The DCRR Racing Media Books
Just A Kid From The Grandstands: My Time In Auto Racing
Stories of my time in auto racing from the beginning to 2003
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Available on Lulu in Paperback And Hard Cover
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Don's California Racing Recollections: Best Of The Blog And Beyond
Racing History, Stories, Statistics And Pictures
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Available via print on demand at Lulu in Hard Cover or Paperback
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Big Kahuna George Steitz Freedom Series Race
Set For Antioch Speedway
Set For Antioch Speedway
Antioch,
CA...Antioch Speedway will be hosting another big weekend of racing
action this Friday and Saturday night. The weekend event will include
the IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Sport Modifieds and Jay's Mobile Welding Hobby
Stocks on both nights with increased purse money being offered.
Saturday's portion of the program is the second Big Kahuna George Steitz
Memorial Freedom Series event and will pay an even bigger purse. Due to
covid-19 guidelines, fan attendance is still not allowed in the
grandstands, but the race will be broadcast on the internet via
SpeedshiftTV.
The IMCA Modifieds
will compete for $750 to win on Friday and $1,500 to win on Saturday,
and that's guaranteed to bring some top-notch drivers to town for the
money. On the first Freedom Series weekend, it was Oregon Superstar
Collen Winebarger winning the races on both occasions. He recently had a
win and a third place finish in Susanville, but there's no word on
whether he'll bring his Superman car to Antioch. He would certainly be a
big threat to win if he does show up. Likewise, Shane DeVolder will be a
serious contender.
DeVolder
pocketed $1,500 for his win on Saturday at Susanville. He also won the
third event for the division at Antioch Speedway, giving the 2018 State
champion a three point advantage over four-time Antioch champion Troy
Foulger and an 11 point lead over past Antioch champion Kellen Chadwick.
It's a bit of a surprise to see that neither Foulger nor Chadwick has
won a race at Antioch yet this year, but both drivers have still made
their presence known at the front of the pack. You can't count either of
these drivers out on Friday or Saturday night.
Current
State point leader Trevor Fitzgibbon is another driver expected to make
the trip to Antioch. He's coming off of a second place finish in the
most recent race at Petaluma, and he is 16 points behind Chadwick in the
standings at Antioch and one ahead of Jim Pettit II. Pettit had a
fourth place finish on Saturday at Susanville and won the most recent
Antioch race. The Antioch Speedway Hall of Famer has notched a track
record 46 career Late Model wins, but that was his first IMCA Modified
win at the Contra Costa County based facility.
The
talent level will be deep at Antioch Speedway this weekend, and it's a
certainty that there will be enough cars to have at least one B Main.
Some of the stars we are anticipating include past Watsonville champions
Cody Burke and Austin Burke, past Antioch, Petaluma and Watsonville
champion Nick DeCarlo, recent Petaluma feature winner Anthony Slaney,
reigning track champion Buddy Kniss and 2016 champion Bobby Motts Jr.
For the Modified division alone, SpeedshiftTV will be worth watching.
However, the Modifieds won't be alone.
The
IMCA Sport Modifieds will be bringing an all star caliber field of
their own for this big event. Friday's show will pay $400 to win, while
the Saturday portion gets a $750 first prize. The record will show that
past IMCA Sport Modified State champion Brian Cooper won the first
Freedom Series race, and he's one of four different drivers to take
their turns in the Winner's Circle at Antioch so far this year. Michael
Johnson is coming off of the big Richie McGowan Memorial $700 win at
Bakersfield Speedway last week, and he won the first race at Antioch.
Guy Ahlwardt and 2015 Antioch and State champion Fred Ryland are the
other winners.
Ryland has been on
a bit of a roll lately with wins at Watsonville and Susanville. He
almost had a double win weekend at Susanville last week, but he lost out
to Andrew Peckham on Saturday by half a car. Ryland might still be
considered the guy to beat this weekend. In fact, a look at the points
finds Ryland leading 2017 Antioch champion KC Keller by just five
points. Keller and Todd Gomez have been very consistent this year, and
Gomez is only six points out of the lead as he looks for his first win
of the season. Past Limited Late Model champion Mark Garner is 18 points
back in third and one ahead of Brent Curran. Five points behind Garner
is second-generation star Chase Thomas. Chase's brother Tanner recently
picked up a win at Watsonville and was very competitive at Susanville.
You're
liable to see some fast racers in this field as well as Antioch will be
the only show in town in the Bay Area and tracks in the Southern
California area won't be running either. This could bring current State
point leader Timothy Allerdings to town as he is still looking for his
first feature win of the season. Hard chargers like West Coast Nationals
winner Kenny Shrader, two-time track champion Trevor Clymens, past
Antioch and Merced champion Jeremy Hoff, rookie Jason Jennings and last
season's championship runner-up Kevin Brown will be among the others to
watch for this week.
Viewers of
the SpeedshiftTV stream will get to watch some fendered Stock Car action
at its finest with the Jay's Mobile Welding Hobby Stock division. This
division has been highly competitive this year as drivers like
three-time Watsonville champion Rob Gallaher, father Joe Gallaher and
Travis Dutra have taken their turns in the Winner's Circle. Last
season's championship runner-up, Breanna Troen, has looked very fast as
well with consistent Top 5 finishes. It's a wide-open battle in this
division, and several drivers are running fast enough to stake a claim
on the winner's prize.
Hard
chargers such as James Thomson, last year's top rookie Ken Johns, Chris
Bennett, Jason Robles and Josh Leach could also be in contention. Jon
Haney and his dad Gene Haney have been fast this year. The division has
also seen some new drivers taking their first laps at the speedway,
including Michaela Taylor, Jewel Crandall and Gavin Griffitts.
It's
unfortunate that fans won't be allowed to assemble in the grandstands
to spectate such great competition in person, but SpeedshiftTV will at
least give you the next best thing with complete coverage. This show
will be one you won't want to miss with an all star lineup of IMCA
Modifieds, IMCA Sport Modifieds and Hobby Stocks. For further
information, go to www.antiochspeedway.com.
Siskiyou Golden Speedway Prepares
For Fourth Of July Weekend Excitement
For Fourth Of July Weekend Excitement
Yreka,
CA...During the past week, Promoter Kevin Barbra and race sponsor
Travis Hoppes have been working out a plan that would give Siskiyou
Golden Speedway a big event for Fourth of July weekend. The result is a
two-day extravaganza that will include six different divisions during
the course of the weekend. Unfortunately, covid-19 guidelines are still
keeping fans from being able to attend, but that's the bad news.
Management has secured Dirt 360 TV to broadcast live both nights, and
the reasonable rate of $10 per night will ensure that the fans won't
miss any of the action.
On Friday
night, the IMCA Modifieds will be the headliners along with the IMCA
Sport Modifieds and the Mini Stocks. The IMCA Modifieds are competing
for $1,500 to win and a nice purse all the way down, while the IMCA
Sport Modifieds will be competing for at least $400 to win. On Saturday
night, the track will host a $2,000 to win Late Model event. The IMCA
Sport Modifieds will compete for $850 to win, and these two divisions
will have a nice purse all the way down. The Outlaw Pro Stock
Association and Southern Oregon Dwarf Cars round out what's sure to be
an exciting night.
Series sponsor
Travis Hoppes was originally committed to sponsoring a big blowout
event at Cottage Grove Speedway on this weekend. However, the track had
not committed to running the race and Hoppes wanted to do something
somewhere. He was impressed with what he had been seeing at Yreka under
these difficult circumstances and decided that he'd sponsor something a
little bit closer to his Medford area home. In this way, not only could
the Yreka drivers partake of the extra money being offered, but Medford
racers wouldn't have a long tow to make either.
With
$1,500 on the line for the winner, some of the top IMCA Modified
drivers should converge on Yreka for what will be their third point
event. That makes them one race shy of making this an official
championship. Travis Peery knows a thing or two about winning
championships in Yreka. He's won several here and is a champion in
Medford as well. Having won both Main Events held so far, he leads
Cottage Grove area competitor Paul Culp by six points and multi-time
Yreka and Medford champion Albert Gill by seven. Reigning track champion
Duane Orsburn is just nine points back, and Jeremy Crebs is 19 out of
the lead. All five of these drivers are anticipated on Friday night.
Others who are expressing interest in this race include Ray Kniffen Jr,
David Satterfield, James Anderson and Dave Duste Jr.
The
track had initially moved its $850 to win IMCA Sport Modified race to
Friday to allow drivers to go to another track, but the local drivers
insisted that they wanted to compete in Yreka on both nights. With
Friday's race, this will become an official championship in the eyes of
IMCA. The first three races have all belonged to three-time reigning
Southern Oregon Speedway and reigning IMCA Oregon State champion Jorddon
Braaten. Braaten leads two-time Medford champion Mike Medel by a mere
seven points as Medel has not failed to finish inside the Top 5 yet this
year. Two-time division point runner-up Ryder Boswell had a bad night,
putting him 36 points out of the lead and three ahead of rookie Ryan
Peery.
Isaac Sanders had been in
title contention, but his absence last weekend dropped him 42 points out
of the lead. It is hoped that Sanders will be on hand for this race
along with his brothers, Steven and Matt. Matt won last season's Pacific
Sport Modified Series championship and has been fast in his appearances
at various venues this year.
Joby
Shields had a Top 5 finish earlier this year, and he's hoping to make a
run for the money this week. Medford Area racers like Dylan Sauer,
Brionna Fuller, Marissa Henson, Branden Wilson, Chris Silva and Zach
Nelson are expected to be on hand for this double header. Local stars
like reigning champion Ethan Killingsworth, Gary Foster, past champion
Colt Boswell and Chad Wormington are anticipated as well.
The
Late Model division is not something that Yreka has featured very often
in recent years. The reason they're able to take a look at this class
and run an event is because Southern Oregon Speedway has spent the last
four years building up a class. Coming off of his $1,500 first career
win in this division at Susanville, Mark Wauge enters the picture as
perhaps the driver to beat. Wauge is one of the most decorated champions
at Southern Oregon Speedway with seven IMCA Modified titles to his
credit and is also the all-time feature winner in that division's
history. He can probably expect some stiff competition from reigning
Medford champion Trent Elliott, who finished close behind in second last
week at Susanville.
One driver
at large with championships to his credit at Antioch and Chico is
longtime Late Model racer Richard Papenhausen, who finished third at
Susanville. We also saw the return of Bruce Rayburn Jr, who won a Main
Event in Yreka last year. He didn't finish the Susanville race, but
he'll hopefully have things together for this show.
The
Rapp Racing stable could be represented as well. Past Medford Modified
and Pro Stock champion Dustin Knight recently practiced his car in Yreka
and may be ready to do some racing. The team could also be represented
by Eric Massey and his father Cliff Massey. Late Model veteran Skipper
Klimcheck was seen practicing a car in Yreka earlier this year. Might we
see him as well? It's going to be interesting to see who comes out for
the big money Late Model race, but the $2,000 prize will be tempting.
Last
time the Outlaw Pro Stock Association was on hand two weeks ago, we
witnessed the first career win for Matt Harlow aboard the Maurie Skaggs
#0m car. Harlow had to make a move around Colby Hammond late in the race
to get the job done. Hammond's second place finish was still his best
effort yet. Bad luck eliminated reigning series champion Scott Flowers
and son James Flowers, but these two drivers may be out for redemption
this week. Some of the other drivers to watch for include Scott Bennett,
Jeff Haudenshild, Darek Alford, Mike McLeod and Rick Lukens. The Outlaw
Pro Stocks always put on an entertaining show.
Speaking
of entertaining, the Southern Oregon Dwarf Cars finally got their first
race in the books at Coos Bay Speedway last Saturday. Two-time division
champion Brock Peters was the one picking up the win. Peters is
expected to try to defend that win this week, and the competition could
be tough. Four-time reigning champion Josh King is anticipated along
with perennial title contender Chad Cardoza and Ryan Smith. Ageless
veteran Fred Hay is also expected for this event. The Southern Oregon
group brings a good turnout as it is, but racers from further up north
may converge on Yreka as they haven't had any racing opportunities yet
this year.
Rounding out the
roster this weekend will be the Mini Stocks appearance on Friday night.
It's been very difficult for anybody other than two-time reigning
Southern Oregon Speedway champion David Steele to get a win whenever his
black #67 car is on hand. The driver giving him the most competition
this past year was Ashtin Hedges. However, it was Steele beating Hedges
for the win last week. These two drivers are expected again this week
along with Ashtin's mother, two-time Medford Hornets runner-up Jenna
Hedges, 2013 Medford champion Steve Goetz and Derrel Nelson Jr.
Yreka
will still be well represented by a pair of three-time champions.
Reigning champion Mike Whitaker and Marilyn Yawnick are both planning to
attend this race. The Alford racing team is also expected with Terry
Alford behind the wheel of one of the cars. Even the Mini Stock portion
of this six division lineup is sure to be entertaining, but can anybody
beat Steele?
The ideal situation
for a big event such as this would be to have as many fans in the
stands as you can get, but covid-19 guidelines are preventing that at
this moment. Dirt 360 TV is offering a good deal to watch both nights of
racing, and there will be some good drivers across all of these
divisions making it worth watching. For further information, go to the
Siskiyou Golden Speedway Facebook page.
Merced Speedway To Have Race On Sunday, July 12th
Merced,
CA...After weeks of negotiating with Merced County Health officials,
Merced Speedway General Manager Doug Lockwood was finally able to
announce the first race date for the track since everything was shut
down due to the covid-19 virus. On Sunday, July 12th, the 70 year old
racing facility roars back into action with a five division lineup.
Sadly, the strict covid-19 guidelines will not allow fans to attend, but
you can watch all of the action on SpeedshiftTV and Flo Racing.
With
other tracks having already opened. Lockwood's next task was to figure
out a date in which he could get cars and not step on any toes. This
also meant trying to find a date in which he could have a camera crew in
place to make the live stream possible. This Sunday date opened that
door wide. The IMCA Modifieds will be competing that night along with
the IMCA Sport Modifieds, Hobby Stocks, Central Valley Mini Stocks and
the RaceSaver Sprint Cars. They will be paying a standard purse.
The
IMCA Modifieds have had some big gatherings this year at other venues,
and it's anticipated that the numbers will be up at Merced. Reigning
track champion Troy Foulger is anticipated for this event. He is
currently in a close battle with 2018 State champion Shane DeVolder and
Kellen Chadwick for the point lead at Antioch Speedway. All three of
these drivers are anticipated, and DeVolder has been impressive so far
with wins at Antioch and Susanville. Likewise, reigning State champion
and State point leader Trevor Fitzgibbon will likely attend. We could
see West Coast Stock Car Hall of Famer Jim Pettit II as well.
The
roster of drivers anticipated in the Modified division will include
some top-notch talent from out of town. Locally speaking, stars such as
last year's runner-up Ryan Porter, multi-time champion Ramie Stone, past
champion Bob Williamson, two-time champion Randy Brown, past Merced and
Hanford champion Paul Stone and past Watsonville champions Cody Burke
and brother Austin Burke could be on this list.
If
the IMCA Modifieds have a big turnout, you can expect the same from the
IMCA Sport Modifieds. The division already held one event earlier this
season, won by Bakersfield champion Michael Johnson ahead of reigning
Merced champion Fred Ryland and reigning Santa Maria champion Kevin
Johnson. This trio could be there. Ryland has been on a roll lately with
wins in Susanville, Watsonville and Antioch. He could be the driver to
beat, but he'll have some tough competition for sure.
Past
Merced and Antioch champion Jeremy Hoff has been competing at other
venues this year and is anticipated along with Chris Falkenberg, State
point leader Timothy Allerdings, Paul Espino, Patti Ryland and
impressive rookie Kaylin Lopez. The Thomas family should be
well-represented with brothers Tanner Thomas and Chase Thomas in the
mix. Tanner recently won a race out at Watsonville.
If
this news alone doesn't excite you enough to want to buy the streaming
service for this show, the Hobby Stocks should also be entertaining. The
Merced contingent is well represented. The Shearer team is likely to be
represented with multiple cars, which could include reigning champion
Shannon Nelson and past champion Michael Shearer, who finished second in
the standings last year. Austin Van Hoff is always fast and should be
there for the show, joined by local stars such as Allen Neal, Donnie
Shearer, Timmy Crews and Kristie Shearer. Kristie recently had a Top 5
finish in Watsonville. Speaking of Watsonville, it's likely that
three-time reigning champion Rob Gallaher and father Joe Gallaher will
make the trip, and other out of town stars are expected as well.
Between
these three divisions, there could already be over 100 competitors, but
they're not coming alone. The House of JuJu Central Valley Mini Stock
group will also be battling the local Mini Stocks. This is the fourth
event for the CVMS series, and reigning champion Dan Myrick already has a
pair of wins. In the most recent race at Hanford, however, Myrick was
piloting another car and could only manage a fifth place finish. The
star of the night was Jeff Durant, who won ahead of Jason Cook and Joe
Rogers. Myrick currently leads the championship chase, but hard chargers
such as 2018 champion Greg Baronian, Matthew Herod, Andy Boydstun and
Clinton Massey are also in the mix.
Last
season, Lee Ragsdale collected the championship. He was a model of
consistency with 11 Top 5 finishes in 11 starts, including a win.
Everybody in the Top 5 in the standings last year had at least one win,
meaning Lucy Falkenberg, Jennifer Rodgers, Tyler Post and Shawn DePriest
made trips to the Winner's Circle. DePriest won four times last year.
Other stars in the group include Jerry Tubbs, Austin Sprague, Shayla
Gould and three-time champion Chris Corder.
The
IMCA sanctioned RaceSaver Sprint Cars should bring a nice turnout as
well. Last season, Grant Champlin used his two Merced wins to help him
beat Michael Pombo by five points for the State championship. Both
drivers are anticipated for this event. There have been a pair of races
held at Hanford this year with wins going to the always fast Blake
Robertson and Brendan Warmerdam. Rob Solomon, Albert Pombo, Brooklyn
Holland, Connor Dannell and Kyle Rasmussen are among the drivers who
could be at Merced for this show.
There's
excitement in the air in Merced, and the racing community is expected
to flock to the Merced County Fairgrounds for the July 12th event.
Lockwood and the crew would very much love to have fans, but covid-19
guidelines won't allow that just yet. However, the action will be
available from start to finish on SpeedshiftTV and Flo Racing, and it
will definitely be worth the view. For further information, go to www.mercedspeedway.net or check the Merced Speedway Facebook page
Sunday Racing Returns To Petaluma Speedway
Petaluma,
CA...In order to take advantage of SpeedshiftTV streaming services with
covid-19 guidelines keeping their grandstands shut for another week,
Petaluma Speedway will again be racing on Sunday. The PitStopUSA.com
Wingless Spec Sprints will be competing on this occasion along with the
McLea's Tire Service IMCA Modifieds and the General Hydroponics Redwood
Dwarf Cars. This three-division show is expected to have good car
counts in all three classes.
In the PitStopUSA.com
Wingless Spec Sprints, Shawn Jones continues to be the dominant force.
On Dwarf Car Nationals weekend, Jones not only won the Pro division
race, he also won the Spec Sprint event. Jones is a past Dwarf Car
champion and the 2018 Hunt Wingless Series champion. Last weekend, he
repeated his impressive performance with a flag-to-flag romp to victory
in the Spec Sprint division. Jones may bring both a Sprint Car and a
Dwarf Car for this occasion.
Fresh
off of his win in the Hunt Series race at Antioch Speedway, Bradley
Terrell returned last time out and had a spirited battle late in the
race with Cody Fendley. Both drivers were multi-time feature winners in
this class at Petaluma last year. Terrell was just a bit quicker as the
multi-time Winged 360 Sprint Car champion made a late pass to finish
second with Fendley settling for third. Last Sunday's affair had a 20
car field with some good drivers in the mix, including reigning champion
Angelique Bell and past champions Shayna Ensign, Ryan Siverling and
Sparky Howard.
14 year old rookie
Dylan Bloomfield turned some heads last time out with his fourth place
finish. He's had multiple Top 5 finishes at Antioch Speedway as well and
seems to be equating himself well with this division having competed in
Micro Sprints in the past. The division could see the likes of Top 5
ranked Keith Calvino, Daniel Whitley, Eden McCormick and Jessica Walker,
among others this weekend.
Anthony
Slaney has been turning some heads this year with his stellar
performances in the McLea's Tire Service IMCA Modifieds. At the opener,
Slaney repelled some top notch competition in claiming his first career
feature win. Last week, he went flag-to-flag in winning once again ahead
of current State point leader Trevor Fitzgibbon. Slaney is shown with a
nine point advantage over Trevor Brady and an 11 point lead over Justin
Yaeger in the standings so far. At four races, this becomes an official
point race in the eyes of IMCA.
The
competition level was a little lighter last week with the absence of
multi-time champion Michael Paul Jr, Reigning champion Oreste Gonella
and Mitch Machado. Some of these drivers could be back, and it's
possible that the count will increase with drivers competing in Antioch
on Friday and Saturday deciding to come to Petaluma as well. At the
opener, we saw visitation from the likes of Antioch title contenders
Shane DeVolder, Troy Foulger and Jim Pettit II. It's possible that some
or all of these guys could be there. Others to watch for include Tim
Yaeger, Michelle Paul and David Spriggs.
The
General Hydroponics Redwood Dwarf cars were on hand back in March when
the ASCS Sprint Cars came to town. They had a stellar field of 42
competitors that night. The last time the Dwarf Cars were in town, they
had over 100 racers for the Dwarf Car Nationals. As mentioned above,
Jones won the Pro division Main Event, while Scott Dahlgren won the
Veterans class. Rookie Joey Lingron won the Sportsman division race, and
all three of these drivers could be on hand for this occasion along
with March feature winner Danny Wagner. Wagner recently got a win at
Antioch Speedway.
Petaluma
Speedway will be the only game in town for Dwarf Car racers, meaning the
Antioch Delta Dwarf Cars and Sacramento area NorCal Dwarf Cars could be
there along with the South Bay Dwarf Car racers. This will give
reigning track champion Chad Matthias the opportunity to test his
ability against some stellar competition. Local standouts such as
Carroll Mendenhall, Mark Hanson, Mike Affonso and Kevin Miraglio could
be met by such noteworthy competition as NorCal champions Michael
"Spanky" Grenier and Ryan Winter. Just who decides to come in from out
of town will be interesting to see, but the car count should increase on
Sunday.
Petaluma Speedway should
have an entertaining show from start to finish on Sunday night. Though
fans won't be able to check out the action in person, SpeedshiftTV will
bring it to you live with the voice of Petaluma Speedway, Ron Lingron,
on the microphone. For further information, go to www.petaluma-speedway.com or check out the Petaluma Speedway Facebook page.
Fourth Of July Celebration Weekend
At Diamond Mountain Speedway
At Diamond Mountain Speedway
Susanville,
CA...What do you do after running one of the most successful events in
the history of your race track? If your Diamond Mountain Speedway
Promoter Jeff Olschowka, you take a shot at another big show. Last
weekend saw the Lassen County Fairgrounds based facility bring in over
110 cars on both Friday and Saturday night. This Friday and Saturday
night, they will be trying for more, and drivers making their weekend
plans will have an important decision to make.
The
track's IMCA Modified division will offer the biggest purse for that
class anywhere on the West Coast this weekend. It starts on Friday night
with the division paying $1,500 to win. Even second place gets good
money at $900 with third getting $700. It's $75 minimum to start. On
Saturday night, the money goes up more at $2,000 to win. Second place
gets a healthy $1,000, while third place gets $800. The minimum to start
is $100. This kind of money is sure to attract some good drivers from
California, Oregon and Nevada.
The
IMCA Modifieds have now had three events, and this means that Friday
night will make this an official championship race in the eyes of IMCA.
Three different drivers have claimed the glory in these races. Past
champion Riley Simmons won the opener, Oregon star Colleen Winebarger
won on Friday night and last Saturday's show was won by 2018 State
champion Shane DeVolder. Who might come in from out of town will be the
subject of much speculation. There will be some top name talent, but
we'll have to wait and see who shows up. For the money and the fact that
it's two days of racing, it makes the trip to Susanville a little bit
easier.
Waiting at the gates will
be some top notch local talent. In addition to the aforementioned
Simmons, past champions Matt Murphy, Chris Olexiewicz, and Wade
Kennemore are likely to show up. Reigning champion Chris Nieman is a
good bet to be there along with Nevin Kennemore, Larry McCracken, Scott
Foreman and Galen Hainline. As it is, Susanville has a very competitive
group of drivers in this division.
The
IMCA Sport Modifieds will be racing for more money this weekend than
they received last weekend. As with the IMCA Modifieds, their
championship race will be deemed official in the eyes of IMCA when they
run their fourth race on Friday night. That race will be worth $500 to
win with $350 going to second place. They also receive $75 minimum to
start. On Saturday night, they will receive $1,000 to win, making that
the biggest paying IMCA Sport Modified race on the West Coast for the
night. It's $500 for second, $350 for third and a minimum of $75 to
start.
There have been three
different feature winners so far with the local contingent still looking
to get their first win. Chico area competitor Tyler Rodgers won the
opener, reigning Merced Speedway champion Fred Ryland won on Friday and
nearly won on Saturday. Ryland came up a half car short to Grass
Valley's Andrew Peckham on that occasion. Predicting who might come in
from out of town is a bit of a challenge, but it's likely that drivers
representing California, Nevada and Oregon will be in this field as
well.
Reigning division champion
Richard Longacre hasn't gotten off to a very good start so far, so
he'll be hoping to turn his luck around this week. In addition to his
Sport Modified crown last year, he's won several titles in the Hobby
Stock division at the speedway. Another heavy hitter in the field will
be Craig Nieman. In fact, he could even be the driver to beat this week.
Jimmy Ray Huffmon is anticipated this week along with Ryan Belli,
Colton Chew, Colby Russell and Skeeter Bethel.
The
Hobby Stock division will be there both nights. The prize money on each
occasion will be $400 to win with second place getting $250. It's $50
minimum to start. There's likely to be some Nevada drivers in the field.
Last weekend, Royce Goetz turned in a remarkable performance by coming
back from an early race spin to grab the victory. The night before, it
was Randy Boyd collecting the win, and Boyd also won the season opener a
few weeks ago. This duo is anticipated, and it could be Rocky Goetz
behind the wheel of Royce Goetz's other car. Last weekend, it was Robert
Miller driving it to a pair of Top 5 finishes. Others to watch for
include Jacob Dias, Dan Dias, Shayna Nieman and Steve Buhr.
In
the interest of time, the Mini Stocks were not invited to Saturday's
show, but they will run their third race of the season on Friday night.
Kate Robertson won the opener and Nick Boucher won last Friday. There
could be some visitors coming from out of town, but local drivers to
watch for include 2018 IMCA Sport Modified champion Jason Emmot, Bob
Feller, Anthony Hovland, Billy Gibson and Johnny Moya.
Unlike
any of the other tracks in the state of California, Diamond Mountain
Speedway is able to have fans in the grandstands using social distancing
measures. Unfortunately, they're still unable to sell concessions at
this time. However fans can come watch, and it's sure to be an exciting
weekend of racing from start to finish. For further information, go to www.dmspeedway.com or the Diamond Mountain Speedway Facebook page.
Holmes, King, Dubisar, Smith Win Wednesday Night Special
At Coos Bay Speedway
At Coos Bay Speedway
Coos
Bay, Oregon...July 1...Tanner Holmes won the 25 lap Winged Sprint Car
Main Event Wednesday night at Coos Bay Speedway. The race was added on
short notice and still drew a dozen Sprint Car competitors. Holmes is a
reigning ISCS Sprint Car champion. Both Holmes and 2016 Southern Oregon
Speedway champion Jake Wheeler won their respective 10 lap heat races to
start in the third row for the feature race. Past Coos Bay champion
Lawrence Van Hoof and RJ McGahuey started on the front row and battled
it out early as Holmes in Wheeler worked their way to the front. Both
Holmes and Wheeler would get past the early leaders, and Holmes made it
to the checkered flag first. Wheeler settled for second ahead of
McGahuey, Van Hoof, Ian Bandy, Steven Snawder, recent Yreka winner
Patrick Desbiens, Anthony Pope, Brent McGhie and Tyrell Mead.
Josh
King won the 25 lap Southern Oregon Dwarf Car Main Event. King is the
four-time reigning champion of the group, and he scored a clean sweep of
10 lap heat race, four lap A Dash and the feature. King had a front row
start next to Steve Walker and would bring it home to victory. Walker
had his best finish with the group to date in second, followed by Ryan
Smith, Evan Morgenstern, Chad Cardoza, Jason Robustelli, Mark Nielsen
and Connor Wolff. Walker won his heat race, while Cardoza won the four
lap B Dash.
Steve Dubisar won the
25 lap NASCAR Street Stock Main Event. Dubisar is the reigning division
champion, and he started the night off by winning the 10 lap heat race.
With his front row starting spot, he raced into the lead over fellow
front row starter Graig Osborne would bring it home to victory. Osborn
settled for second, followed by current point leader Ken Fox, Troy
Chamberlain, Shannon Collins, Sam Talon and Dustin Hitner.
Griff
Smith won the 20 lap Junior Stinger Main Event. Smith has been dominant
this season with wins in all three events held so far. By virtue of his
win in the first eight lap heat race, Smith had the pole for the
feature race and led from the start. Smith won in impressive fashion,
followed by a personal-best second for Lane Hitner, Alex Butler, Heather
Burton, Max Haga, Alexis Baker and Eli Luckman. Butler was the other
heat race winner.
For information on what's next on the schedule, go to www.coosbayspeedway.us or check out the Coos Bay Speedway Facebook page.
Solari, Flowers, Stearns Win John Medina Tribute Night
At Stockton 99 Speedway
At Stockton 99 Speedway
Stockton,
CA...June 20...Sam Solari won the 50 lap John Medina Tribute Late Model
race Saturday at Stockton 99 speedway. The covid-19 guidelines kept
fans from being able to attend this event, but it didn't keep a good
race from happening on the track. Solari is the 2018 champion. He and
point leader Eric Nascimento shared the third row for the extra distance
race, while 2017 champion Aaron Shankel had the pole. The third row
starters worked their way to battle for the lead. Solari and Nascimento
would gain the first two positions and pull away a little bit from the
others in the waning laps. The race had six yellow flags, the last
happening on lap 44 for Dennis Byers in Turn 2. Solari would manage to
hold off Nascimento in a close battle for the win. Shankel settled for
third, followed by Gary Shaffer Jr, Dominic Lopez, Larry Tankersley,
Colby Potts, Byers, Ty Carlson and JoJo Stearns.
Nascimento
had the quickest time of 18 qualifiers on the quarter-mile paved oval
with a lap of 14.738. Carlson was second quick at 14.779. Barrett Sugden
won a 15 lap Consultation Race by about a straightaway ahead of Roy
Luft. Garland Powell was a close third as Marlin Degrandmont completed
the finishing order.
Joe Flowers
won both Basically 4 Cylinder 20 lap Main Events. Flowers is the current
point leader, and he beat 2018 champion Andy Rumsey in both races. The
first 20 lapper ran with only one yellow flag on the 19th lap. Flowers
and Rumsey ran close at the front of the pack and set such a quick pace
that they lapped the entire field. Matthew Richardson ended up third,
followed by Kenny Burton, Raymond Molina, Hana Powell, Carl Zack
Williams, Danny Helm, Mark Hunt and Nick Hall.
12
of the original 17 starters survived to make the call for the second 20
lap Main Event, but the race yielded similar results. Despite starting
back in the fifth row, Flowers rapidly worked his way to the front of
the pack once again. Andy Rumsey kept it reasonably close, but it was
Flowers prevailing at the checkered flag. Burton settled for third,
followed by Hunt, Richardson, Hall, Melina, Williams, Powell and Billy
Rodrigues.
Mikayla Stearns won
the 25 lap Bomber Main Event. Stearns is the current point leader and
the reigning champion. She started on the pole next to 2018 champion
Justin Scantlen. Unfortunately for Scantlen, his race ended eight laps
from the checkered flag. Stearns drove a good race and scored the
victory by about half a straightaway ahead of Kyle Singleton. Singleton
just managed to beat Jenna Ramos back to the line for that second place
finish. Hunter Medina was the final finisher in forth as Scantlen and
Mark Squadrito completed the order. Ramos had the fastest time of
16.703, beating the 16.766 of Rodney Tripp.
Coos Bay Speedway Unofficial Race Results July 1, 2020
Street Stocks
Steve Dubisar
Graig Osborne
Ken Fox
Troy Chamberlain
Shannon Collins
Sam Talon
Dustin Hitner
JR Stingers
Griff Smith
lane hitner
Alex Butler
Heather Burton
max haga
Alexus Baker
eli luckman
Southern Oregon Dwarf Cars
Josh King
Steve Walker
Ryan Smith
Erin Morganstern
Chad Cardoza
Jason Robustelli
Mark Nielsen
connor wolff
Winged Sprints
Tanner Holmes
Jake Wheeler
Rj Mcgahuey
Lawrence VanHoof
Ian Bandey
Steven Snawder
patrick desbiens
Anthony Pope
Brett McGhie
Tyrell Mead
Trent Ding
Stockton 99 Speedway Unofficial Race Results June 20, 2020
John Medina Tribute
Late Models
Sammy Solari
Eric Nascimento
Aaron Shankel
Gary Shafer Jr
Dominic Lopez
Larry Tankersley
Colby Potts
Dennis Byers
Ty Carlson
JoJo Sterns
Gregg Ufens
Chad Holman
Daniel Devore
Brandon Jones
Bombers
Main Event
Mikayla Stearns
Kyle Singleton
Jeana Ramos
Hunter Medina
Justin Scantlen
Mark Squadrito
Basically 4 Cylinders
Main Event #1
Joe Flowers
Andy Rumsey
Maththew Richardson
Kenny Burton
Raymond Molina
Hana Powell
Carl Zack Williams
Danney Helm
Mark Hunt
Nick Hall
Rod Prevotali
Billy Rodrigues
Andrea Rumsey
Jeff Harris
Kayt Hunt
Victor Theberge
Zack Williams
Main Event #2
Joe Flowers
Andy Rumsey
Kenny Burton
Mark Hunt
Maththew Richardson
Nick Hall
Raymond Molina
Carl Zack Williams
Hana Powell
Billy Rodrigues
Rod Prevotali
Andrea Rumsey
The Editor's Viewpoint
The
intent once again was to put my post out early in the week and leave it
at that. I'm just not getting the support I need to put the work in, so
I'm trying to back off on things a little bit. I waited a day longer
than I intended to in order to put Antioch Speedway in the post earlier
this week, but there was no information forthcoming by the deadline. I
had absolutely nothing to work with, not even results that I could try
to put an article together with. With the management change at the
speedway, the source that would send me official results in a very
timely manner is no longer involved with the track. Therefore, I have to
make do with what I can get. Official results don't tend to get posted
on the website until sometime on Tuesday, but it's Wednesday afternoon
with no results up yet.
I don't
want to rehash things too much from last week's rather lengthy Viewpoint
column, but I lost my ability to view live streaming broadcasts on
SpeedshiftTV. I was using the complimentary pass given to Southern
Oregon Speedway, but the merger with Flo Racing saw that deleted. If I
had the money, I'd probably just buy a year's subscription or at least a
month. The problem is, I don't even have the $40 to buy a month's
subscription. Therefore, my access to SpeedshiftTV is gone. I only have
live scoring loops and raw statistics to work with now on those tracks.
I'm
not going to keep struggling and looking on the bright side all the
time. Eventually, when you get knocked down you stay down. I'm not at
that point yet, but I'm also not in a position to invest money into the
things I need to keep this going. If I can't make do with what I've got
or can't put an article together based on the information I'm getting,
things will stop and I will revert the blog back to a history site with
only occasional stuff to do with the present-day. If you'd like to
sponsor me the ability to view SpeedshiftTV for even a month, contact me
via Facebook or the Twitter site. If not, we'll do what we can anyway.
Even
with the uncertainty as to whether Governor Newsom will be shutting
things down or not, a few tracks are still planning on doing big things
this weekend in California. Antioch Speedway is unable to have fans in
the grandstands, but Promoter Chad Chadwick his hit on a good
combination with SpeedshiftTV and as many cars and people as he can get
in the pits. There should be quite a few of them this week for the Big
Kahuna George Steitz Freedom Series event. The last time they did an
event like this on Memorial Day Weekend, the speedway set a record in
terms of car count, and this race has a shot at coming close.
This
event will feature the IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Sport Modifieds and the
Jay's Mobile Welding Hobby Stocks. The money is going to be good on both
nights. On Friday night, the IMCA Modifieds get $750 to win, while the
IMCA Sport Modifieds race for $400 to win. The actual Freedom Series
race is on Saturday, paying $1,500 to win and $100 minimum to start for
the IMCA Modifieds. IMCA Sport Modifieds will race for $750 to win with
$100 to start. The Hobby Stock purse increase from the track is $300 to
win and $50 to start. We haven't heard of any additional sponsorship
coming to increase these numbers more, but there will probably be
sponsorship for that.
Antioch
Speedway has still not released any point standings officially tabulated
by the track. The main division in question might be the Hobby Stocks,
which have been putting up good numbers so far. We're not sure if the
track is officially keeping points or if they just haven't posted them
yet. However, the IMCA website lists the Antioch Speedway IMCA Sport
Modified and Modified points. At four races, these become official
championships. Therefore, even if things were to shut down tomorrow,
Antioch Speedway would still have a championship season to speak of for
this difficult year. Obviously, this weekend will add two more point
events to those totals.
The Delta
Dwarf Car Association would have to be qualified as a success so far.
This is the first year for the local Antioch racers' new association,
which was formed to be a part of the bigger Western States Dwarf Car
Association, and both events that they've held have produced over 30
cars in those fields. The July 18th event was to be a Western States
Dwarf Car Regionals event, hosted by the Delta Dwarf Cars. However, this
will now be a two-day event with racing on July 17th and 18th. The
Delta Dwarf Car Association is taking signups already, but we're still
waiting for the official schedule section on the Antioch Speedway
website to be updated. Given that we're dealing with a situation where
things can be shut down at any time, it's understandable that Chadwick
isn't releasing too many dates that far ahead.
For
the past two years, I have been involved in organizing the Antioch
Speedway Hall of Fame night. It's always been easier for me to get down
there when things are done up here, so it's been an October affair. On
the original Antioch Speedway schedule, this date was going to be part
of the October Donna Soares Memorial race, but I'm not really sure what
management has in mind for the track at that time. I am aware of the
covid-19 situation and how so many things are being canceled. We don't
even know when we can have fans for gathering in the grandstands at many
race tracks at this point and time, and this is about the time of year
when I start working on putting together a list and consulting people on
nominations.
I admit I kind of
dropped the ball in forming the committee as we enter into July, and
that should have been done by now. Because we had the shutdown hit us in
March, I lost motivation. I've been more worried about covering things
opening up and haven't been focused on the Hall of Fame. Having said
that, I have had to make the unfortunate decision to cancel the Antioch
Speedway Hall of Fame this year due to everything that's going on with
the virus. I greatly enjoy my trip down to California to oversee this,
although whether I would be able to make it down this year was very much
in question.
I'm not sure what
the future will be for this night in 2021 and beyond. I do know I've
done my best as somebody based in Oregon trying to organize an event so
many miles away in Antioch. I am willing to pass the baton to somebody
else at this stage if they want to step up. I'd be happy to add my
opinions and recommendations for nominees as part of the organization
process, although I still believe other people need to be involved. For
now, this part of the discussion is on hold until further notice. The
materials that we've created for Hall of Fame night are still at the
track as far as I know. If somebody wanted to pick up the ball and run
with it, be my guest. However, I don't see how we can actually organize a
Hall of Fame night at the track under these circumstances.
Sometimes
you have to book things on the fly, and you are making adjustments a
few days ahead of time. When you're not worried about telling the fans
when they can come spectate, you're really only worried about letting
the drivers know in time to make plans. Siskiyou Golden Speedway has
adjusted their Fourth of July weekend extravaganza a couple of times due
to what other tracks have been doing. The decision that Cottage Grove
Speedway made to celebrate their anniversary with a Fourth of July race,
not to mention the big two-day event at Diamond Mountain Speedway in
Susanville, has forced Kevin Barba and race sponsor Travis Hoppes to
make adjustments.
News broke on
Monday night of another change. The local area IMCA Sport Modified
drivers, and I can assume this includes the people from the Medford
area, were telling management that they didn't intend to go to
Susanville on Saturday night. Barba and Hoppes got together and decided
to keep the IMCA Sport Modifieds on both Friday and Saturday in Yreka.
However, Friday will not be a show that allows drivers to qualify for
Saturday's event. It will be two complete programs. They will pay $400
to win on Friday. Misty Buchanan indicated in her live stream that the
purse could even go up depending on car count.
The
IMCA Modifieds will be there Friday only as a couple of bounty hunter
racers might head to Susanville on Saturday. I still believe that this
division could have been included both nights and would have given them a
decent car count, but they elected just to keep it on Friday. The two
divisions will be joined by the Mini Stocks on Friday night. On Saturday
night, the big money will be going to the Late Models, and it will be
interesting to see who comes out for this show with $2,000 on the line
to the winner and a purse that will be paying well on down. The IMCA
Sport Modifieds will have that $850 to win race on Saturday as was
originally scheduled, joined by The Outlaw Pro Stocks and Southern
Oregon Dwarf Cars.
I don't
anticipate Siskiyou Speedway adjusting the schedule anymore. I think now
it's about finding out who's coming in what divisions. The track will
even allow camping on Friday night for a $10 fee, and it sounds like
they're planning a fun atmosphere. If you can't be there, and fans can't
be there, Dirt 360 TV will be broadcasting each night at $10 a piece.
It's a bargain when it comes to streaming live. We're getting word from
the Tri State Pro Stock Challenge Series that the Billy Geyer Memorial
race may be rescheduled for July 11th with Jay Bryant of Jay's Mobile
Welding and Lyle Hopper of Winning Attitude Motorsports sponsoring this
show.
Series organizer Roy Bain
got in contact with Southern Oregon Speedway Promoter Mike McCann to
find out the status on the July 11th Rocky Nash Memorial and was told
that under the circumstances the track wouldn't be able to host the race
at this time. We're still not clear on if and when the Medford track
will actually open. The fluidity of the schedule might make it possible
for the race for Rocky to happen in August or September, if the Medford
track opens and there's an interest in doing the race at that time.
We're not going to speculate on Southern Oregon Speedway other than to
say check out the Facebook page.
Of
course, it was Heather Boyce at Cottage Grove Speedway that caused a
stir a couple days after Yreka initially announced their big two-race
weekend. Cottage Grove had been silent on whether they would be able to
run the Fourth of July race, which was originally scheduled to be
sponsored by Hoppes as it was last year. We did start seeing people on
social media talking about how they wished the track could open on the
Fourth of July, which is the anniversary of the opening back in 1956.
I'm told that they ran a motorcycle event back in those days, which was
the featured vehicle there at the time.
Some
people might point a finger at Heather for what she did, and I don't
think she loses sleep over decisions that step on the other tracks.
However, I think there's a sentimentality to that woman and what that
track means to the community. She wanted to open the track, but doing so
with no fans and paying a purse is problematic. What I'm hearing has
actually happened is an anonymous sponsor has stepped forward to make
sure that the purse that would normally be paid will in fact be paid. We
are talking Limited Sprints, Late Models, Street Stocks and the IMCA
sanctioned Modifieds, Sport Modifieds and Sport Compacts. They will be
paid in full, and that's only because of sponsorship.
Heather
was on the local news back in May saying that she didn't think there
was a way for her to open with no fans. She basically said it would
bankrupt her. I'm sure she took a look at what Coos Bay Speedway was
doing with the bar and grill idea, and I wouldn't be surprised if she
approached Lane County Health officials to see if she could do something
similar. That type of thing might still be in discussion, but I'm not
privy to that information. I'm just speculating. What I will say is this
doesn't have the appearance of being a regular opening for the track,
but rather a special celebration race honoring the anniversary of the
track.
Additional information on
this event was posted on Wednesday night. The track referred everybody
to the webpage and the payouts listed on the driver info section. They
will be paying regular purse money thanks to the anonymous sponsor, as
we've mentioned. As there will be no fans, they're going to make use of
the parking lot to park racing trailers as needed. They will be honoring
social distance guidelines to the best of their ability so as to keep
in compliance with the guidelines put in place by the state and county.
We didn't see anything about 250 people or less, so I wouldn't hazard a
guess as to whether there will be more or less than 250 people total on
the premises.
The track also
announced that due to the situation there will be no points kept this
year. This might imply that there will be additional races beyond July
4th, though we'll wait to hear what the announcements are. The only
thing we can add is that if they run four or more events for their IMCA
sanctioned divisions, they would still be considered official
championships in the eyes of the sanctioning body. The track will not
allow any videography or photography on the premises, and this could
result in people being kicked out of the facility or getting your driver
disqualified. This was an interesting announcement.
With
Dirt Oval TV streaming things online, obviously the track is counting
on every penny of revenue they can generate. Somebody streaming the
races live on Facebook would cost them money. I don't believe anybody
watching streaming on Facebook was ever going to give them money in the
first place, but that's besides the point. I totally understand the
ruling here. I'm not sure if it would be deemed inappropriate if
somebody were to take pictures of how many cars were there to let the
fans know that as it doesn't show results or anything of that nature. On
the other hand, I'm not so sure I'd want to be the one to that theory.
I
wouldn't rule out more racing happening at Cottage Grove Speedway, even
under the situation we're in now. It will require adjusting. If you
can't find sponsors to pay the purse, will the racers be willing to race
for half the purse or whatever is deemed possible? Some drivers have
already said they would. We'll just have to wait and see if any dates
are announced beyond this Saturday. However, fans won't be left in the
dark with PJ Risso broadcasting live via his Dirt Oval TV streaming
service. I would expect Ben Deatherage will be announcing again. He's
been very busy doing various broadcasts for tracks on the West Coast
lately.
From Oregon and Cory and
Sandra Penfold's little 1/10 mile Outlaw Kart track, Marion Creek
Speedway, we've been hearing encouraging news about things that they
plan to build. They put fencing around the track about a month or so ago
and have been taking donations to build a bridge over the creek. That
would make it easier for the drivers to bring their Karts to the pit
area. I've spoken about the state of Kart racing from far Northern
California through Oregon. It's a mess. They've made it more expensive
and tracks are struggling to get any kind of numbers at all.
It's
actually a year ago to the day that I'm writing this that the Penfold's
began cutting the dirt to shape the Kart track. I know that Cory has
had the dream of being a race track promoter and wanted to buy
Willamette Speedway from Jerry Schram. Considering the type of deal that
he would have had to make, I think he's breathing a sigh of relief that
he didn't succeed. The guy who did get the deal lasted a year and now
things are in court. Instead, Cory and Sandy decided to build the track
on their property.
Now comes the
challenging part of getting permits and permissions to do all of this,
but this is part of what being a promoter is all about. They've got good
plans for this place, which includes buying a little bit more property
for the pit area, putting up bleachers, possibly putting up lighting for
night racing and so on. I don't think Oregon quite has anything like
this when it comes to Outlaw Kart racing. The other tracks that do this
type of racing are part of bigger oval tracks. You come to Marion Creek
Speedway, and you're there for Outlaw Kart racing. Cory and Sandy are
"all in" on this track, and they know there will be speed bumps. I don't
know that they'll be able to get the July 4th weekend event in that
they want to do, but they are determined to make this track prosper.
We
did get a little bit of Petaluma Speedway news on Wednesday morning,
and it wasn't surprising. The NARC/King of the West Fujitsu Winged 410
Sprint Car Series race that was scheduled to take place on the 11th has
been canceled. This should come as a surprise to nobody. The NARC Series
is the most expensive traveling series to promote in California, and
obviously the money is not there if you can't open your grandstands.
Even with SpeedshiftTV broadcasting, if they manage to have that, it
isn't going to pay the bills. Unless somebody came in with some big
dollars, there was no chance of this happening. The hope was that the
grandstands could open, but that's simply not going to be the case.
At this time, Petaluma Speedway is still listing that as a Saturday night show that will include the PitStopUSA.com
Winged 360 Sprint Cars, Lumberjacks Restaurant Super Stocks, General
Hydroponics Redwood Dwarf Cars and the Jake's Performance Hobbies Mini
Stocks. I wouldn't be surprised if they moved this race to the 12th to
accommodate streaming service, but that announcement hasn't been made as
of today.
It's being reported
that the USAC Western Midget race scheduled for Petaluma on July 18th is
still a go at this time, but I haven't heard anything from the track
yet on this. They don't command as big a purse, so I can see this open
wheel night going on as scheduled. PitStopUSA.com Wingless Spec Sprints
and Santa Rosa Auto Body 600 Micros are also on the bill that night. As
always, keep checking the Petaluma Speedway Facebook page for updates.
In
regards to the Ocean Speedway race that was scheduled on July 18th,
there seems to be better news. The Howard Kaeding Classic is a go as of
right now as confirmed by the track. I think several people have been
fighting for this race behind the scenes for the last couple of months,
so it wasn't a surprise to hear the track officially acknowledged that
it's going on as scheduled. As I said, there are some sponsors from the
area who are staunch Winged 410 Sprint Car supporters, so I don't think
there will be quite the issue of paying the purse. I just don't think
there were that many boosters in Petaluma willing to help them out in
that particular situation.
We
finally got at least some good news from Doug Lockwood at Merced
Speedway. It's not overwhelmingly good news, but it's still news of a
potential race. Doug put something up on the track's Facebook page. He
didn't name a specific date, though he alluded to the fact that it would
be on a Sunday. SpeedshiftTV would be streaming this race. What he's
looking for is driver response as far as who would commit to running one
event to be named later. This may be the only event that Merced
Speedway has if they open their gates at all.
Doug
has been very careful during this whole ordeal to not say too much or
commit to anything. There might be a desire to run a handful of races,
but they're not saying much. Doug was one of the first promoters in the
state to mention that championship racing was probably off the table.
I'd say the only chance Merced Speedway has of crowning champions this
year is if they run four IMCA Modified or Sport Modified races as the
sanctioning body themselves will crown those champions. I await an
announcement on what race will happen and when. The Merced Speedway
Facebook page is the best place to check.
Lockwood
wasn't through putting ideas out there. He proposed a question to IMCA
Modified and IMCA Sport Modified drivers. Who would be interested in
participating in a Speedweek of some sort in August? I've been pitching a
similar idea. My thinking was possibly late August into Labor Day
weekend, but you've got to be careful of the timing. Many of the teams
head to Iowa for the IMCA Nationals. Therefore, I thought that maybe
they could do a Speedweek of this type after Boone, Iowa. Maybe in mid
to late September? The advantage of waiting until that time is you've
got a better chance of actually being able to sell tickets to fans.
I
will admit the biggest contributing factor to me even proposing this
idea was for the fans. Let's face it, this year sucks. Though some
tracks are making the best of it and actually trying to have point
seasons, a lot of tracks have been screwed in this deal. It's not a year
we will want to remember, but a Speedweek that could have fans in
September would be a nice way to put at least some positive spin on an
otherwise dreadful situation. Make no mistake, California should have an
IMCA Modified/Sport Modified Speedweek and should have booked it five
years ago. But in thlis time, I think it would have more meaning. Fans
would probably even flock to the track that ran on Wednesday under these
circumstances.
I can imagine
Doug is curious, and he's already getting good responses from people. A
few people are doubting that California will let anything happen. They
think California might shut down by then, but you never know. Who might
Doug speak with about booking a date for this proposed series is the
subject of speculation, so I'll go ahead and speculate.
Scott
Schweitzer at Bakersfield Speedway comes to mind. I'm thinking Chad
Chadwick at Antioch would be another possibility. Perhaps John Prentice
at Watsonville? That gives you four good tracks right there. Maybe
Hanford could squeeze in there for a date? Petaluma? I don't know. It'll
be interesting to see what Doug has in mind and what news on this front
might come in the days ahead.
Drake
Nelson went ahead and rolled the dice with a midweek race at the Coos
Bay Speedway oval track. I think he's been getting pretty good crowds
under the circumstances, and he had drag races planned for this weekend.
Doing something on Wednesday was his best bet. The problem is it's
midweek, and some Oregon racers may just be saving it for this weekend
at Yreka or Cottage Grove Speedway. Still, at just over 40 cars for the
four-division show, he had enough participation to give the fans a show.
Actually,
he pulled in a dozen Winged Sprint Cars. Two of the drivers in the
field were two of the best Limited Sprint racers in the state, reigning
ISCS champion Tanner Holmes and 2016 Southern Oregon Speedway champion
Jake Wheeler. A dozen cars is not a bad show at all for this division at
Coos Bay. In any case, Nelson continues to succeed with his Coos Bay
Speedway Bar and Grill idea. It seems the only thing that could slow
this thing down would be if the Oregon governor were to decide to close
the bars and restaurants down. Surely she wouldn't do that, would she?
Everybody
was waiting for the announcement from California Governor Gavin Newsom.
He said he would be making some announcements regarding restrictions
due to the increases in cases of the virus in various counties. I know
that some promoters might have been a little bit nervous. Honestly,
Antioch Speedway probably should have been nervous as the cases are
supposedly going up in Antioch, if you can believe what we're being
told. It seems like everything will still be business as usual at the
outdoor venues, at least for now. When I say business as usual, I mean
racing with no fans in attendance. Fans in the stands might be a little
further off than we might have hoped, but the situation could change
again just as easily.
The bad
news is that it looks like bars are going to suffer as well as other
indoor places. I recently made the speculation that California tracks
might want to look at the bar and grill option being employed by Coos
Bay Speedway, but that might be risky. In fact, could Oregon do similar
restrictions with bars and restaurants, and if so, how would that affect
Coos Bay Speedway? That I don't know, and it's all speculation. I don't
see the Oregon State Governor as the leader in this. She takes her cues
from other people. Maybe she'll look at what California is doing or one
of the other states and decide to do that with Oregon. Who knows? It
looks like the racing scheduled to happen this weekend will go on as
scheduled.
Anyway, I'll wrap up
another column. I really wasn't planning on doing this, but Antioch
Speedway is the last track I want to leave out of what I do. Since I
couldn't get the information I needed in a timely manner, I went ahead
and added one more post. I still can't do a race recap article, but at
least I can preview this weekend's activity. However, I have to point
out that I burnt myself out just a little bit last weekend doing what I
did. It was more work than I thought it would be. I'll sit there and
work on something and say, "It's just one more thing. No big deal."
After
a while, it becomes a big deal. The editing process took four hours or
so, and it was trying my patience for sure. It still felt good to be
able to put up another post, but I remain on a week-to-week basis with
this whole media effort. I'm probably sounding like a broken record at
this point, but I'm just saying what's on my mind right now. If I
ultimately decide to take a break, you'll know why it happened. I do
appreciate that people are reading, sharing posts and especially the
tips that we occasionally get. It keeps me going, so thank you for your
support.
On that note, I will end this column. Until next time...
