Pit Stops - Weekend Preview

First of all...

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 Available on Lulu in Paperback And Hard Cover

And

Don's California Racing Recollections:  Best Of The Blog And Beyond

Racing History, Stories, Statistics And Pictures
Available via print on demand at Lulu in Hard Cover or Paperback

Disclaimer 

For years we've made a commitment to cover motorsports on the West Coast, and we're very proud of our record. We always endeavor to give you the most accurate information possible, but sometimes some details aren't available to us when we go to press. Therefore, we want to remind you that any finishes listed in the articles and stats posted on this page are unofficial. As always, we refer you to each race track's webpage for official results and point standings. Our goal is to cover racing to the best of our ability, but we are an unofficial news source for the tracks covered in each post. Thank you for reading and thank you for your support.

If You Like Reading Our Articles

Support Us Via The Go Fund Me The Tip Jar HERE

Also...

DCRR Racing Media And PR Consulting  HERE

From the Grandstands By Ron Rodda HERE 

Blakesley Sports Media HERE

Short Track Live HERE

DRC (Daren Ricks Campbell) Motorsports Media HERE

The DCRR Racing Radio Show

Backup Link HERE

 

 

Pit Stops

We're doing an abbreviated posting today to take a brief look at some of the racing activity happening in California and Oregon this weekend. At the top of the list will be the Antioch Speedway show. It's the Bill Bowers Memorial race, and the three day extravaganza takes place with a practice and a pit party on Thursday, preliminary racing on Friday and the big money on the line on Saturday. This race is expected to attract some of the top IMCA Modified and IMCA Sport Modified drivers in California and other states. It's also going to be a big show for the IMCA Stock Cars.

While Promoter Chad Chadwick was still in negotiations with John M Soares last year to take over the contract for Antioch Speedway, he managed to stake his claim on the special show at the end of the year that John had intended to promote. It became the West Coast Nationals last year, named after the big race that Antioch Speedway had for the IMCA Modifieds in the 1990s. The blueprint was already put in place for what will happen this year, and it came together within a few months. The race has been renamed the Bill Bowers Memorial race in honor of Chadwick's longtime friend.

The racing community knows Bill Bowers as somebody who teamed up with JD Willis to win multiple championships through the years. Bill helped many racers and was one of the nicest people you would want to meet. He was also part of Antioch Speedway's Hall of Fame class of 2019 last year. Already, this race has special meaning for many people, and we haven't even talked about how much money will be on the line in any of the divisions. The purses are increased, despite the fact that fans are still not allowed in attendance. You are able to order the internet pay-per-view at www.floracing.com.

They paid $7,500 to win last season for the IMCA Modifieds, but they were also able to have fans. Considering the limitations that Chad Chadwick is dealing with, it's remarkable that the IMCA Modifieds will pay $5,000 to win on Saturday, $2,500 for second and $1,250 for third. The IMCA Sport Modifieds are racing for a bigger purse than they had last year, including $2,500 to win and $1,250 for second. Chadwick was keen on having a special show for the IMCA Stock Cars, and 1 Hour Drain came in as a sponsor. They will run full programs on Friday and Saturday night with $1,000 going to the winner on each occasion.

Last season, it was Kellen Chadwick winning a thrilling battle with Bobby Hogge IV to score the victory. It turned out to be the biggest win of Kellen's career. Though Hogge still pocketed $3,800 for his second place finish, there was disappointment in letting the win slip away. 2019 Western Regional champion Bricen James, 2019 IMCA Nationals winner Ethan Dotson and Tripp Gaylord rounded out the Top 5 in the race.

We've watched the talented third-generation racer Hogge come up big on many occasions over the last two decades now. He won the $3,006 prize in the Pat and Jim Pettit Memorial Shootout race at Watsonville last week. He's also this year's California IMCA Speedweek champion having not finished lower than third in any of the six races.

Is Hogge the driver to beat this year? Perhaps. However, Chadwick and new Antioch and State champion Troy Foulger both hope to have something to say about this. The race is particularly special to Foulger, whose car owner Billy Bowers will be remembering his father at this show. If Hogge, Chadwick and Foulger are three of the favorites going into the race, there are others who could make their presence known. The names we're going to see in the pits are all impressive. Drivers like new Watsonville champion Jim Pettit, 2018 State champion Shane DeVolder, past Bakersfield champions Robby Sawyer and Brad Pounds, past Watsonville champions Austin Burke and Cody Burke and past Antioch, Petaluma and Watsonville champion Nick DeCarlo are all fierce competitors.

We saw 60 cars show up on Saturday night in the IMCA Modifieds alone at Watsonville last week. Last season, and even on short notice, there were 40 of them at Antioch. It's anticipated that there should be at least 50 cars in this class and the IMCA Sport Modifieds, and possibly more. Nobody's really making predictions on what the number will be, but we know the competition level will be high and the racing will be exciting on the quarter-mile clay oval. The IMCA Modifieds are only a part of it, but the Sport Modifieds will be there as well.

It might have been a bit of a surprise to see Kenny Shrader score the $1,500 win in the Sport Modified portion of West Coast Nationals last year. Nobody saw him coming then, but he's established himself as one of Antioch's top racers this season. Shrader's win came ahead of 2019 Antioch champion Tommy Fraser, Ethan Dotson, Troy Foulger and Brent Curran.

Three-time Antioch champion Trevor Clymens only had one win this year, and he's got his sights on the $2,500 payday. The big name people look for at Antioch is Fred Ryland. Fred has won multiple races at Antioch and other venues this year and was in the hunt at Watsonville last week in his second place finishes on both Friday and Saturday. He finished second, but we shouldn't forget about Andrew Peckham. He actually won both of those races and was the winner on preliminary night at the West Coast Nationals last year. Could Peckham be the man to beat this year?

The IMCA Sport Modifieds have a very talented field of drivers, and we're going to see some good ones this weekend. 2019 State champion Guy Ahlwardt will be hoping to get another Antioch victory as will Brent Curran. Curran handled himself well in the recent IMCA Nationals in Iowa with a Top 10 finish against some of the best drivers in the country. Watsonville champion Adriane Frost will be hoping to get an Antioch win. The first time she got a win at Antioch Speedway, she was Competing in the Four Bangers division. As with the IMCA Modifieds, drivers will be coming from everywhere to make a run for the money, and it's anybody's guess who will come out on top. We'll have to tune in to watch.

For these two divisions alone, the show is worth the price to watch the pay-per-view, but they're not coming alone. Chadwick was looking for the right thing to add as a third class. Something that could bring the excitement but not overwhelm the program. Given the fact that Antioch Speedway is getting into the IMCA Stock Car class in 2021, this seemed like the perfect opportunity to showcase what this class can do. The people in Antioch were buzzing after Merced Speedway added the class to their Speedweek race and had an 18 car field. At Hanford, the track this division started at in California, they just had a 15 car show.

It won't just be Hanford and Bakersfield area stars like Cody Johnson, Chad Johnson, Troy Patee and Kris Broucaret that we need to watch out for. Merced Speedway already has drivers with cars, including past Hobby Stock champions Michael Shearer and Bruce "Bubba" Nelson. Garrett Corn and Tim Elias also have cars for the class. There will be Antioch drivers in this field and also three-time Watsonville Hobby Stock champion Rob Gallaher. We're not sure exactly how many cars will show up here, but there's a legitimate shot at the California record of 18 cars. It's a slightly different style of racing than the Hobby Stocks, and very exciting.

The Antioch Speedway Facebook page will have other details as will the www.antiochspeedway.com website, and we would refer people to the Placerville Speedway Facebook page and www.placervillespeedway.com for what's about to take place at that quarter-mile clay oval. This will be the Mac Tiner Tribute race for the Thompson's Auto Group Winged 360 Sprint Cars. Joining them on the bill will be the Limited Late Models, Pure Stocks and the BCRA Midget Lites, and this is the final regular season show for the track. There's a USAC West Coast 360 Sprint Car and Western Midget race the following week and the big USAC National Midget race in November.

Mac Tiner was one of the more respected car owners in the Sprint Car class, and this will be California's biggest paying Winged 360 Sprint Car race of the year, at least to this point. They pay $5,094 to win. Second place bags $2,094. Third place pays $1,594. Even seventh place gets a cool $1,094, and it's a minimum of $394 to start. The Tiner family has been working to secure sponsorship, and they made it so that an additional $1,000 each will be thrown into the purses for the other classes.

They've had five regular shows for the Sprint Car class, one of them being the Mark Forni Classic. Blake Carrick picked up the $3,000 paycheck for that win. Tanner Carrick won the most recent race, while Justyn Cox, Kalib Henry and Colby Copeland were the other winners. They had two Placerville Posse races back in June. Many-time Chico champion Sean Becker and Shane Golobic won those races, and the Golobic's victory was worth $2,500. When they put the money on the line in Placerville, the field swells into the 40s for the Sprint Cars.

They have been keeping track of point standings, though we're unclear as to whether or not the track will crown a champion in any of the divisions this year. When it comes to who might be the next potential new winner this year, second-generation racer Ryan Robinson will certainly be one to consider. Robinson had three wins out at Marysville this year. He currently leads the point standings by seven markers ahead of Chase Majdic. Driving for Demo Mittry, Majdic won at Hanford last week. Both drivers have a pair of Top 5 finishes at Placerville. A distant third is Shane Hopkins, 38 points ahead of Blake Carrick and 45 in front of Greg "Bubba" DeCaries V. This portion of the program alone should be very entertaining.

Dan Brown Jr just wrapped up his Marysville Limited Late Model championship last weekend in a race won by Wayne Trimble. This was Wayne Trimble's first win since 2016. There have been four different winners in as many races at Placerville this year, including Ray Trimble, Dan Jinkerson, Brown and Bobby Hogge IV. Ray Trimble is the only one of the four with all Top 5 finishes, and he leads Jinkerson by 13 markers. Jinkerson is a past Pure Stock champion, and he has a 12 point advantage over Brown. Tyler Lightfoot and Matt Davis may be the next in line for victory, and they round out the current Top 5 heading into the night. A double digit car count is anticipated for the show 

The Pure Stocks have had five races, and only two-time champion Nick Baldwin has all Top 5 finishes. He also still searches for his first win, though he carries an eight point lead over one-time winner Les Friend into this show. Friend is just 19 markers ahead of Clarence Holbrook in the race for second as Jonathan Walsh and Kevin Jinkerson make up the balance of the Top 5 going into the race. Jason Palmer, John Ewing and Dan Jinkerson are the other winners, and Ewing has a pair of victories. A double digit car count is anticipated in this class as well.

The BCRA Midget Lites round out the program, and we're not entirely sure who will be there. We do anticipate a good turnout, and it could include some racers from the California Lightning Sprint class down in Southern California. Not only will they be running this week, but they are also included in the special USAC show that has been booked for next week and were also announced to be a part of November's Hangtown 100 program. There's a nice variety of classes on the card at Placerville this week, and it's a www.floracing.com option.

Madera Speedway has a MavTV taping happening this week. Thanks to sponsorship from www.nutupindustries.com, the track will be streaming it live on their YouTube page. You'll be able to find out information on that through the Madera Speedway Facebook page or at www.racemadera.com. The Nut Up Pro Late Models take center stage this weekend along with the 51fifty Energy Drink Junior Late Models and the Mini Cups vs the Bandoleros. It's the final round of the Race 2B Drug Free Big3 Series, and that means big money will be on the line.

There will be a 150 lap Pro Late Model race this weekend with $10,000 going to the winner, $5,000 going to second and $2,500 going to third. Should they get more than 28 cars and have the need for a B Main, the winner of that race will get $4,500. It's not likely that they'll get that car count, but it will be interesting to see if they do. Last time this kind of money was on the line a few weeks ago, all hell broke loose at the end of the race in a restart that wasn't going to count. After a protest, the win for Buddy Shepherd was overturned and given to Ryan Philpott, who actually crossed the line fifth that night. 

Shepherd has been so impressive this year that he is probably considered the driver to beat once again this week. He's won four of the seven races held so far with the other victories going to Dylan Zampa, Jeremy Doss and Philpott. Philpott has looked strong enough lately that he's managed to climb into second of the points, but he trails Shepherd by 65 markers. It's looking more and more like Shepherd is on his way to his third championship, but the deal isn't done yet. Anything can happen.

Philpott only leads Blaine Rocha by 16 points in a closer battle for third. 30 points behind him is Ross Strmiska. Ross was holding second for a while, but he's had some bad luck lately with two-straight DNFs. 31 points out of second is Dylan Zampa. Sheldon Cooper has run strong lately and moved into sixth in the standings. He's also leading the overall point standings, which combine the Pro Late Models with the Club Race Madera Late Model standings. Cooper is hoping to score the victory this week, and there is sure to be some stiff competition with other such notables as Trevor Huddleston, Carlos Vieira, Joey Iest and Austin Herzog anticipated.

In the 51fifty Energy Drink Junior Late Models, Bradley Erickson has been somewhat dominant with four wins in seven races. He carries a 64 point lead over one-time winner Cole Brown going into this show. Jake Bollman has been knocking on the door to victory with three runner-up finishes in the last four races. Bollman is just 19 points behind Brown and 14 ahead of Kercie Jung. Jung has been taken out in late race tangles twice in a row and will be hoping to rebound this week. She leads Kabe McClenny by 33 points in the race for fourth. It was Kabe's brother Kale McClenny looking impressive last time out with a second place finish. Could Kale McClenny get the win this week? Seth Wise won the first two races this year, but it's likely that he'll be running with the Pro Late Models. However, we've got some talented young drivers hoping to stake a claim on victory this week.

Admittedly, Jeffrey Erickson has been pretty dominant in the Bandolero Series this year with wins in every race. Caden Cordova has finished second four races in a row and trails by 46 points in the championship battle. He's also 24 points ahead of Joey Kennealy, who is a rookie this year. Those two drivers lead the charge in the hopes of finally defeating seven-time winner Erickson. Motor issues took Harley Kennealy out of the Mini Cup show last time out and broke things wide open for point leader Rebecca Dubie. Dubie has topped the field in her class six times, beat by Harley just the one time.

USAC will have a strong presence at Petaluma Speedway in October. The first of two USAC Western States Midget shows happens this week, supported by the BCRA Midgets. They will also have a USAC West Coast 360 Sprint Car show on October 17th. The West Coast Stock Car Hall of Fame has put in some money for these two Midget races to make a mini series point fund, which includes $1,000 for the champion. Also competing this weekend will be the General Hydroponics Redwood Dwarf Cars, Santa Rosa Auto Body 600 Micros and the Jake's Performance Hobbies Mini Stocks. www.floracing.com will have the broadcast, and you can find out more by going to www.petaluma-speedway.com or the Petaluma Speedway Facebook page

One driver who has his eyes on some of that extra money for the Midgets is Alex Schuette. Schuette won the July race in dominant fashion by half a lap ahead of recent Antioch BCRA Midget winner Austin Liggett. These two figure to lead the charge, and other drivers to keep an eye on include Cory Elliott, Ben Worth, CJ Sarna, Terry Nichols and Frankie Guerrini. Brody Fuson could have something to say about it. The Bakersfield competitor finished second at Antioch in the BCRA show last week. A field of roughly 20 competitors is anticipated for this show.

In the Redwood Dwarf Car portion of the program, Garrett Brady looked impressive last time out as he got his first win. He finds himself 22 points behind reigning NorCal champion Michael "Spanky" Grenert going into the night. Grenert missed the most recent show to compete in the NorCal event at Placerville. With a solid night that saw him pick up his third Top 5 finish, reigning champion Chad Matthias gained a 33 point lead over Grenert by the conclusion of the evening. Matt Hagemann is in a tie with Brady for third, two points ahead of Zach Albers, four ahead of Jimmy Damron and six in front of Carroll Mendenhall. Drivers on the winner's list include Grenert, Ryan Winter, Shawn Jones, Danny Wagner and Darren Brown. Jones has two victories. Coming off of the huge Dwarf Car Nationals in Marysville, there could be a little bit of driver fatigue, but the car count should at least be in the 20s for this show.

We haven't seen an accurate point list for the Santa Rosa Auto Body 600 Micros, but we know that Jim Beck, Kyle Grissom and George Nielson have all done well. Grissom has been on the cusp of victory, but misfortune has prevented that from occurring. Both Beck and Nielson have wins, but the bigger star has been Koen Shaw. Shaw scored his third win in the most recent race. Though these five drivers lead the charge, there are some other drivers to keep an eye on, including Rob Brown, Carroll Mendenhall, Amber Fields, Sam Borland and reigning champion Justin Adiego.

The point standings weren't updated after the fourth Mini Stock event, but with wins in all four races, Tom Brown would surely be leading. The car count has admittedly not been very good. Brown nearly let the win slip away from him last time as he was schooled on the final restart by Roberta Broze. Mechanical failure set in for Broze on the back straightaway, and Brown went on to victory ahead of Broze. Roberta would be third in the standings behind at rookie Jake Barretta. These three could be there, and others to watch for would include Casey Monahan, Cody Bolles and Austin Lodin.

 

Siskiyou Golden Speedway is getting ready to have their IMCA Sport Modified Battle of the Borders. The championship has been decided in favor of Mike Medel following his fifth place finish last time out. He held off previous champion Ethan Killingsworth with Jorddon Braaten, Ryan Peery and Colt Boswell among the Top 5 in the standings. These five drivers may be leading the charge to grab the $700 payday on Saturday night. We're not sure who will come to make a run for the money, but some of the drivers to watch for include Jace Wright, Randy Wright, Chad Wormington and Joby Shields.

The Mini Stock season is over, and seven wins out of eight races secured David Steele his second division championship at Yreka. We're a bit surprised to find that three-time champions Marilyn Yawnick and Mike Whitaker were shown in second and third with Ashtin Hedges dropping back, but those are the listings that were shown. These four drivers could be there for this race, and others we might see include Hunter Magnan, Steve Goetz and Paige Boswell. Last season, the Mini Stock drivers pretty much gave up on things in October, so we're expecting anything to happen this time.

It seems like car builders JJ Smith and Karl Bernstein are both all in when it comes to the Jefferson State Jalopies. They maintain all four cars as they are working on a fifth car that they hope to debut next year. With three wins in four races, JJ Smith managed to dethrone Marilyn Yawnick as division champion. Yawnick settled for second. We figured Yawnick would be the one to finally beat Smith for the win, but it was Rick Webber beating Smith in both the heat race and Main Event last time out. It won't be about points this week, but bragging rights are on the line among the four competitors.

Currently, these are the three divisions being shown on the schedule for the Yreka track. We're not sure what they might add if anything. They also intend to race through the end of the month. To keep updated on scheduling and possibly see a live stream this Saturday night, check out the Siskiyou Golden Speedway Facebook page.

After helping establish Hardtop racing in California over 15 years ago, Chuck Prather moved to Coos Bay and bought the track. His goal was to establish some stability to the Oregon coast track, and he accomplished that deed. Along the way, it went from being a pavement track to a dirt track. One of Chuck's signature shows was the Lucas Oil open show that they use to close the racing season in October every year. This was an occasion that saw extra money on the line for several divisions. This year will be no different.

The America's Mattress Super Late Models will be competing for $2,000 to win, which is a slight increase from last year. Coos Bay Speedway is one of those tracks that allows fans in attendance during these covid-19 times. Thanks to some sponsorship, the Dirt Modifieds are paying $1,000 to win. Both the Sportsman Late Models and Street Stocks get $500 to win, and the Mini Outlaws are on the card for $200 to win. On the Coos Bay Speedway Facebook page, there have been purse breakdowns to let people know more information.

As a NASCAR track, the Coos Bay Speedway competitors vie for point fund money. To put it into perspective, Brody Montgomery has picked up $3,500 for his second Super Late Model championship in three years. Braden Fugate gets $2,000 for second, Jason Johnson gets $1,200 for third, Mike Taylor gets $1,000 for fourth and 2019 champion Preston Luckman gets an $800 paycheck for fifth. There's also State money on the line, but we don't know what the breakdown is for the Top 3 drivers there. We can tell you that these five drivers might top the list of regulars in contention for the $2,000 prize this Saturday.

It's rare that any of the other Oregon tracks are running in October when Coos Bay has this race, but both Cottage Grove Speedway and Willamette Speedway have racing planned for this weekend. Therefore, we're not sure who might break away from those tracks to come to Coos Bay, but we anticipate one or two drivers doing just that. Last season, the extra money in the Late Models was won by Rob Mayea. The Northern Oregon star has won three of the last four races on this occasion. We anticipate a double digit Late Model turnout for this show.

The track did pay $1,000 to win for the Dirt Modifieds last year, but only nine drivers came to town for a run at the money. New Yreka champion Travis Peery was the one scoring the victory on that occasion. Might he make a return engagement to attempt to defend his championship? Though the money is nice, we're not sure that the car count will increase that much from what there was last year, but this might depend on what sort of support comes in from Medford and Yreka. New champion Raymond Bloom, second-ranked Paul Rea and third-ranked Ryan Baker could be there this week. Bloom still hasn't won a race this year, and Rea got the win last week.

Four-time 2020 winner Steve Dubisar was the winner of the Street Stock portion of the program last year and might be the driver to beat. We know that two-time champion Ken Fox and five-time winner Graig Osborne might have something to say about that. The numbers have been pretty good at Coos Bay this year, so seeing double digit support in this class is not going to be much of a surprise. A Thursday announcement saw the winner's prize increasing to $750 in this class.

The Sportsman Late Model and Mini Outlaw counts may not be huge, but the Mini Outlaws have had a better season than usual. Scott Beaudoin has won more Mini Outlaw races than anybody this year, and he won this show last year. He could be the driver to beat, but hard chargers like Tahlen Rogers and Jason Kellam might offer some good competition. Mike Taylor and Wayne Butler have won this Sportsman show in recent years, but neither is anticipated this time. Trace Fugate is the champion this year and may be the driver to beat. The question is, will anybody from Willamette be lured to town for the money, or might a Pro Stock racer from Southern Oregon make a run for it?

The Coos Bay portion of our weekend offering has no pay-per-view that we know of, but you can go and watch in person. You can get your information at the Coos Bay Speedway Facebook page or at www.coosbayspeedway.us. Likewise, they're allowing some fan attendance at Shasta Speedway for their only race of the year. There's a $10,000 purse on the line for the North State Modified Series, and that should attract a car count that could reach into the 20s. Legends of the Pacific, Hornets and a BCRA/WMRA Midgets race are also part of the bill.

Cameron Austin grabbed the glory at the Eureka NSMS race last week, and Charlie Collins and Kyle Tellstrom were the winners at Lakeport earlier this year. Austin's win came ahead of Darrin Knight, Darrin Sullivan, Randy Houston and Ian Elliott. All of these drivers are anticipated for this show, and others to watch for include Scott Winters, Dustin DeRosier, Simi Tour and Cody Braund. The North State Modified Series is probably the premiere Modified effort on the pavement in California. 

The Legends of the Pacific will probably deliver a car count in the teens for their $1,000 to win race, but we're not going to predict what the Hornets or Midgets might have as we don't have enough data to go by. We can say that the Modified show should be a good one, but we are unaware of any internet pay-per-view or what tickets might be on sale. We don't even know if we'll see results on what happened. The Shasta Speedway Facebook page would be the place to check for other details.

Getting information out of Orland Raceway has been a chore this year, but they have been racing. They're running their third-straight week of racing this Saturday night, headlined by the Pure Stocks, Mini Trucks, Mini Stocks, Wingless Spec Sprints and 250 Micros. We've been trying to get any information we can, but we haven't had a lot of luck. The good news for the future is that we could see their race results available on MyLaps once they get that all dialed in. In the meantime, you'll need to go to the Orland Raceway Facebook page for any information that might be forthcoming.

The Editor's Viewpoint

I really didn't need to say anything today heading into what should be a big weekend of racing at Antioch Speedway. It's the Bill Bowers Memorial. I like that Chad Chadwick renamed the race in Bill's honor as he certainly deserved it. I don't know anybody who had a bad thing to say about Bill. He was beloved within the community. I was proud to be able to induct Bill into the Antioch Speedway Hall of Fame last year, and the only thing I wish is that he would have been alive to see it. I have a feeling he would have been humbled by the honor and likewise humbled to see this race is happening in his memory.

Antioch Speedway will be the place to be this weekend for the IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Sport Modifieds and IMCA Stock Cars. I anticipate the car count will be in the 100s for this show, and it will be another chapter in the great history of that race track. They're paying $5,000 to win for the IMCA Modifieds. Last year, when we could have fans in the grandstands, Chad paid $7,500, and we witnessed one of the greatest finishes in the track's history as Kellen Chadwick outdueled Bobby Hogge IV to claim the honors. Even at $5,000 to win this year, it's the biggest paying race on the West Coast.

The race deserves at least 50 IMCA Modifieds and 50 IMCA Sport Modifieds, and I think it will get there. The IMCA Stock Cars need only have 19 competitors to set a new record for the class in the state. Antioch Speedway will be part of the wave sweeping over California for this class next year. Get used to these cars, because this class's presence is going to grow. I think the fans are going to see a nice show for these guys as well. They pay $1,000 to win, while the IMCA Sport Modifieds pay $2,500 to win.

It blows me away to think that Antioch Speedway is going to pay the kind of money that they are this weekend, and they can't have fans in the grandstands. Everybody would certainly understand if they dialed it back a little bit, and yet that's not happening here. We're hearing rumblings that there could be fans allowed in the grandstands at tracks in the next week or two, but it's hard to know what will happen for sure. I don't want to speculate too heavily on that as sometimes speculation misses the mark. I only know we've had our fill of this virus BS, but there's some who want to take it up a notch. Therefore, I'm just taking it one day at a time.

In a year that's seen the virus keeping most of these grandstands empty and has forced tracks to rely on internet pay-per-view, we've had races like this weekend's Bill Bowers Memorial, last weekend's Pat and Jim Pettit Memorial Shootout, California IMCA Speedweek, the Mark Forni Classic at Placerville and this week's Mac Tiner Tribute at Placerville. Some tracks are just doing what they need to do. In a lot of cases, they're doing it with good sponsorship. When you hear the name of a company sponsoring one of these races and know that you can do business with them, please support them. Some of these races aren't going to happen without that sponsorship.

I want to keep it on Antioch Speedway for a moment and acknowledge the announcement that the Hall of Fame night that was scheduled on October 10th won't be happening. I've been saying all along that they didn't need to do it, and I was against it from the start. Once we knew that we couldn't have fans in the grandstands, there was no reason. However, I saw so much talk about this on the internet that I got out of the way so somebody else could do it. I'm going to be grumpy about that for a while, although I truly believe that putting Chris Briggs in charge of this was a good thing.

Even when Chris conveyed to me that they might still do something this year, he wasn't going to aim high. I think that he took a step back and realized that now wasn't the time. He's been setting up some of the infrastructure for this deal, which includes the new web page and Facebook page that he has created. Although I probably could have organized a 2021 Hall of Fame from afar, I've always believed that it needed to be done at the ground level. Since I have no idea when I'm ultimately going to be able to move back to Contra Costa County, I'm okay with this. However, I'm not against the idea of helping another track get one of these deals started if I can.

I felt like they could have been able to put together a short list for the Hall of Fame and actually had people there to receive the awards. In fact, I know Chris was considering that. It would have basically been done for the people in the pits, and the meaning might not have been as special. I can imagine having Scott Busby show up or honoring somebody like Brynda Bockover or Debbie Clymens. Sure, they would be happy to receive the award, but without being able to do something in front of the crowd, it loses its meaning a little. I'm happy that Chris realized the same thing and decided that this needs to wait a year.

The Hall of Fame was in doubt for me the moment the covid-19 lockdown began in March. That was about the time I was getting ready to start reaching out to the people I had selected for the committee. Chris was actually one of them, which is why his name was at the top of my list to take this over. I admit that I disengaged from the whole idea when the virus shut down happened. I could tell they were going to stretch this thing on and on, and they certainly did. While tracks are running with empty grandstands, nobody can be 100% happy with the situation we're negotiating through.

I already had a short list developing in my mind last year as certain names got removed from the list of people we inducted then. The list last year was too long as it was, and I regret that. I almost wish I could have had a do-over on that. We've got so many people who are deserving, but I think a list of 7 to 10 people going forward is about where it needs to be. My short list would have been where it started, or it would have been something I would have pitched to the other committee members as we started to come to some sort of agreement on where it needed to go.

I knew that the 1990s were going to be included, and it was a no-brainer adding Scott Busby's name to that list. The man dominated the 1990s and did so much to grow the Dirt Modified class while it was still under the NASCAR banner. People were suggesting Scott from the get-go, but I felt that we needed to go back further and honor some people who came before him. I was sort of thinking the 1990s were still too soon, but 1999 is now 21 years ago. It's time. I don't think anybody would have disputed Scott, and I feel confident in saying that had we been able to do this as planned, he would have been on the list that ultimately made it.

Brynda Bockover was on my list last year. She and I sparred for a few years, but the one thing I can say is I respect the woman for her contributions to the sport. The highest compliment I can give her is that if she were in charge of West Coast Speedways, it might still be around today. I met some resistance on her nomination last year. When I put her name out there, there were people saying no, but this isn't about personal feelings. It's about respect for accomplishments. She would have been a Hall of Fame member this year if I had anything to say about it.

Snork Wilson was on my short list as was Tom Abreu. These two would represent the 1960s. When I brought up Tom's name, there was resistance to him, but I stand by it. I don't care that he was a bad boy with NASCAR. He was still a phenomenal racer and one of the early stars. Snork was one of the first local stars and quite a car builder from what I was told. I met his son Bryant when he started racing in the 1990s, but I never had the honor of meeting Snork. Lonnie Williams and Jimmy Stewart would have been two others from the 1960s getting some consideration as Stewart was the first champion two years running, and Williams was a champion and one of stars from the late 60s into the 1970s.

From the Sportsman division, the three names that pop out quickly to me are Marv Wilson, Gene Dothage and Buzz Enea. Dothage was runnerup three years in a row at a time when he was battling guys like Gary Pacheco and Bill Brown. He was fast. Marv Wilson was a champion at both Antioch and Petaluma and went out on his terms. Buzz Enea won several Sportsman Main Events in the 1970s and 1980s and probably would have won the 1981 championship had he not stepped aside for his father-in-law, Len Mello. Buzz was also a heck of a Late Model racer in the 1980s.

The Stock Car discussion probably would have included Bob Meeker, who was a fixture in the Top 5 in the standings in the late 1970s and a champion. We named a race after him. I look at people like Mitch West, John Van Hooser, Ken Johnson and Don Robbins. There's room for discussion here, although I like the Meeker selection. I think there should be some Stock Car representation. I'm inclined to create a Hall of Fame pioneer award. Gloria Johnson and Lesley Green might get that as the first two women to race against the guys on a regular basis. Gloria was actually second in points. She didn't race long, but she made a significant impact.

Debbie Clymens would have gotten in this year if I had anything to say about it. To me, she was the woman who kicked the door in for others to follow. Never intimidated, always back racing hard the next week. Street Stocks should get consideration, and Debbie did compete in that class for a while. When I think of drivers who were there for quite some time, John Bellando really is the first choice. I would lobby hard for him because of the impact he had in the 1980s. If you were there, you know. People might make a case for Duane Hodges, and I wouldn't argue against it. Troy Shirk would get in, but to me Bellando should get in first. The Street Stock discussion would be interesting, but Debbie gets in. Though I would be flexible on some of the suggestions I put out there, there's a few like Debbie and Busby and Bockover that I wouldn't budge on.

Dave Byrd probably should have gotten in with Jim Pettit II last year as his impact in his few years at the speedway was huge. Dave would get in this year, and I'd also make a good case for Bobby Hogge III as another driver from the 1980s who had an immense impact. Other members at large that I would look at would include Ted Ballard of Antioch Parts Depot and all the support he gave the track. Burt Jeffries, crew member from the 1960s, came highly recommended from people who were there. Drivers went to him for chassis set up, and I believe he was the first black man to win a race at Antioch Speedway in the 1960s. Car owner and engine builder Rich Richards deserves the honor. Often outspoken, but he was an advocate for fairness and stood up for what he believed in. 

Without getting too deep into things, this is where I would have started. I wasn't going to put this out there until I heard what the official announcement was. Since the announcement was made that there won't be a Hall of Fame this year, I'm going for it. The discussion would have started with these names, but the committee would have come up with their own. We'd reach a consensus. Even if the committee wasn't completely in place by then, my list would still change when other people spoke up with their suggestions. Both previous lists of inductees that we put in changed from where I started, because I'm a firm believer in getting the thoughts and opinions of people who've been around.

That's about all I have to say concerning my involvement in putting the Hall of Fame together. These are the remaining thoughts I had concerning this year, and it will move forward led by Chris Briggs. If I'm asked for any input, I'll certainly give it. Other people will have a seat at the table in this discussion. It's going to be more than just giving awards to people at the track. I can see the wheels turning, and it's going to become something very special. I know people wanted to keep it going this year despite the virus shut down, but it was the right move to wait another year. It would be better served that way.

A little track in Idaho in the town of Mountain Home came to my attention. Angela Brown is back visiting her father, longtime Street Stock competitor "Bouncing" Bob Brown. I guess Bob has settled there. Angela and Chris Long were on the track taking a few pictures and shooting video, and that peaked my curiosity. I recall Mike McCann bringing up something about this track, but it went over my head at the time. This was only a couple of weeks ago. Seeing this track and the fact that Bob Brown is back there made me do a little bit of research. There's not a lot of history there.

When you think Idaho racing, you think Meridian and the pavement track that's right there in town. Or, you might think about Twin Falls, Idaho. They had a NASCAR competitor there that made his presence known in the Regional point battles in the 1990s. Mike explained to me that he had been back there maybe 16 or 18 years ago at the request of a friend. The friend was trying to get him to jump into a project. Mike was only at that location very briefly before he declined. There was another location, a horse track. Unfortunately, because you're sharing the property with horse people, that can create problems. Mike declined to be involved and left Idaho.

I happened to look at the track's new website and noticed the email address. That's Dave Lewis. Mike had told me that Dave was involved in a track, so the light bulb went off at that point. It's interesting that Lewis was part of an effort to try to lure me out of retirement not even a year after I walked away from my media effort at the end 2003. I got the assault, so to speak. Ken Bonnema contacted me on Dave's behalf, while Joe Martinez contacted me on behalf of Mike McCluney. They needed an announcer and writer. I felt bad for the two as they were doing some good things at Watsonville. Even Gary Jacob was being unkind, although not in a biting way. They left that to Rick Albarron and his RickIt Motorsports message board.

The thing that struck me about Dave and Mike as they were taking over for Rick Farren was that they were getting attacked before they really got started. I admit I didn't really like that too much. When you bring in people who are doing things a little bit differently, you might have a few issues as they figure it out. Give them a chance. The other thing that struck me was these two were willing to work with Antioch Speedway in a way that Farren hadn't been. Of course, John Soares was the guy that took Antioch out of NASCAR, so I'm not pointing a finger at Farren here. However, Dave and Mike were willing to work with Antioch on Limited Late Models, Wingless Spec Sprints and even Four Bangers.

The other thing to point out is that it's 20 years since Joe Martinez and I created California Racing Online. It's weird to think that time has gone by that quickly since we first met at Chowchilla Speedway. Within about a week or so of that meeting, Joe had already created the web page. I don't know how long it took us to get into weekly chats, but we did that too. We had promoters, racers and representatives of tracks. Lewis was one of those representatives. I think it's pretty cool that he's involved in trying to get something started at this Idaho track, and even more so that Bob Brown from Antioch Speedway is involved in some capacity

.

Bob has been one of my favorite people in the sport for many years. I met him around the same time as I met Marion Heaton and some of the Sportsman guys. Bob and his brother Dennis let me hang around them as they worked on their cars back then. Bob was the last guy I talked to after I was escorted by security from Antioch Speedway in 2001. He sympathized with what I was going through at the time, and that conversation always stuck with me. If they've got him involved with this track, I think they've got a positive asset for sure. 

I don't know what to think about the track. Mike McCann tells me that it could probably use some reshaping a little bit. Mike would know. Mike has actually built a couple of tracks in his time. Looking at their Facebook page, they've had cars on the track this year, and they've had an Enduro in the past. Obviously, Dave and his people want to do more than Enduros. I don't know what the area is like and what they can do. I hear they got a good deal on the property, but I'd almost recommend starting small. Hobby Stocks, Mini Stocks and that sort of thing. Then, dip your toe in the water for bigger things. You want to build a core of racers, and some locations make it more challenging than others.

I don't know what the plan is. I was just thinking what a small world it is that Lewis and Brown are both back there and involved in a project to give Idaho racing fans another dirt track. It sounds like they'll try to run an Enduro next year and maybe even have a Figure 8, if you can believe that. With a race track, it's a field of dreams. If you build it, they will come. However, you put in a lot of time and effort to grow your brand. In this case, there's not a lot of history to draw on, which can be a positive. People aren't comparing you to what was there before.

If I'm going to ultimately put this post up, then me droning on and on about whatever in this column isn't going to help. It's more to edit. Antioch Speedway is front and center this weekend, but there's some other attractive options. By the way, you don't have to go to the Antioch Speedway streaming service for this show. It's on www.floracing.com. Also on www.floracing.com this weekend will be Petaluma Speedway and Placerville Speedway. There are still quite a few options for racing this weekend, but you're not going to find a bigger IMCA Modified and IMCA Sport Modified show than the one being promoted at Antioch. Add in Chet Christner as the announcer, and I don't think they can go wrong here.

I definitely want to see the action at Placerville Speedway. They're honoring Mac Tiner, which I think is pretty cool. The Tiner family has helped inflate the Thompson's Auto Group Winged 360 Sprint Car purse to $5,094 to win. It's $394 to take a green flag, and it's a nice pay on down. There should be over 40 Sprint Cars for that. The Tiner family has even helped pay some purse money to the Pure Stocks, Limited Late Models and BCRA Midget Lites. They each get an additional $1,000 to their purse. There's still more racing to come at Placerville.

They've rescheduled the USAC West Coast 360 Sprint Car race that was canceled earlier this year. They and the USAC Western Midgets will run on October 10th. I still think it was a good decision to bring Doug Lockwood in as co-owner of the USAC West Coast 360 Sprint Car program, and that should pay dividends in the long run. The USAC Western Midgets run a head-to-head show with the BCRA Midgets at Petaluma Speedway, but there's also the USAC National show at Placerville. It happens on November 19th through 21st, and it's the Hangtown 100. It will all be on www.floracing.com, and the Placerville Speedway Facebook page will have more on that.

I'm not sure how it was allowed to happen, but the BCRA Midgets are booked at both Shasta Speedway and Petaluma Speedway this weekend. What I think may have occurred was BCRA leadership set the date at Shasta while nothing else was going on. In the interim, they had a race postponed at Petaluma Speedway in which they were co-sanctioning with USAC. Rick Faeth found a place for them on October 3rd and booked them, but BCRA had already set up a pavement date at Shasta. It wasn't the smartest of moves, but what can you do once you've made the commitment? This means that the group will be in two places at once. The Petaluma show will also have the General Hydroponics Redwood Dwarf Cars, Santa Rosa Auto Body 600 Micros and Jake's Performance Hobbies Mini Stocks.

It's hard to get information out of Shasta Speedway. Dave Twyman came in to try to save the place a few years ago, but one thing he didn't do was make sure that results and information was out there in a timely manner. The one thing they do there is share photos of the drivers meeting the fans on the front straightaway. You can find a lot of pictures of that in recent years. They were unable to get anything until this Saturday night, and the county actually allowed them to sell 200 tickets to spectators. Last I heard, they were trying to get more tickets. Pavement racing fans can take note that the North State Modified Series will be there, and they should deliver the goods. The Legends of the Pacific generally do well in the northern end of California, and last I heard they were racing for $1,000 to win. Hornets and Midgets are also part of the show. I know of no streaming service being offered.

The last time the Nut Up Pro Late Models ran a Race 2B Drug Free Big3 event, all hell broke loose in the end. They were paying $5,000 to win, so I'm a little nervous in wondering what will happen with $10,000 to win on Saturday night. This one will be 150 laps, and that means they need to keep the show moving. I think they should do well in terms of car count and quality of racers. You throw in the 51fifty Energy Drink Junior Late Models and the Mini Cups vs the Bandolaros, and it's a solid show. If you're still sitting up in the cheap seats and unable to afford one of the internet pay-per-views, www.nutupindustries.com is enabling Promoter Kenny Shepherd to give this away for free on the track's YouTube page. Go to Madera Speedway on Facebook to find that information.

I'm constantly amazed that Kenny is still paying some pretty good purses for some of these shows. He mentioned something during last week's broadcast about the 51fifty Energy Drink Junior Late Models getting a show at the end of the season that will pay the Top 5 $1,000 and the next five finishers $500. These are the future stars of the Pro Late Models, and a few of these kids could go on to do bigger things. It should be interesting to see the show as I will be tuning in. By the way, Frank's Radio will be presenting this race, which happens on October 17th.

I find it interesting that Orland Raceway is letting it roll. They didn't do the best numbers last week, and this track has generally run an every other week schedule to keep the numbers up. They're doing three weeks in a row, so we'll see how the Pure Stock, Wingless Spec Sprint, Mini Truck, Mini Stock and Micro Sprint program goes. They had Hardtops booked for next week as part of that show. If it happens that they do run that race, I wonder if the Hardtops will be included or even if the California Hardtop Association has reached out to find out? I would love to get results or information. We keep hearing that they are on the MyLaps system, but we're still seeing no finishes. Best I can tell you is go to the Orland Raceway Facebook page for whatever information they have to offer.

With point racing over, Siskiyou Golden Speedway is hoping to develop a tradition where they race into October. This didn't go so well for them last year, but they're rolling the dice and going for it again. They have IMCA Sport Modifieds running for $700 to win this Saturday night, joined by the Mini Stocks and Jefferson State Jalopies. I really think Yreka should be doing a little bit better in the car count department considering Medford hasn't been running, but for whatever reason, Medford racers haven't been as willing to come down there as I thought they might be. They'll run what they have, and they might just broadcast it for free on the Siskiyou Golden Speedway Facebook page.

They like to end the oval track season at Coos Bay Speedway with the Prather family Lucas Oil Open show. Chuck Prather owned that track for a decade and threw dirt on it as it had been a pavement track for several years. He actually raised the winner's purse for the America's Mattress Super Late Models to $2,000 to win, which I find very interesting . Luckman Racing is throwing money into the Dirt Modified purse, making it $1,000 to win for them. The Sportsman Late Models and Street Stocks are both receiving $500 to win from what I've been told, and it's $200 to win for the Mini Outlaws. These purses could go up as more sponsorship comes in.

Coos Bay is the only track on the West Coast that has been able to get fans in the grandstands throughout their run. Though they are still appealing their liquor license decision, they're able to sell food. This will be their last oval track race unless they add something else. I am a bit surprised they haven't tried to get any kind of streaming service. Yeah, they can have fans in the grandstands, and that has led to some good attendance a few times this year. However, having a streaming service gets the word out even further about what they're doing. Whatever announcements they have to make will be out there on the Coos Bay Speedway Facebook page.

They should do okay, although they will be getting competition from Willamette Speedway and Cottage Grove Speedway this weekend. You usually don't have any racing happening at Willamette or Cottage Grove by the time October comes around, but this unusual year has seen these tracks going further into the year to try to make up for some of the lost races. Willamette is raising the stakes with a $750 to win IMCA Sport Modified race. They have been trying to establish their own class for a few years now. Cottage Grove has a regular show, and Yreka is trying to pay a little bit more. It will be interesting to see where the Sport Modifieds go in this case.

Combing through social media, Marty Burdine made an intriguing post. Burdine was crowned the car owner champion of the IMCA Sport Modifieds a year ago at Quincy. He proposed a question. Would Sport Modified and Hobby Stock racers be interested in running a flat concrete oval track at the Crow's Landing airport site? I'm assuming this is winter racing, and it's a nice central location. I think you could probably get some Mini Stock drivers to go for this as well, and it would be an opportunity to play around. I don't know that this idea will get off the ground, but it was interesting to see it proposed.

Actually, Contra Costa County might have a similar sort of opportunity. I know the people out in Byron were interested in using some of the airport site to create a motorsports facility. To my knowledge, there is still interest in that, but nobody has come up with the money and the plan to put something in motion. I bet somebody could actually push for a dirt track in that location and get the ball rolling, but who knows? They could do a similar flat concrete racing deal there. I don't think it's crazy to propose something like this. You never know what you can make happen. I do go back to my statement that at some point we need an off-season too.

Mike McCann, who always seems to have his mind working on different ideas, proposed the idea of an indoor racing venue somewhere in California that would run a Micro Sprint program. When I hear him saying that, I have to wholeheartedly agree that this would work. Some might want to throw dirt on a concrete surface, but Mike says that they could do it on the pavement as they did with Midget programs in Oakland and Santa Rosa back in the day. I would have to agree, and I bet a Wingless Micro program would be very entertaining during the winter. We both have a few locations in mind for that, but I'm going to leave the idea here. I don't want to drag this column out any longer.

That's about it, if I decide to do anything with this column. I'm actually finishing up a few chapter ideas I had for my book. I put titles and a few ideas for what to write in those chapters, and this should end the new content created for that book. As I go through editing, there's always the possibility that I add something else, but the book needs to be finished. It will serve as a companion piece to Just A Kid From The Grandstands, adding whatever I didn't include from the previous book and my thoughts from the time I set foot back through the gates in 2015 to the present day. After that, I want to move on from that style of book and get into history. My plan is to announce the title of the next book as I engage in the editing process of this one.

My advice to the racers and anybody watching the streaming services at home is to enjoy the show. The weather will change on us, and it's going to get colder. It's going to start raining, and some of the races we might think we're going to see won't happen at all. We also need to brace for whatever the government throws at us next and what that might mean when it comes to the virus and the 2021 racing season. I will not speculate on whether things are going to get better or get worse, but I will hope for the better. I think we've had about enough of this crap this year, don't you?

On that note, I'll end this column. Until next time...