grandstands deal. Oregon is a bit behind California, and California isn't budging yet. I'm waiting to hear a final word from Susanville on this weekend's grandstands. How about tracks holding races on the 20th? The end of the month? I was speculating that somebody would, but will I be right? In Oregon, I don't expect anybody to open the grandstands this month at the oval tracks. The configuration of the drag strip at Coos Bay may be a reason why Drake was able to get that open and invite spectators in, but the oval track is a different deal. I eagerly await what he has to say as he is the trendsetter in the state at this point. He is poised to be the first oval track in Oregon to open this year.

Southern Oregon Speedway was never going to lead the pack on this. This is a dollars-and-cents, nuts and bolts operation. Investments have been strategic with the idea of growing the program. Opening in front of empty grandstands for the sake of opening isn't on the drawing board. I'm not saying something couldn't happen, but I'm doubtful of a race without grandstands as I write this. A practice? I think that can happen. Odds are against it happening in June, but possibly the last weekend? July might be a better bet for that, but other tracks are surely going to be racing by then. You'll see people forgo practicing in Medford because they want to go racing. It's a mess.

I can't speak for what the track will do and when, and these are just my observations as I wrap up my Monday news. I also observe that I'm plenty pissed that this virus fear and overreaction that we've been dealing with and how it killed the momentum we worked hard to build heading into our fifth year at this track. It's almost caused a reset, and we still don't know the economic damages that this has done yet. Tracks instinctively are opening because you've got to get something going. If and when a race happens there this year, I don't know what it looks like, but I'm feeling that the 2020 championship season is lost. That makes me sad. I don't know what the future holds and how we put things back in motion again. I'm not sure what the future holds for the track or me in general. We'll see.

Tuesday Morning Thoughts

Well, it finally happened. Jeff Olschowka is the first promoter to get grandstands at his race track, and it's happening at his first race. Diamond Mountain Speedway in Susanville will have socially distanced seating in the grandstands this Saturday night for their show, which features IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Sport Modifieds, Hobby Stocks and Mini Stocks. I'm not sure what the seating capacity is for this, but I suspect that even socially distanced they can get their average crowd at least. They don't get any concession stands, unfortunately. However, getting any people at all in the grandstands is a victory.

I was a bit surprised at Jeff's optimism when he announced these dates on the schedule and said he was going for fans. My sources told me that he had already marked off the grandstands for social distancing, so health officials could actually go up there and look at what his plan was. I'm sure that helped. Because these officials are trying to be conservative with opening things back up, he's not getting any kind of concession stands yet, but just getting fans in the stands is another leap forward. He's the first, but more will follow soon.

When he announced the date, he also announced that he would be paying the regular purses for these four divisions. Actually, I'm not sure that he pays $1,000 to win the IMCA Modifieds on a regular basis, but he's doing it this time. They get a pretty good turnout of these cars, and it should be inflated just a bit with some visitors. IMCA Sport Modifieds get the standard purse with $400 to win. I'm kind of surprised that Hobby Stocks get the same purse as them. Even the Mini Stocks get a piece of the pie with $150 to win and their purse. The one advantage Jeff has being up in Lassen County is that they aren't as heavily populated and there's a bigger chance for them to move things forward quicker, but you still can't tell. They are still waiting to have an actual race in Yreka after three consecutive practice weekends. I've heard nothing out of Hayfork, Orland or Quincy yet. Hopefully the weather lets this race happen. The forecast looks better for them than it does Yreka.

Talking about Yreka's Siskiyou Golden Speedway once again, there's a rumor out right now that June 20th could be the target date to get those gates open for an actual race. Again, this is just a rumor that hasn't been confirmed by the track just yet. I was a bit surprised that they couldn't announce the 13th as a race, but rather two days of practices on Friday and Saturday instead. However, I have to believe they are close. I would anticipate an announcement soon, and my guess is IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Sport Modifieds, Mini Stocks and possibly the Outlaw Pro Stock Association. Just stay tuned to The Siskiyou Golden Speedway Facebook page as this news continues to evolve.

Sticking with California, Santa Maria Raceway finally made a little progress. They've been given permission to have a practice this weekend with covid-19 rules in effect. It's another step forward. Recently, we heard they weren't even given permission to put a car on the track. They had something set up a few weeks ago and worked with county health officials to make it happen. Drivers had pre-signed and everything, and they were forced to pull the plug on the day of the practice. This news of practice is certainly encouraging, especially considering the tracks closer to LA have bigger hurdles to jump.

I'm just a bit surprised by the news that Merced Speedway has set a target for July 11th as their season opener and have furthermore moved the Ed Parker Memorial race to a date to be named later. I kind of figured that Merced County would move things along a bit quicker, and I can only imagine how frustrating it has been for Doug Lockwood to try to negotiate something. From his announcement on the Merced Speedway Facebook page, it sounds like Doug is trying to do this with fan attendance, and that may not possible at this stage in the phase process. They're looking at it happening in Phase 4. 

The thing about the internet streaming revenue you get when running in front of an empty grandstand is there was more money to be had as the first few tracks began to open over a month ago. As more tracks open with no grandstands and secure a deal to stream their races, they are getting fewer dollars in return. I don't think that Lockwood is looking at this as a real option from the way I read it. 

When I hear him say July 11th, what I'm hearing is July 11th with fan attendance. The one thing about Merced Speedway is it's an area where a season can go later if they so choose. Therefore, if this is something Doug has a mind to do, racing season could carry on through November, but that's just speculation. Another thing to consider is he moved the date out to July just to be cautious. I'm seeing indications that Doug is trying for earlier if at all possible, so we could hear of a June date in the near future. As always, you need to check the track's Facebook page for updates on the matter.

On the California Micro Sprint scene, Plaza Park upped the ante. They got good news that the practice they were going to have can actually be a race, and it's happening this Friday night. They will have to do the whole covid-19 song and dance, meaning no fans in the grandstands, but at least they get to race. Lemoore Raceway will be running on Saturday night, giving drivers down in that area an opportunity for a doubleheader weekend without having to tow too far down the road to do it. This means Dixon Speedway now has company with three tracks running Micros, and Lemoore and Dixon are going head-to-head this weekend on Saturday. Both tracks should do just fine.

Since now we know Plaza Park gets to run, we're even more curious if the Covid Cup that was recently announced between Dixon and Lemoore for the end of this month will be modified to include Plaza Park. We don't know, and this is only speculation. Originally, the end of the month was California Micro Sprint Speedweek, and that was to include these three tracks and Delta Speedway, each with a date. Management at Delta Speedway and the other two Stockton tracks is lobbying hard with county officials to get things back in action again, and another meeting was happening with the County Supervisors tonight.

Back in Oregon, Drake Nelson removed the suspense. June 17th, a Wednesday night, will see the oval track open for racing for the first time this year. It will make Coos Bay Speedway the first track in the state to have an actual oval track race. Furthermore, they're allowing fans to come in, but they are being a bit tricky by calling the place Coos Bay Speedway Bar and Grill. The first 250 people can enter, and they are serving food and beer in the grandstand area, where they can watch the races. Sounds like more than 250 people to me. Again, I don't care. Do what you got to do Drake.

The June 17th date was the only one that was announced as it's the first one on the radar. Plus, the weekend leading up to that date will see the drag strip busy as well. However, somebody asked in the comment section what about the Limited Sprints. The Limited Sprints will be part of a June 20th race, and we're assuming Late Models, Hornets and other classes will be there as well. Drake will clarify this soon. On the 17th, they open their gates to IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Sport Modifieds, Street Stocks and Junior Stingers.

Oregon racers are jonesing for something, and nobody will have a race before Coos Bay Speedway. This means that Modified and Sport Modified drivers from the tracks in Medford, Cottage Grove, Willamette and so on could converge on Coos Bay. They will need to as the track doesn't have its own roster of drivers in these two classes. They do have Street Stocks, but we can see people coming from various Oregon tracks to increase that car count as well. The Junior Stinger class is unique to Coos Bay. It is Hornets for kids 11 to 14 years old. It's a training ground for new stars, and we were hearing of several kids getting into this class before this virus stuff broke out.

Loren Kruesi posted news on his own Facebook page but shared it with Willamette Speedway regarding what's going on with that track. Linn County Commissioner John Lindsay wanted to make a clarification that the county is not trying to close the race track, nor do they have a desire to do that. It's reportedly been designated a historical landmark, and this happened at the end of Claire Arnold's tenure as promoter. Arnold is the man who built the track. The issue apparently centers around the people who bought the track and various things they did with the facilities without getting approval from the county.

Lindsay states that the track itself isn't an issue and is just fine. They want the track to get back up to code again, and this included the grandstands needing a sprinkler system for safety and other issues with buildings at the location. They are concerned about the safety of the fans, or so Lindsay said. He also mentioned that the owner of the track has lawyered up, which is complicating the situation all the more. It's quite an interesting read into the drama that is this race track.

We absolutely do not need to lose any of the nine outdoor oval tracks the state has. Over the last 30 years or so, Klamath Falls Speedway, Eugene Speedway, Clatsop Speedway, Portland Speedway, Elgin Outlaw Speedway, Worden Speedway and the Baker City track have all been shuttered. Worden Speedway sits among the weeds, waiting for somebody to buy the track and open it, which would be a godsend for the Klamath Falls area racers who travel all the time. Baker City's track is for sale as well. 

We hear the occasional rumor of something maybe being built in Portland, but it's just a rumor. We are happy to hear that they don't desire to close down Willamette Speedway, but we also know the property values are going up at with housing tracts being built. We'll see where things go, but you can go to the track's Facebook page for current updates.

Back in California, the Dwarf Car Nationals will be happening at Petaluma Speedway on Friday and Saturday. I've been speculating about whether they'd be able to get this event past the county health officials in light of the fact that there would be drivers coming from out of state and all over California. On the other hand, you have to be able to open the gate sometime, right? Now's as good a time as any. It looks like they did get the approval. Also, the PitStopUSA.com Wingless Spec Sprints are remaining on the schedule for Saturday night.

I'm quite sure this is going to upset some people from the Hunt Series, especially considering the fact that they scheduled a date for Antioch Speedway on Saturday night. It must be pointed out that Petaluma Speedway never said they were throwing their initial 2020 schedule out the window. They've made commitments to various different series, and if they are allowed to run on that particular night, they intend to honor the dates as originally booked. Everything prior to this weekend has been canceled due to the virus, with the exception of the ASCS Sprint Car race back in March. It wasn't Petaluma Speedway that booked on top of the Hunt Series, but vice versa. I'm not delighted by the fact that it happened this way, but I don't blame Rick Faeth for any of this.

Honestly, I don't blame anybody for this. Antioch Speedway threw their original schedule out the window and has been rewriting it on the fly. They just announced the final three dates of June, which is the most scheduling they have done since this virus. The Hunt Series was simply trying to find a date, and they just assumed that Petaluma Speedway was down for the count. Nobody is at fault on this one, so I hope people understand that and keep the finger pointing to themselves. Yes, I would like to have seen Petaluma adjust their schedule a little bit, but they were under no obligation to do that. But the bigger news is that Petaluma Speedway it's finally opening again, even if they don't get fans in the stands yet.

I think we've pretty much gotten all the news I was anticipating for the week, and the blog post might be pretty well put together right now except for one thing. While I've been trying to gather my thoughts on the news coming in here, I've been battling technical issues all day long. My failing hard drive still had a few important files that I forgot to get off of it, including my statistical records from the 2018 season. I thought I had grabbed all of that. Retrieving them from the hard drive has been a chore, plus there's some other photos and videos that I've been trying to grab all day. I've been successful in this endeavor, but it's taken the whole day.

I can honestly say that if I had to be at a race track every week right now, I don't think my equipment could get me through the season. I guess I'm kind of lucky in that regard. I can make it work if I'm sitting at the desk for now, but I'm going to have to replace another laptop and eventually a phone. That will have to wait until I'm able to afford doing it, and if things fail on me any worse than they have so far, I'm simply done. It is what it is, and I'm not too worried about it at this point. I'll just do the best I can.

I feel like I pretty much covered the struggle to open these tracks up fairly decently. Most of the tracks have opened or have announced that they are going to open. There's still a few that we're waiting to hear from, and then comes the big question. When will these tracks start having grandstand attendance? I think it's going to be different in every county, but we're going to start seeing fans in the stands at more tracks. Much like Marysville got to take the lead in opening up for a race in front of empty grandstands, Susanville gets to open up with some grandstands. We are making it through this mess, but the damage has already been done. Tens of thousands of dollars in revenue has been lost to the race tracks on the west coast because of this virus, and all promoters can do now is make the best of it.

The bigger question is what residual effects are we going to feel from what we've been through over this virus? What impact will it have on us in terms of sponsorship, fan base and that sort of thing? What sorts of procedures are we now stuck with going forward? Are we going to become a cashless sport at this point, and how does that affect pay out at the end of the night? I don't know the answers to any of these questions, and it will be interesting to see. I'm still going to keep my eye on things, but I think we've cleared the hurdle of getting tracks open again. Now we move towards normalcy, whatever that's going to be. I can't tell you how much I detest the term new normal, but if we accept it, that's what we're going to get.

It's been an interesting Tuesday in terms of the news that we've heard. It actually seems like things are moving along even quicker than I anticipated, which is another good sign. We will surely hear bad news mixed in with the good, and there could be a couple of tracks that either don't open or struggle with whatever they are able to do. 

Wednesday Thoughts

It's Wednesday morning, and I'm leaning towards putting things together for a post tonight and getting it done early. I had originally thought Thursday night or Friday morning, but why not get it done early? There has been plenty of good news, and though I'm still waiting to hear anything from certain tracks. The signs are there. Tracks are going to be opening up in front of empty grandstands, and we'll have at least 10 of them running races in California this weekend. More tracks will get grandstands this month, but I can't guess who will be next after Susanville. July will see several tracks having fans, depending on the county they are in, and we'll see restrictions on how many people lifted gradually.

In Stockton, The Noceti Group gives us glimpses into the frustration they're going through. They had the San Joaquin County Supervisor Meeting on Tuesday night, and it turns out it's the mayor of Stockton who was trying to make wearing a mask mandatory in the county. Thankfully, that was soundly rejected. The bigger issue seems to be coming from the county health official, who is taking a conservative view on things. There's a concern over cases rising and becoming more of a burden on the hospital and that sort of thing, but I think the vibe is one of getting things opened again.

Noceti isn't waiting around. It looks like June won't see any racing in Stockton, at least from what I know at this moment. However, the Ron Strmiska Shoot To Thrill 127 will be taking place on July 4th. This is for the Southwest Tour Series, but there will be plenty of action at Stockton 99 Speedway that night. The regular Late Model division will be there along with the Junior Late Models, Bombers and Basically Four Cylinders. I have no reason to believe that this race won't happen at this time. Unless something is just around the corner to screw everything up. It's sad that we have to worry about what's next, but such is the world that we're living in.

Kenny Shepherd hinted on the Madera Speedway Facebook page that there will be an announcement at the end of the week regarding the next phase. Kenny drafted a more detailed plan to get his track open than the World of Outlaws. Seems like he was doing a micro-phase type of plan. My guess would be that they can open up for more divisions, but still may not have fans just yet. However, that's just a guess. It could turn out that they get to do both, more divisions and some fans using social distancing guidelines. We'll just have to tune in to the Madera Speedway Facebook page to see. In the meantime, they will be racing this weekend and next weekend, and Club Races were planned. Late Models will be at both events. Check the Facebook page for support classes.

It looks like Bakersfield Speedway has circled June 27th on their calendar to get those gates open. This is a special event at the speedway. It's the Richie McGowan Memorial race. McGowan was one of the popular Hobby Stock racers for years, and his car #32 is how many laps the Hobby Stocks get to run for an increased purse, or at least that's the way it's been in the past. IMCA Modifieds and IMCA Sport Modifieds are on the schedule among other classes. 

I'm thinking Scott Schweitzer hopes to have some fans in the stands, socially distanced of course. However, details haven't been forthcoming just yet as they have a practice before that on June 20th. I'm sure the Bakersfield Speedway Facebook page will list all the covid-19 guidelines they have to follow and whether or not they can have fans in the stands. I actually think there's at least a 50/50 chance for fans in some capacity for this race.

The hits just keep on coming down in Southern California, which I think will be more difficult for some track promoters to negotiate through. We already saw Perris Auto Speedway cancel open wheel, stock car and Night of Destruction events that were scheduled for June, and now they've lost their July 4th event. This was another Night of Destruction show that was also to feature a big fireworks display. Seems the county health officials don't think it's safe enough to do this. Really? It's unsafe to celebrate the 4th of July? The day in which we supposedly celebrate our freedom in this country? So basically, they had to ask for permission to celebrate our freedom, and they were denied? Okay, gotcha.

The Bay Cities Racing Association is chomping at the bit to put those cars on the track, but they won't get to do it on Fourth of July Weekend either. They had a doubleheader set with visits to both Lakeport Speedway and Ukiah Speedway. Needless to say the respective counties have decided against any sort of celebration with fireworks, and both tracks have removed that racing weekend from their schedules. I could say something here, but I'm going to restrain myself. This sucks doesn't quite cut it. Furthermore, the BCRA won't get to race on July 11th, which was a co-sanctioned event with USAC. This is because USAC has already canceled their visit to Placerville that night. They're hoping maybe to get their season started on July 18th. It's not all bad news for racing in Ukiah.

After their successful opening under the strict covid-19 guidelines, Ukiah Speedway has felt confident enough to announce the remainder of their schedule for the season. It should be pointed out that this is a tentative schedule and subject to change. It will also be done under covid-19 guidelines, meaning no fan attendance or concessions until further notice. They'll be running their Bombers, Limited Modifieds, Jammers and Bandoleros, and dates include June 27th, July 11th and 18th, August 8th and 22nd and September 5th and 19th, the latter date which would be the Bomber Bash. They have two Mud Bog and Jalopy events scheduled for August 9th and September 6th. As always, the Ukiah Speedway Facebook page is the best place to go for current updates.

We have a bit more Oregon news. Madras Speedway has thrown their hat into the ring with a scheduled practice set for June 20th. They are using covid-19 guidelines. The grandstands are closed, but you usually don't get open grandstands for a practice anyway. They will use social distance guidelines in the pits and allow no more than 250 people total. They are taking signups for this. Meanwhile, at River City Speedway in St Helens, they overestimated how many cars they might get between just the Four Cylinder and Dwarf Car classes and have therefore opened it up to allow different classes to practice this Saturday. They are still 75 people shy of 250 people signed up as of this writing.

Cottage Grove Speedway just issued a statement that the scheduled practice as we outlined earlier in this column is still happening. However, they are monitoring the weather. There's the possibility that we could be seeing rain on Saturday. Sunday wasn't looking too good either, but it is looking better than Saturday. Therefore, they could alter what they do on Sunday, if they're able to do anything after the rain that hits the area. Those announcements will be made at the Cottage Grove Speedway Facebook page. It kind of bums me out to see this happen to them as I thought the plan they outlined for Saturday practice was pretty clever. Hopefully the forecast is wrong and they won't get the rain. We shall see.

We were waiting to hear anything from Marysville Raceway. They haven't always been quick on their updates since reopening to no grandstands in mid May, and we were curious. Placerville Speedway jumped in for a Saturday night race and got SpeedshiftTV, and then Antioch Speedway also chimed in with a SpeedshiftTV broadcast on a Saturday night. We knew that Promoter Dennis Gage was concerned about declining internet stream revenue, but the other concern probably had to do with the fact that the camera crew that he probably would have used for this Saturday night was going to be in Placerville. Did this mean no racing at Marysville Raceway this weekend? Nope. 

Marysville Raceway just announced they are running a Sunday program and will have SpeedshiftTV broadcasting the action. They will be the only track in California running on Sunday, giving them a captive stream audience. It also helps the track with car count since some of the teams in Placerville can go to Marysville. Furthermore, some of the IMCA Sport Modified and Hobby Stock teams that might have been in Susanville will still be able to be in Marysville on Sunday. The program will consist of Winged 360 Sprint Cars, Pepsi IMCA Sport Modifieds, Hobby Stocks and Crate Sprints. Further information can be found at the Marysville Raceway Facebook page.

I want to give a shout out to two people who are involved in media efforts that are both on Facebook. Steven Blakesley covers the pavement scene, especially at Madera and Roseville. He does more than that, and you can get links to his articles and see his videocast by giving him a follow on Facebook. It's worth the effort as he does an amazing job. He has adapted to this modern way of doing publicity much better than I have, and it shows. He's also somebody that could climb up the ladder a little bit in the world of racing media, and I certainly wish him well in that endeavor.

You're never going to see me be somebody who wants to put my face in front of the camera. My reaction to all of this has always been that it's not about me. It's about the racers. It's just something I don't want to do. I have no problem putting my voice out there and talking about whatever it is I'm discussing, but this is one of those ways that local short-track media is evolving. It's more visual than ever, so the next generation of reporters should be keeping that in mind if they want to move forward. I may not be on that bandwagon, but I'll offer my advice and support to anybody who asks.

Daren Ricks Campbell of DRC Motorsports Media is another person who you'll find on Facebook. He specializes more in individual driver publicity, and people should get behind him. When you want to share your latest results with your sponsors, friends and family and don't want to do the article yourself, he's the guy to call. Honestly, he can do race results articles for the tracks too, but he is smarter than I am. He's not looking to give it away like I have spent much of my career doing. I hope more people support him as he loves what he does. I think you'll be pleased with the results.

Daren is still sort of an old schooler like myself. He's not looking to put his face out there and is reluctant to get in front of the camera. Heck, you'll have a hard time handing him a microphone just to announce, which is something I think he would be good at over time. We need media people like Daren involved in the sport. Simply putting raw stats up there on the websites isn't enough. Without color to capture the imaginations of the fans to get them to want to come out there, you're still not going to see the results in the grandstands that you would like. I hope Daren gets a gig at a race track, because he will enhance what they do.

I'm a little disappointed in the lack of support we've had for this blog for the last month or so. It's nobody's fault, and I'm not suddenly going to close it down. I am going to alter what I do here. I suspended my extra media effort where I send articles I post here to various news outlets to help the tracks. I've decided I will no longer be doing that for any race track unless I am retained by the track to do it. I have proven what I can do by the results I've gotten for the past few years, so the real question is obvious. What's it worth to the tracks at this point? I don't think it's worth the stress I put on myself, so I will not resume doing that as things get back to normal for the sport.

I will continue doing things as long as it doesn't stress me out and I feel moved to do so. Without any sort of support coming my way for the work being put into this, I'm not going to feel obligated to do it anymore. As I said, the blog will not go away. I had the blog up here for a few years where I only posted occasionally, and that's pretty much what will happen when I step away. My presence on social media will likely change as well. I'm not necessarily in a  happy place right now with the way things have been going for myself personally, and beating my head up against the wall in a bid to get noticed is a waste of time.

I've had a love/hate relationship with the sport at times, but I've always been grateful for the opportunities that I've had and the friends I've made along the way. That will never change. The world has changed and times have changed. Putting this kind of effort into the racing media effort without being financially compensated was my way of doing things for a long, long time, to the detriment of my own personal well-being. Even though I'd like to continue to cover lots of stuff, the obvious message I'm receiving from the support being given is it's not really wanted. My time in regards to the sport could be better spent working on the history stuff at my own pace. I will do what I'm doing on the blog for now until it doesn't move me to do it anymore, and I can make that decision at any time.

I wish the sport and everybody involved in it the best of luck, and my aim with what I do is to help it in any way I can. However, if I'm feeling a little bit disillusioned due to lack of support, it negatively affects what I do as well. I don't wish that to be the case, and that's a sign that backing off a little bit would be the better course of action. On that note, I'm going to end this column. Until next time...