Merced Speedway, Ocean Speedway, Kern Raceway, California IMCA Speedweek And Southern Speedway Schedule Previews, More

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Wednesday's show

 

Fitzgibbon, Jernagan, Johnson, Wilson 

Open Al Miller Memorial Event With Wins

Merced, CA...April 16...Trevor Fitzgibbon won the 25 lap IMCA Modified Main Event Friday night at Merced Speedway. This was the opening night of the Fourth Annual Al Miller Memorial race, which remembers the father of IMCA competitors Robert Miller and Randy Miller. Fitzgibbon is the 2019 IMCA State champion.

Two-time IMCA Sport Modified champion Rick Diaz had the pole for the IMCA Modified feature and jumped into the early lead with Fitzgibbon settling into second on Lap 2. Fitzgibbon moved past Diaz for the lead on the third lap as Clint Reichenbach was running in third. Diaz and Reichenbach were running closely behind Fitzgibbon, and Reichenbach took second on Lap 18. The only yellow flag of the race flew on Lap 21. Fitzgibbon continued to lead Reichenbach and Diaz on the restart, and they would finish in that order. Bobby Hogge IV finished fourth, followed by Jim Pettit II, Jerry Flippo, Ethan Dotson, Cody Laney, Paul Stone and Kellen Chadwick. 

34 IMCA Modifieds signed in for the opening night. They ran four eight lap qualifying heat races with the Top 3 finishers making it into the show. Fitzgibbon, Flippo, Dotson and Robby Sawyer won those races. Chadwick won the special nine lap Dash for Cash. They ran a pair of 10 lap B Mains that would transfer the Top 4 finishers into the feature race. Troy Foulger won the first race. He started on the outside front row and led every lap in victory. DJ Shannon was a race-long second, and Anthony Slaney settled into third on the sixth lap, taking the checkered flag ahead of Cody Burke and Aaron Crowell. Troy Morris III had an outside front row start for the next race and led every lap in victory. Chadwick settled into second on the second lap and would finish there ahead of Rob Sanders, Ryan Porter and Chase Aue.

Garrett Jernagan won the time limit shortened 16 lap IMCA Sport Modified Main Event. Jernagan won five of the six California IMCA Speedweek races in winning the Sport Modified portion of that championship last year. He started on the outside front row for this race and bolted into the immediate lead ahead of fellow Bakersfield racer Trevor Bannister and Andrew Pearce. The yellow flag waved on Lap 6. They got the race lined up quickly for the restart as time was becoming a big factor. Jernagan continued to lead Bannister and Pearce, but a Lap 10 yellow flag waved. Again, they restarted in quick fashion with Jernagan continuing to lead Bannister and Pearce. Another yellow flag waved on a Lap 12, and the restart came a little slower this time. Jernagan led Bannister and Pearce one more time. When the final yellow flag waved on Lap 16, there was no way they could get it restarted before curfew. The race was ended at that point with Jernagan getting the win ahead of Jason Bannister, Pearce, Andrew Peckham, Jimmy Ray Huffmon, Tyler Bannister, Joe Antonetti, Randy Miller, Mark Squadrito and Robert Miller.

There were 40 IMCA Sport Modified competitors, and the four eight lap heat races would transfer the Top 3 finishers directly into the show. Wins in those races went to Randy Miller, Tyler Bannister, Chase Alves and Jernagan. Chase Thomas won the special nine lap Dash for Cash. The two 10 lap B Mains would transfer the Top 4 finishers into the feature race. Fred Ryland had the pole position for the first race and led all the way for the win. Michael Black was an early second, but both Guy Ahlwardt and Jason Nation got by him on the sixth lap. Ryland won ahead of Ahlwardt, Nation, Black and Chuck Weir. Jeremy Hoff led all the way to win the second B Main ahead of Tommy Fraser, Robert Miller, Nick Spainhoward and Chase Thomas.

Bakersfield's Dylan Wilson won the 20 lap Hobby Stock Main Event. Wilson had a pole position start and raced into the immediate lead ahead of fellow Bakersfield racer Kyle Wood. The yellow flag waved on Lap 2 as Kyle Wood saw his race come to an end. Wilson continued to lead Johnny Wood and Domossie Scoggins on this restart and another restart a lap later. Race Shelton briefly settled into third, but his race came to an abrupt end moments later as the yellow flag waved for the final time on Lap 18. Wilson led the restart and brought it home to a satisfying win ahead of Johnny Wood, Syd Finn, Anthony Welborn, Tom Manzella, Xavier Baez, Scoggins, Tim Elias, Allen Neal and DJ Keldsen. 

The 28 Hobby Stocks ran three eight lap qualifying heat races with the Top 5 drivers transferring into the show. Wilson, Logan Clay and Johnny Wood won those races. Elias won the special nine lap Dash for cash. Shelton had the pole for the 10 lap B Main and lead Baez all the way in victory. Chad Ragsdale finished third, followed by Finn and Keldsen.

Steven Johnson won the 20 lap IMCA Stock Car Main Event. Brock Hamilton had the outside front row and set the early pace ahead of Steven Johnson and Nick Johnson. Ethan Dotson took third from Nick Johnson on Lap 2 and grabbed the second position from Steven Johnson two laps later. On the sixth lap, Dodson motored past Hamilton for the lead with Steven Johnson and Nick Johnson following closely into second and third. Nick Johnson gained second on the eighth lap before a yellow flag flew. On the restart, Dotson led Steven Johnson and Dan Gonderman. Steven Johnson had the lead on the 13th lap ahead of Nick Johnson as Dotson encountered problems and the yellow flag waved. Steven Johnson led Nick Johnson and Gonderman on the final restart. Nick Johnson faded back on the 16th lap as Gonderman was now second ahead of State point leader Renn Bane. Steven Johnson went on to victory ahead of Gonderman, Bane, Hamilton, Michael Shearer, Dotson, Nick Johnson, Garrett Corn, Lauren DeArmond and Austin Van Hoff. Corn won the nine lap Dash for Cash and the eight lap heat race wins went to Dotson and Nick Johnson.

For information on coming events and other news, go to www.mersedspeedway.net or check out the Merced Speedway Facebook page.

Sanders Roars To Third Ocean Speedway Victory

Watsonville, CA...April 16...Justin Sanders won the 30 lap Taco Bravo Sprint Car Main Event Friday night at Ocean Speedway. This was his third win in the four races held so far as he leads the points at Watsonville and Placerville.

Mitchell Faccinto won the six lap Trophy Dash ahead of Sanders and Shane Golobic to earn the pole for the feature race. Faccinto charged into the early lead ahead of Sanders and Golobic. Both Sanders and Golobic moved around Faccinto on the sixth lap, and the first of only two yellow flags flew on Lap 11. Sanders continued to lead Golobic and Faccinto on the restart. Corey Day took the third position on Lap 14 as Sanders and Golobic pulled away from the pack. Sanders was keeping Golobic at bay when a Lap 23 yellow flag waved. On the restart, Sanders continued to lead Golobic as Faccinto regained third. Golobic tried to make a run at Sanders with just a couple laps remaining, but Sanders stayed smooth and picked up the victory. Faccinto finished third, followed by Corey Day, Keith Day Jr, Dominic Scelzi, Tanner Carrick, Bud Kaeding, Blake Carrick and JJ Ringo. 

There were 29 Taco Bravo Sprint Cars, and Golobic toured the Tom Sagmiller prepared quarter-mile clay oval at 11.420 for quick time, beating the 11.524 of Sanders. The Top 4 finishers in each eight lap heat race made it into the show, and those wins went to Blake Carrick, Adam Kaeding, Dominic Scelzi and Keith Day Jr. Bryce Eames won the 12 lap B Main. Eames led every lap for the win. Jason Chisum was an early second, but he lost the position to Joey Ancona on a Lap 3 restart. DJ Netto gained third on a Lap 9 restart, and Eames won ahead of Ancona, Netto, Jason Chisum and Ryon Nelson.

Shawn Jones won the 20 lap South Bay Dwarf Car Main Event. The past South Bay and NorCal Dwarf Car champion ran an early second behind Ventura Raceway star Tommy Velasquez III. Reigning Delta Dwarf Car champion Travis Day ran third until being passed by Nick Velasquez on the fourth lap. By the 13th lap, Jones was right on the rear nerf of Tommy Velasquez III, and he made the pass on Lap 14 to grab the lead. A yellow flag on Lap 18 bunched the field, but Jones resumed command on the restart and brought it home to victory. Tommy Velasquez III settled for second, followed by Nick Velasquez, Day, Trafton Chandler, Gene "Punky" Pires, Mark Biscardi, Jimmy Damron, Eric Weisler and Dan Zuger. The three eight lap heat race wins went to Nick Velasquez, Jones and Day.

Terry Campion won the 20 lam Hobby Stock Main Event. The two-time champion grabbed the lead on the second lap and proceeded to dominate the race from there. Ryan Muller led the opening lap before being overtaken by Campion. On the third lap, three-time champion Rob Gallaher moved around Muller for second. By then, Campion held nearly as straightaway advantage over Gallaher. By the 10th lap, the advantage was a straightaway. Jerry Skelton slipped past Ryan Muller for third on Lap 13, but he was a distant third behind Rob Gallaher. Campion beat Rob Gallaher by half a lap in the non-stop event. Skelton settled for third, followed by Ryan Mulller, Joe Gallaher, Brady Muller, Quentin Harris, Bobby Gallaher and Norm Ayers. Tony Oliveira was a Main Event scratch.The two eight lap heat race wins were earned by Ryan Muller and Campion.

David Prickett won the 20 lap Western Midgets Main Event. This was the second-straight win for the reigning division champion. Fresh off of his Top 5 finish with the USAC Midgets last week, Blake Bower set the early pace ahead of Prickett and Megan Moorehead. A yellow flag waved on Lap 3 for Logan Mitchell. Bower led Pickett and Britton Bock on the restart. Following a yellow flag on Lap 5, Prickett ended up taking the lead with Bock following into second. Shawn Arriaga settled into third and took second from Bock on the eighth lap. By that point, Prickett had a pretty good lead over Arriaga with Bower back in third. The yellow flag on Lap 15 for Bower gave Arriaga one more shot at Prickett. He kept it close, but Prickett would speed on to the win. Antonia Boscacci moved into third on the final restart and would finish there, followed by Cameron Beard, Jon Santibanes, Bower, Bock, Moorehead and Mitchell. Prickett and Bower won the eight lap heat races.

Tony Gullo won the 15 lap Four Banger Main Event. Gullo was coming off of a second place finish in the previous race. He started on the pole and raced into the lead at the start. Bill Beardsley jumped into second early on, but he surrendered the spot to Travis Van Gilder. Previous winner Richard Mitchell moved into third on the fifth lap. This race had no yellow flag interruptions, and Gullo went on to win ahead of Van Gilder, Mitchell, Bill Beardsley and Eddie Gallaher. Nicole Beardsley and Kate Beardsley were Main Event scratches, and Mitchell won the six lap heat race.

Racing continues next Friday night with the Taco Bravo Sprint Cars in action along with the IMCA Modifieds, Hobby Stocks, Four Bangers and South Bay Dwarf Cars. For further information, go to www.racepmg.com.

Faccinto, Roa, Souza Win At 

The Kern County Raceway Dirt Track

Bakersfield, CA...April 16...Michael Faccinto won the 25 lap BCRA Midgets Main Event Friday night at the Kern County Raceway Dirt Track. With the Midgets also scheduled at Tulare on Saturday, they were able to attract a 10 car field for this show.

Faccinto and Jake Andreotti shared the front row with Faccinto leading the opening lap before being overtaken by recent Bakersfield Speedway winner Chase Johnson. Johnson was leading Faccinto until his race came to an end on Lap 12 in a tangle that also eliminated Andreotti and Colby Johnson. Faccinto had the lead for the restart with Ryan Bernal settling into second ahead of Shannon McQueen. McQueen saw her race come to an end on Lap 20 as Brody Fuson took second from Bernal. Bernal came roaring back for second on Lap 23, but Fuson regained the position a lap later. Faccinto took the checkered flag just ahead of Fuson and Bernal. Dylan Ito was the final driver to take a checkered flag in fourth as McQueen, Chase Johnson, Andreotti, Colby Johnson and Tony Gualda completed the finishing order. Terry Nichols was a Main Event scratch. Chase Johnson set the fast time of 14.574, beating the 14.644 of Colby Johnson. The 10 lap heat race wins went to Colby Johnson and Andreotti.

Brody Roa won the $1,750 prize in the Wingless 360 Sprint Car Main Event. Despite a better than average purse, the race only attracted six competitors as most of the field elected to just focus on the USAC West Coast 360 Sprint Car race to be held the following night at Tulare.

Ryan Bernal shared the front row with Shane Sexton and set the early pace. Sexton held second for two laps before being passed by Roa. Roa was in close pursuit of Bernal as Ryan Timmons moved up to challenge Sexton for third. Timmons made the pass on Lap 9, but the lead duo was well ahead of him. A yellow flag waved on Lap 11. Bernal continued to lead Roa and Timmons on the restart, and a Lap 15 yellow flag flew for Sexton as his race came to an end. On the restart, Roa went motoring past Bernal for the lead. Bernal stalled for a yellow flag on Lap 21 as his race ended. Roa led Timmons and James Herrera on the final restart, and they would finish in that order as Bernal, Bill Jones and Sexton completed the finishing order. They ran two sets of 10 lap heat races with the wins going to Bernal and Roa.

Richard Souza won the 25 lap Kern County Hardtop Main Event. Recent Bakersfield Speedway winner Jason Denman and Souza shared the front row and charged into the 1-2 positions at the start. Jason Stanphill was an early third, but he was passed by Travis Mason on the fifth lap. A Lap 14 yellow flag signaled the end of the race for Denman. Souza assumed the lead at that part point with Tom Sommerfeld in second and Travis Mason third. Mason moved by Sommerfeld for second on Lap 17 and took up pursuit of Denman. Sommerfield lost third to Stanphill on Lap 18, but he regained the position on the 23rd lap. Souza had a comfortable advantage over Travis Mason by the time the race concluded. Sommerfeld was a solid third, followed by Stanphill, Denman and Tyler Weeks. Kelly Mason scratched prior to hot laps, and the eight lap heat races were won by Denman and Souza.

For scheduling information and news from the speedway, go to www.kernraceway.com.

 

California IMCA Speedweek Returns 

With Exciting Eight Race Schedule

Merced, CA...After the resounding success that was the 2020 California IMCA Speedweek Series, Promoter Doug Lockwood has taken it up a notch for the 2021 edition. This time around, the series expands from six races to eight races, which will take place in a nine-day span. The series will return to all six of the tracks featured last season, while adding two new destinations this time around. As of April 1st, over 40 drivers had registered between the IMCA Modifieds and IMCA Sport Modifieds.

The big series will start on the south side of California and work its way up north. Bakersfield Speedway will get it started on April 30th. Tulare Thunderbowl joins the tour with the second date on May 1st. The action continues at Keller Auto Speedway on May 2nd before going to Merced Speedway on May 3rd. Following a day in which racers can repair equipment and make improvements, the action resumes at Antioch Speedway on May 5th before going to Petaluma Speedway on May 6th. They head to Placerville Speedway on May 7th before Silver Dollar Speedway joins the series with the finale on May 8th.

Since the drivers are now competing in eight races in a nine-day span, Lockwood decided to introduce a one-race throwaway rule. If somebody has to miss a race or happens to have a bad night, they can throw away that night so that it won't hurt them in the points. The only exception to the rule is if you get disqualified. In that case, you can't throw away that finish. 

Ryland Race Parts will again be the official parts distributor of the series, and Fred Ryland has signed on to be the official sponsor of the Ryland Race Parts Point Series. There will be $2,800 distributed among the Top 5 drivers in the IMCA Modifieds, while the IMCA Sport Modifieds compete for $1,800 worth of championship fund money. The Top 5 breakdown in the IMCA Modifieds will be $1,000, $600, $500, $400 and $300. In the IMCA Sport Modifieds, it's $750, $450, $300, $200 and $100.

As it stands now, each Main Event will pay $1,000 to the winner and a minimum of $100 to take the green in the IMCA Modifieds, while it will be $750 to the winner and $75 minimum to start in each of the IMCA Sport Modified races. Last season saw fields of 40 cars minimum in the IMCA Modifieds and usually no less than 30 cars in the IMCA Sport Modifieds. Those numbers are expected to maintain or even get better this year. 

Last season, Bobby Hogge IV turned in a stellar performance as he won the IMCA Modified series title by 26 points ahead of reigning IMCA California State champion Troy Foulger. Bobby never failed to make the Top 3 in any Main Event and had one win. Foulger was a winner along with third ranked Robby Sawyer, who finished 17 markers behind Foulger in the end. Bakersfield champion Jerry Flippo was only five points behind Sawyer in fourth as multi-time Merced and Hanford champion Paul Stone made it to the pay window in fifth in the standings. The competitive Modified field never saw a repeat feature winner as Nick DeCarlo, Shane DeVolder and Kyle Heckman were the other winners.

In the IMCA Sport Modifieds last season, Garrett Jernagan turned in a career performance in winning the championship. He had one DNF, and his other efforts produced five feature wins. Because of his bad luck on that one occasion, Brent Curran only trailed him by four points in the end. Curran was the only driver to earn all Top 10 finishes, including a win. Bakersfield stand out Jason Bannister was 27 markers behind Curran and just one ahead of Merced star Tanner Thomas. Antioch leadfoot Todd Gomez was 14 tallies behind Thomas in fifth.

California has never really had a series such as this for fendered or unfendered stock cars. Lockwood was able to introduce this series after the established Wild West IMCA Speedweek of the Pacific Northwest didn't happen due to the covid-19 situation. Drivers really have to be on their game, and they only have a short amount of time to repair damage before the next show. The introduction of an off night and a throwaway rule should serve to help keep the point battles close.

Once again, this series is expected to attract drivers from a half a dozen or more western states. The list as of the beginning of April had just over 40 names between the two divisions who had pre-signed. West Coast Stock Car Hall of Famer Jim Pettit II has already registered to compete with the IMCA Modifieds. Coming off of a disappointing effort last season, two-time Wild West Speedweek champion Kellen Chadwick has signed up again along Nick DeCarlo. DeCarlo bears distinction as the only driver to win IMCA Modified titles at Watsonville, Petaluma and Antioch. William Gould, Cody Laney, Robby Sawyer and Watsonville champion Cody Burke have also signed up.

IMCA Sport Modified drivers were delighted to be included with their own championship series last year, and the list of signees is looking good so far. Reigning IMCA State champion Timothy Allerdings and 2015 State champion Fred Ryland are in. Not to be ignored is 2019 State champion Guy Ahlwardt. They will be joined by Bakersfield stars Jason Nation, Tyler Bannister and Jason Bannister. Three-time Antioch champion Trevor Clymens is in along with past Antioch champion KC Keller, Watsonville champion Adriane Frost, past Yreka champion Trevor Tiffee and Marysville star Jimmy Ford.

While it looks like the grandstands at most, if not all, of these venues will be open to some spectator viewership, nobody will be left out of the excitement. Once again, floracing.com will be offering the internet pay-per-view, and there's the added bonus of Chet Christner, who will be coming out west to do the announcing. Having him involved with the announcing will only serve to enhance an already exciting show.

Most of the tracks involved will insert a third division, which actually serves to help the pacing of the program and gives the two headline divisions needed breaks at times. Most people know that the IMCA Stock Cars are gaining a big foothold in California, and there are already a few of them requesting the inclusion of their class for the entire series in the future. Perhaps as a teaser for what could come in the future, the first four races this year will include IMCA Stock Cars as that third division. Think of it as in unofficial mini series for the class, and it's likely that most of the division's top stars will attempt to make all four races.

Any way you break it down, the California IMCA Speedweek Series is going to be exciting. You won't want to miss a minute of the action, and as highlighted above, you won't have to. For further information and announcements, follow the California IMCA Speedweek Facebook page.

 

Southern Oregon Speedway Releases Schedule 

For Its 25th Anniversary Season

Medford, Oregon...April 15...After some worry within the racing community in the Medford area about the future of the track, they got the good news a week ago. A group of people, led by Travis Hoppes, formed a racing association with intent of saving Southern Oregon Speedway. They got the keys to the gates on April 8th and quickly started the cleanup process needed to begin to get the track ready for what will be it's 25th Anniversary season. 

Believe it or not, it was 25 years ago when John Skinner completed construction of the facility and opened its gates for racing. The racing enthusiasts in the area hadn't had weekly racing since the closure of Medford Raceway in 1989, and they were delighted that it returned in 1996. Skinner guided the place through 20 years as the promoter, and during the first 10 of those years, the track had a program that rivaled any place on the West Coast.

On April 12th, speedway management released their tentative schedule. They asked the racing community a week earlier who wanted to race, and what divisions they represented. They were met with overwhelmingly positive response from people across multiple divisions who wanted to support the track. As it turns out, all of the divisions featured in 2019 will get a shot to go racing on the 3/10 mile clay oval at least a time or two this year.

The track will continue with its IMCA sanctioning, making it the ninth season that it has had its Modified and Sport Modified divisions under the banner of the oldest sanctioning body in the United States. The Late Model and Limited Sprint divisions, which had been founded and built up over the previous five years, both return, along with another division revived in the last five years, the Late Model Lites. Also making the schedule this year for some races are the Pro Stocks, Mini Stocks, Hornets and the Southern Oregon Dwarf Cars.

The new staff is trying to assemble all of the needed parts to make it possible to open as planned on Memorial Day weekend, May 29th. The event has been billed as a "soft opening" and will feature the IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Sport Modifieds, Late Models and the Hornets. Management will be rotating all of these divisions, as has been done in the previous five years. In this way, they are hoping to get a similar result, meaning stronger car counts on the nights a particular division is booked. Rather than racing every week, many drivers use weeks off to do other things or repair their equipment. This is all about providing the fans the best racing experience on whatever nights they choose to spectate.

On May 5th, the Limited Sprints make their return along with a visit from the Southern Oregon Dwarf Cars, IMCA Sport Modifieds, Pro Stocks and Hornets. One of the track"s signature events returns the following week. It will be the Eighth Annual Roger Haudenshild Tribute race, which will feature the IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Sport Modifieds, Late Models and Hornets. Mini Stock fans will get their first glimpse of the class on June 26th, joined by the IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Sport Modifieds and the Pro Stocks. 

The track had its first big Late Model show in years back in 2019, and the new management has revived an old classic event, the Battle of the Borders. This two-day extravaganza happens on July 2nd and 3rd and will feature Late Models on both nights. The Late Model Lites will be there on both nights, with the Pro Stocks competing on July 3rd. The Side by Sides are a new attraction that the track will have on multiple occasions, including July 2nd. In fact, they are doing a Father's Day extravaganza for the class on June 19th.

On July 23rd and 24th, the Lon Skinner Memorial returns to the schedule. The 22nd running of this event will feature the IMCA Modifieds and Sport Modifieds on both nights. The Friday show will also include Limited Sprints, while the Southern Oregon Dwarf Cars compete on Saturday. On August 14th, the track will host the Rocky Nash Memorial, featuring the Tri State Pro Stock Challenge Series. Joining them will be the Limited Sprints, Late Model Lites and Mini Stocks.

A highlight on the schedule will take place on Labor Day weekend, September 3rd and 4th. It will be the fourth running of the R Charles Snyder Salute. The IMCA Modifieds will headline on both nights with the IMCA Sport Modifieds joining them along with the Limited Sprints and Side by Sides on Friday night. The Saturday show will also include the Late Models, Late Model Lites and Pro Stocks, making this yet another big event to circle on your calendar.

September 11th will be the first Championship Night, featuring the Late Models, Limited Sprints, Late Model Lites and Mini Stocks. The second Championship Night happens on September 18th and will feature the IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Sport Modifieds, Pro Stocks and Hornets. Wingless Sprints have been penciled in for September 25th along with the Side by Sides and a special backwards race. The track leaves room for the possibility of some activity in October that is to be determined, and as always, the schedule is subject to some adjustments that may be needed.

There will be lots of activity happening as the new promotional team will also be ushering in a new era of MX racing at the track that was created within the last few years under the previous management. Also, the Outlaw Kart track has been given its most ambitious schedule in years, which features the usual classes on May 21st and has a schedule that goes all the way into October. More details will be forthcoming.

Thanks to the pandemic situation, the 2020 season never happened. Without fans being allowed, the previous management didn't see a way to make it viable, and this caused them to ultimately walk away after a four year run. They left in place some good building block divisions that the new team will try to build upon. 

For those keeping score, the last champions were crowned in 2019. They include Mike Wheeler (Limited Sprints), Trent Elliott (Late Models), Zach Fettinger (IMCA Modifieds), Jorddon Braaten (IMCA Sport Modifieds), Greg Arnold (Late Model Lites), Josh King (Southern Oregon Dwarf Cars), David Steele (Mini Stocks) and Dylan Sauer (Hornets).

Upon announcing that they were taking over the track, Hoppes defined the tasks assigned to the other board members in the interest of providing a good racing experience for fans and racers alike. The team includes Southern Oregon Racing Hall of Famer Dane Smith, Jon DeBenedetti, Brian Bowman, Albert Gill, James Anderson and Travis Snyder. 

Work has already begun in making preparations for the coming season. There's much to be done to make sure the Outlaw Karts can get their season started on May 21st and the big track will be operational on May 29th. However, the team is confident that everything will be ready to go. You can keep up to date by following the Southern Oregon Speedway Facebook page. A new web page will be forthcoming, and you can find out that information when it's available by going to the aforementioned Facebook page.

Southern Oregon Speedway Tentative 2021 Schedule

May 29th - Grand Opening soft start - IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Sport Modifieds, Late Models, Hornets

June 5th - Limited Sprints, IMCA Sport Modifieds, Southern Oregon Dwarf Cars, Hornets, Pro Stocks

June 6th - Test and Tune

June 12th - Roger Haudenshild Tribute - IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Sport Modifieds, Late Models, Hornets

June 19th - First Annual Father's Day Side by Side Extravaganza

June 26th - IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Sport Modifieds, Pro Stocks, Mini Stocks

July 2nd - Battle of the Borders, Late Models, Late Model Lites, Hornets

July 3rd - Battle of the Borders, Late Models, Late Model Lites, Side by Sides

July 10th - IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Sport Modifieds, Pro Stocks, Hornets

July 11th - Test and Tune

July 17th - Jackson County Fair 

July 23rd -21st Annual Lon Skinner Memorial - IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Sport Modifieds, Limited Sprints

July 24th - 22nd Annual Lon Skinner Memorial - IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Sport Modifieds, Southern Oregon Dwarf Cars

July 28th - Test and Tune

July 31st - Late Models, Pro Stocks, Late Model Lites, Mini Stocks

August 1st - Test and Tune

August 7th - Special Event TBA

August 14th - Rocky Nash Memorial - Tri State Pro Stock Challenge, Limited Sprints, Late Model Lites, Mini Stocks

August 15th - Test in Tune

August 21st - Limited Sprints, IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Sport Modifieds, Hornets

August 28th - Limited Sprints, Late Models, Pro Stocks, Mini Stocks

September 3rd - R Charles Snyder Salute - IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Sport Modifieds, Limited Sprints, Side by Sides

September 4th - R Charles Snyder Salute - IMCA Modifieds, Late Models, Pro Stocks, Late Model Lites

September 8th - Test and Tune

September 11th - Championship Night 1 - Limited Sprints, Late Models, Late Model Lites, Mini Stocks

September 18th - Championship Night 2 - IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Sport Modifieds, Pro Stocks, Hornets

September 25th - Wingless Sprints, Backwards Race, Side by Sides

Fall Season TBA

Side by Side Racing

Tuff Trucks

??Mud Drags??

 

 

Merced Speedway Unofficial Race Results April 16
IMCA Modifieds
A Main
Trevor Fitz
Clint Reichenbach
Rick Diaz
Bobby Hogge IV
Jim Pettit II
Jerry Flippo
Ethan Dotson
Cody Laney
Paul Stone
Kellen Chadwick
Troy Foulger
Darrell Hughes II
Cody Burke
Rob Sanders
Troy Morris III
Robby Sawyer
Chris Shannon
D.J. Shannon
Ryan Porter
Anthony Slaney

B Main 1
Troy Foulger
D.J. Shannon
Anthony Slaney
Cody Burke
Aaron Crowell
Austin Burke
Chris Crompe
Justin Hart
Josh Combs
Justin Yaeger
Bob Williamson DNS

B Main 2
Troy Morris III
Kellen Chadwick
Rob Sanders
Ryan Porter
Chase Aue
Ricky Thatcher
Billy Wilker
Bill Vieselmeyer
Matthew Hagio
Karl Rose DNS
Mike Shepherd DNS

IMCA Sport Modifieds
A Main
Garrett Jernagan
Jason Bannister
Andrew Pearce
Andrew Peckham
Jimmy Ray Huffmon
Tyler Bannister
Joe Antonetti
Randy Miller
Mark Squadrito
Robert Miller
Nick Spainhoward
Tom Fraser
Michael Black
Tanner Thomas
Guy Ahlwardt
Austin Manzella
Fred Ryland
Chase Alves
Jeremy Hoff
Jason Nation

B Main 1
Guy Ahlwardt
Jason Nation
Michael Black
Chuck Weir
Riley Jeppesen
Christopher Frisbie
Craig Nieman
Darren Thomas
Tyler Thomas
Kelly Campanile
Scott Savell
Frank Cefaliello Jr
Jacob Mallet Jr DNS

B Main 2
Jeremy Hoff
Tom Fraser
Robert Miller
Nick Spainhoward
Chase Thomas
Tyler Rodgers
Trevor Clymens
Adriane Frost
Mark Garner
Tim Ragsdale
Tony Hornyack
Tony Peffer
Robby Claborn
Dwayne Short

Hobby Stocks
A Main
Dylan Wilson
Johnny Wood
Syd Finn
Anthony Welborn
Tom Manzella
Xavier Baez
Domossie Scoggins
Tim Elia
Allen Neal
DJ Keldsen
Derek Ogden
Jeff Lacy
Race Shelton
Jarrod Mounce
Kyle Wood
Donald Hiser
Logan Clay
Chad Ragsdale
Breck Smith
Luis Lopez DNS

B Main
Race Shelton
Xavier Baez
Chad Ragsdale
Syd Finn
DJ Keldsen
Kristie Shearer
Angela Brown
Devin Belton
Logan Fernandez
Brandon Pickford
John Tevis DNS
Steve Torres DNS

IMCA Stock Car
Steven Johnson
Dan Gonderman
Renn Bane
Brock Hamilton
Michael Shearer
Ethan Dotson
Nicholas Johnson
Garrett Corn
Loren DeArmond
Austin VanHoff
Jeff Streeter        


Ocean Speedway Unofficial Race Results April 16
Ocean Sprints presented by Taco Bravo
A Main
Justin Sanders
Shane Golobic
Mitchell Faccinto
Corey Day
Keith Day Jr
Dominic Scelzi
Tanner Carrick
Bud Kaeding
Blake Carrick
J.J. Ringo
Kurt Nelson
Jodie Robinson
Nick Ringo
Koen Shaw
Joey Ancona
Adam Kaeding
Grant Champlin
Chris Nelson
Jason Chisum
D.J. Netto
Ryon Nelson
Bryce Eames

B Main
Bryce Eames
Joey Ancona
D.J. Netto
Jason Chisum
Ryon Nelson
Kurt Nelson
Michael Pombo
Josh Chisum
Richard Fajardo
Jeremy Chisum
Eric Humphries
Jacob Pacheco

Hobby Stocks
Terry Campion
Rob Gallaher
Jerry Skelton
Ryan Muller
Joe Gallaher
Brady Muller
Quintin Harris
Bobby Gallaher
Norm Ayers
Tony Oliveira DNS

Four Bangers
Tony Gullo
Travis VanGilder
Richard Mitchell
Bill Beardsley
Eddie Gallaher
Nicole Beardsley DNS
Kate Beardsley DNS

South Bay Dwarf Cars
Shawn Jones
Tommy Velasquez III
Nick Velasquez
Travis Day
Trafton Chandler
Punky Pires
Mark Biscardi
Jimmy Damron
Eric Weisler
Dan Zuger
Tommy Velasquez
Brian Barnhill
Eddy Claessen
Keith Costas
Greg Brand
Mike Aceves
Gage Cheek
Kieran Costas
Barry Waddell DNS

Western Midgets
David Prickett
Shawn Arriaga
Antonia Boscacci
Cameron Beard
Jon Santibanes
Blake Bower
Britton Bock
Megan Moorehead
Logan Mitchell


Kern County Raceway Dirt Track Unofficial Race Results April 16
BCRA Midgets
Michael Faccinto
Brody Fuson
Ryan Bernal
Dylan Ito
Shannon McQueen
Chase Johnson
Jake Andreotti
Colby Johnson
Tony Gualda
Terry Nichols DNS

Wingless 360 Sprints
Brody Roa
Ryan Timmons
James Herrera
Ryan Bernal
Bill Jones
Shane Sexton

Kern County Hardtops
Richard Souza
Travis Mason
Tom Sommerfeld
Jason Stanphill
Jason Denman
Tyler Weeks 

The Editor's Viewpoint

It's early Friday afternoon and I am putting together a brief column here. Yeah, I know, I don't do a very good job of being brief with this column, but I'll try. We had quite a busy week, and I still managed to put up our biggest race review blog post of the year. There were 11 tracks included in that one, Plus I've added a different type of weekend preview feature in these posts, which I've called Who, What, Where, When, Why. It's supposed to be a little bit less time consuming than the weekend previews we were doing. The jury is still out on that.

What I am trying to do when I don't get overwhelmed is put together a Saturday post that covers Friday racing. That way I can include a special article or two. By the time I've done race review articles, the new preview feature and the Viewpoint, I don't have time to do anything else. I have managed to trim a little bit of the workload in doing what I'm doing, but there's still quite a bit. It takes hours to do what we're doing here, and we aren't getting any revenue out of it whatsoever. I'm not complaining. It is what it is. As I've said since the start of the year, if it gets too stressful, I'll just stop.

In the meantime, I am looking to redo our web presence. We have the blogs, but we don't have a landing page as such. We haven't really had a web page since 2003. We've just had the blog since 2007, but I'm thinking it's time to do something that can help us spread the word on whatever we do and further put the word out on any books we produce. I have rebranded one of our blog sites as Jefferson State Racing News, not to be confused with Jefferson Racing News. The Jefferson Racing News blog may also get a rebrand, and I rather like the Jefferson title.

This new Jefferson blog is going with the logo of the proposed State of Jefferson and would try to concentrate primarily on the tracks that would exist in that state if it ever came to pass. However, the one thing I'm not looking to do is make that a weekly news blog. I would rather do it on occasion with special articles and that sort of thing. To that end, we will probably put our first post up there in the next week or so. As for what we might rebrand the Jefferson Racing News blog, you'll just have to wait and see. That's still in the early planning stages.

I'd like to establish a message board. Yes, I am well aware that message boards went out of fashion 15 years ago. However, there are a few that still exist. One of the benefits I see to a message board is things don't get pushed down the memory hole as quickly as they do at Facebook. You can have some genuinely good discussions and it's another place to put the word out about things. We could get a good message board up and running fairly quickly, and I am considering that. I'm trying to de-emphasize Facebook for a few reasons, though I'm not completely abandoning the site.

I will say this about Facebook. Everybody relies on the site. There is no denying that when you advertise a web link on Facebook, it directs traffic to your site. It's an effective tool, and race tracks are all using it now because it does help them sell tickets with all of the things you can do there. You can advertise on Facebook for a ridiculously low fee, and you're almost guaranteed to see return on your investment. This was proven at Medford over the last couple of years that we did it. Facebook absolutely made a difference in the turnaround we were seeing, but I digress. I know that I've negatively impacted our hit numbers slightly on our posts by not using Facebook, but I think we can recover that and do okay in the long run.

The one thing about Facebook is you might be able to engage in good conversations within 24 hours of something being posted, but those posts end up going down the memory hole rather quickly. When it comes to seeing the pictures you liked or the debate you were enjoying, you can find yourself at a loss when you go to look for it a month later. The other thing is that even though there's a wealth of history, photos and things of that nature on Facebook, it does no good when you can't find that stuff easily. Then again, it's my belief that Facebook exists more for the site itself to gather information on people than for information archives for the people to browse. Message boards have an advantage.

I was offered the old message board from Saturday Night Racer, which was an offshoot of Late Model Racer. At one time, it was a happening forum with lots of great discussion. It still exists, but the traffic of people who participate is low. I'm not even sure how many people are looking these days, but they have some nice archives there. 

Actually, it can come in handy when you are researching stuff from a certain time period. The biggest detriment to me making the move on that message board was I didn't have the money to buy it and didn't see how I could get return on investment. Furthermore, my life was in flux enough that I needed to put my time and resources into other things. However, I am strongly considering creating a new message board now and seeing how it goes.

Anyway, I happened to make a trip up to Marion Creek Speedway today and had a nice conversation with Cory Penfold. Cory and his wife Sandy cut a track in their backyard for Outlaw Kart racing. They got good clay, nice banking and a fence around it. There's plenty of space for people to park their Karts, although there are a few challenges they face in making this place really pop. One of the things is the creek itself. It makes for a nice scenery with the concession trailer underneath the trees with the creek next to it. That is one of the appealing things there.

When last I was there to witness a race, they were basically hauling the Karts over a wooden bridge one at a time using a small trailer and a tractor. What they're hoping to do is build a little bridge so that the racers can bring their cars into the pits. There is enough space out there to make this thing really work. I didn't get much news and information on the races they held during the second half of the season last year, although I knew they had hit car counts in the 35-40 range. Cory tells me they had 55 one night, so things are really growing.

I mentioned last week that they had a practice with 17 Karts. This was more about putting the track through its paces and seeing how it would hold up. It went nicely, and it was a good start. They are getting ready to go racing, and it sounds like much of the racing they will be doing will be on Sundays. They generally try to get things done before sundown. The track doesn't have lighting anyways, but it's also about keeping the neighbors happy. I think one of the advantages they're looking at in running Sunday is the racers who might head down to Cottage Grove or Albany can stay down in the area and get a race in on Sunday afternoon. Then, they can still make it home at a reasonable time.

Cory and his team have built a nice flag stand and are working on a scoring tower. Yes, this will include room for an announcer as they will have a PA system. I've been invited to come down to call a race or two, and I may take him up on that. One of the things they are considering is even having a platform above the tower for video purposes. They are looking to put bleachers in for people to watch and they're looking at adding some benches near the concession stand for comfort. There are some key plans being made to make this thing even better, and I like that.

Cory and Sandy are looking at potentially taking on a big track one day. I know they wanted Medford, but the fix was in down there. I know he'd really like Willamette, but the price tag is too high. What I have suggested he do is go on a fact-finding mission this year, meaning going to places that could potentially have tracks built on the property and engaging in discussions with the appropriate people. This could be private property that would be zoned for it, or just going to County Fairgrounds locations or a few of the other little odd locations I know of that could be just fine. There's no harm in taking a look at what's out there, and maybe a reasonable deal could pop up for somebody looking to take their first swing at promoting stock car racing.

In the meantime, Marion Creek Speedway is perfect for Cory and Sandy. They've already got a loyal group of racers supporting them. The location is just right. It's on their property. Cory has a nice shop to work on the Flat Karts that they rent out. They can do things at their own pace and get a better understanding of what it takes to actually promote a track. Yes, Marion Creek Speedway is a real track, and it caters to Kart racers. I think it's a real plum. It's a little bit off the beaten path from the freeway, but not so hard to get to. As I said, I may take a trip up there and grab the microphone for a race or two, and I don't rule out potentially working with Cory on that big track he gets one day, depending where I am located by then.

I had a few ideas for inclusion in this afternoon's post, but I'd like to get this column done quicker. I was commenting on the schedule at Southern Oregon Speedway in my previous post. Overall, I thought they did okay with it. I don't think I would have given the Sport Modifieds a night off during the R Charles Snyder Salute on Labor Day weekend. It's about what's financially best for that race and what you're building with that race. Other than seeing the need for a few more Mini Stock dates and anxiously awaiting the purse numbers being offered for the various divisions, I didn't have a lot I feel the need to say. It looks like a pretty good schedule to me.

I was given a bit of information after making the previous post. This was in regards to the return of the Lon Skinner Memorial. I'm mixed on that race being brought back for a couple of reasons, but I understand why it happened. If you get John Skinner involved in the racing program, he can help you from a financial standpoint. The reason you have the seven people they have on the board is in part due to financial reasons. You're trying not to put the cost all on one person, and as associations go, you can get people pitching in just for the good of racing.

With John Skinner, you have a guy who built the track. He's obviously going to have a love for the place, because he was involved with it for as long as he was. The race honoring his dad was the signature race for 20 years, and I'm sure the new association knew that John would be interested in putting it back on the schedule. He is also the guy who can deliver the support needed to make a very nice purse. I understand exactly why the race was brought back. You'll take some negativity from the move, but you'll also take lots of positivity overall.

What I heard was John wants the date he had. He's not interested in running the race for his father on July 23rd and 24th when everybody knows the race was on Labor Day weekend for years. I don't know what any of that means. It could be that John isn't happy, but he will accept the date as given. As I said in my previous article, I think there could be advantages to running the event in July. Several key tracks in California won't be running the IMCA Modifieds or Sport Modifieds that weekend, and there isn't any competition coming from Oregon for those classes either. If drivers are in a traveling mood that weekend, the numbers could even be bigger for this race in July then they would be in September.

We've witnessed a decline in the September numbers for the Modifieds, and that's despite the big purse being offered. One of the reasons is tracks have been trending towards running events that weekend again, and that wasn't the case a few years ago. There were several tracks that were dark. Also, if you want to participate in the IMCA Nationals in Boone, Iowa, Labor Day weekend is traveling time. This meant that some top racing teams weren't supporting the show, and even getting your numbers up to 40 cars was becoming more difficult. This is why the IMCA Sport Modifieds have become so important to that weekend. Those drivers haven't started traveling back to Boone in big numbers, and the class is growing rapidly anyway.

When I pitched the idea for the race remembering R Charles Snyder immediately upon my arrival in 2016, I had no idea what date would be given. I just knew it would be a good race to have. It was ultimately given the Labor Day weekend, and It produced two of the biggest car counts seen at the speedway in the last decade. Travis Snyder came on board when we told him we were honoring his father, and I know that there wasn't any consideration towards dropping this race with the new promotional team. If moving the date was even to be considered, I think it would come down to what Travis Snyder decided.

When it comes to this new promotional association, which is called Southern Oregon Motorsports, Snyder was included as media relations representative. I was a little surprised by that at first, and I was thinking maybe he was there basically to preserve his father's race. I can honestly say that I'm happy to find out that Travis is taking on a more active role than I thought. Snyder has many connections, and he's a major asset to the Southern Oregon community in general. He's a guy who gets things done and helps different projects in need. I knew he wasn't really involved in racing the way he had been at one time. Life takes us in different directions, but I also knew that he still had a love for the sport.

When you're bringing in an association, you're taking help from wherever you can get it. What Travis brings is somebody who can probably land the track sponsorship and help get some of the things needed to make it happen. From the interview he did with Cameron Derby of channel 12, you can tell he's excited about being involved with the track. He's not coming in and claiming he knows everything, but it's apparent he has connections and knows how to help the track take some big steps forward.  I like the guy, and his inclusion here is key to helping the cause.

When Derby came in and did his report for channel 12, he referred to the place as abandoned and the previous promoter removing all of the equipment. The thing about the media I've noticed is that often times you can only get them to come for a negative story. It's not that this is a negative story, but in vilifying the previous management, you create heroes in the new management and frame a narrative. It's them against the world. In reality, the previous management simply exercised their option, as per contract, and removed what they owned from the premises. That's the story there.

The other narrative is the team is racing against the clock to get everything ready. With such a broad community involved, this team is getting many things that are aiding them in the goal of track improvement. That's a good thing, and I'm not knocking it. However, I will say that with the necessary equipment, the track and the pit area itself is ready to go within a week tops. There's no race against the clock where that is concerned. It comes down to purchasing the necessary equipment to run the grandstand side of things and whatever is needed on the track and pit side. If you're purely focusing on that, it's still a challenge. It's not just a financial drop in the bucket, but there's no reason to think the May 29th opener wouldn't go off without a hitch if the weather allows.

However, improvements are being implemented. These are things that are certainly going to help the facility's condition in general. They can be helpful in bringing racers and fans to the track in bigger numbers, but if people are creating a grand expectation that compares to the early, glory days of the track, they are in for a little bit of disappointment. I don't know if anybody has noticed, but we are 20 years removed from that. The track has been on a steady decline since about 2006. From a racing program standpoint, the previous management stopped the decline and began a gradual turnaround. The racing program itself is in better shape than it was at the end of 2015, and that's a fact.

The facility has needed improvements since long before that. They are going to replace the back fencing and put the bleachers on the old staging lane. These are good moves. I didn't necessarily think the back straightaway was unsafe, but you can always make it safer. Furthermore, the pit bleachers should have always been there, and they should have been bringing the cars in from around the outside of Turns 3 and 4 all along. 

The new team is also extending the track. I don't feel this was necessary as the configuration was fine. The main thing that was needed was new clay. Oftentimes, a promoter will take clay when it's donated, and that happened with the previous management at the end of their second season. Unfortunately, the clay was pure garbage, and that left the track prep man struggling to get things up to standards throughout the 2018 season. New clay would certainly be a good thing. I'm not knocking changing the track configuration, because if it's done right, it's not going to hurt things. If it's not done right, it could negatively impact things.

Beyond that, I don't know what the team has in mind. However, since they are intent on implementing at least some improvements before the gates open on May 29th, it makes it that much more challenging to meet the deadline. They are adding more work for themselves. Again, it's not a bad thing. If it goes according to plan, they're going to look very good to the community at large. Even if it takes an additional couple weeks, so what? If the improvements are made, it's still going to help the facility, isn't it?

I've looked at things that I felt could have been improved on both the Outlaw Kart and big track. It might surprise some people, but the previous management had some improvements in mind. Unfortunately, the Jackson County Motorsports Park Board were not keen on any of it. In fact, they weren't really supportive of improvements at all. I could go on about that, but I will leave it here for now. There may be a time and a place when I expand upon that.

After the deal between the previous management and John Skinner was ended, that left the previous management having to replace a lot of things. Hence, certain equipment that Skinner removed, the previous management removed upon their departure. There was a decaying food trailer that was used as a concession stand for the big track and a trailer for basic food service that was used for the Kart track. When Skinner removed that stuff, I would have liked to have seen suitable replacements put in their place, but it didn't happen. I am fairly sure something is going to be done by the new team.

The bathroom situation needed help. On the grandstand side, the women's bathroom wall by the little walk-in way was leaning and needed to be repaired. The pit restrooms needed to be repaired. Previous management had intended to do that, but they were discouraged. It also should be pointed out that while they were looking at doing that, they were repairing various water pipe leaks from throughout the facility. The new team may be unpleasantly surprised by the issues that may arise there in the future.

It's obvious that fans are going to be greeted by a clean new look. With the community involvement, that means the cost will be covered by several different people. Therefore, a newly reconfigured race track, improved back fence and relocated pit bleachers, possibly a landscaped grassy knoll and who knows what else will be things that the people see when they are allowed back at the track again. Again, it's not a bad thing. The track has needed some of these things to happen for longer than the last six years.

Other than that, you're going to hear lots of interesting news coming from Travis Hoppes and his team. Right now, they are the only ones allowed on the facility and I don't even think they've gotten all the necessary insurance taken care of yet. Because of that, access to the facilities is limited, and that puts a lot of the work on the shoulders of the people on the board. Fortunately, with Travis Hoppes, Travis Snyder and Jon DeBenedetti, you've got people who know a thing or two about construction and can get it done while all the necessary paperwork is finalized.

I still wasn't as brief here as I would have liked to have been, but after watching some of the media attention given to the track on Friday, I wanted to offer a few observations to go with the scheduled preview article we did. It's always an exciting time when a new team comes in to run a race track. There is the optimism and desire to build a better future for the track you love, and the vibe really is something special to experience. I just caution that the love and desire to recreate something that happened over 20 years ago may not produce the numbers you're envisioning in your mind. The world has changed a little bit, and it's challenging to make that happen.

That's why I always tried to stay grounded in my approach to the media effort I put forth in helping Mike McCann do what he was doing. We knew there wouldn't be an immediate turn around in numbers. It didn't get into this state over night, and changing things won't either happen over night either. Many factors put the track in the state it was in back in 2015, and the effort will take many different things. Again, from a racing program standpoint, improvements were noticeable. 

As for the facility, I will certainly admit that it was kept in shape just good enough to do what was needed, but there weren't a bunch of improvements made. A wise promoter will work with the resources they have and won't spend a bunch more than is coming in to make those improvements. And believe me, quite a bit of money was spent to do what was done over the previous four seasons as it was.

What you do is make a few adjustments here and there and look at the numbers. How did the car count respond to the schedule you booked, the purse you paid, the format used and the track conditions? If the numbers were going up, you continue doing what you're doing. If numbers are looking good, you don't go changing a bunch of stuff to ruin the flow. If the numbers are looking good in the pits and more cars are on the track, that equals better attendance in the grandstands. 

The bottom line is fans aren't coming if they don't have a show worthy of watching. Other than that, you make sure the fans are kept up to date on scheduling, are comfortable, have clean bathrooms, good concession stand food and a good announcer that they can hear. It's Racing 101. You're not reinventing the wheel here. Handle the basics correctly, and you will see the numbers rise on both sides of the fence.

In looking at Yreka, I've probably been a bit critical of Promoter Kevin Barba, but it is my sincere hope that he is able to turn things around this year. His failure isn't good for the future of racing there, so of course I'm hoping for him to succeed. I'm not delighted by the track"s decision to give race dates to the Limited Sprints, while keeping the IMCA Modifieds off the schedule when the Modifieds have been a staple at the track for many years. However, that's where we're at. The Limited Sprint drivers were given a sliding scale and can win as much as $700 depending on the car count tonight. It's $50 minimum to start either way, and we'll see what they get from that.

Kevin made an announcement on Friday regarding the IMCA Sport Modifieds, and it left me scratching my head. I didn't hear a lot over the last couple of weeks about a 50 lap race, but that's what they are getting. They get a break at 25 laps. What I find troublesome is the expectation that these guys will run for $500 to win, $250 for second and $125 for third. What are they getting to start? Is it the standard $40 to run twice as many laps? The thing about doing events like this is you need to announce them further ahead than this.

You don't have competition in Medford just yet, so there are drivers who could cross the border to support you. It's in your best interest to make it appealing enough to them that they want to do that. Much like the Limited Sprints, we'll see what the car count is here, although it should be acceptable. I do expect a better overall turnout than the dismal showing they had two weeks ago. The Southern Oregon Dwarf Cars alone should provide a solid turnout, and I've got to believe that the Mini Stocks will deliver more than three cars this time. Having a couple of special divisions coming in can help, but it still comes down to the track developing its own classes.

It's telling that the only additional division the track has added to its roster over the past few years is the Jefferson State Jalopies. I'm not going to knock the class. Karl Bernstein and JJ Smith put a lot of love into what they did with the class, and I've gone on record as saying they should book these guys as much as they are willing to race so the fans have something else to look at. However, if Karl and JJ are the only ones building cars, this thing isn't going to grow very much. They built and maintain the four cars the people have been seeing, and people should see a fifth car on the track soon.

They've been flirting with the Hornet and Hobby Stock divisions, and I don't know why they don't just pull the trigger on the two classes. You're not talking higher end divisions here, and that means that the purse demands aren't big and the potential is there for more financial return for the promoter. The association that ran the track flirted with booking the Hornets in 2017, and although I know it drew the ire of the Medford promoter at the time, I would never have stopped booking the class. True, they were getting started on the backs of the Medford effort, but that didn't mean locals wouldn't start building cars. If they had done this in 2017, Yreka would have something established by now.

The Hobby Stock class is just a continuation of the Street Stocks the track had not too many years back that faded away. It's what tracks like Orland and Hayfork, the track's two closest neighbors with that division, happen to run. The thing is a promoter would put a set of rules together, simply invite the class to be there on whatever nights, present a purse and see what happens. Sounds simple enough, but whether it was the association or current Promoter Kevin Barba, nothing has been done. You won't get a new class without taking these steps.

No matter how you break things down, you need to add additional divisions. You won't get fans back in the stands unless they see more cars, and that's just the way it is. Much like Medford, this situation didn't develop overnight, and it won't improve overnight either. It won't improve at all if you don't take the steps. Frankly, things have deteriorated to such a level in Yreka that I could see a promoter deciding to move the program from Saturday night to Friday night in an effort to attract racer support from Medford and other tracks. In any case, I am curious how this weekend will go, although I know the numbers will be exceedingly better than two weeks ago.

The Friday night racing activity went on as scheduled, and I'll offer the briefest of observations. I think it was a risky move for Kern County Raceway to have the dirt track show that they scheduled. They really could have used the Bakersfield Speedway Hobby Stocks or one of the Modified classes for the show to get some cars in the pits, but I'm sure they didn't touch them because Bakersfield Speedway stayed dark so their guys could go support Merced. This left management deciding to do an open wheel special.

The problem was USAC booked their Wingless 360 Sprints and Midgets at Tulare for Saturday. I'm getting a bigger picture here that a lot of these USAC guys don't want to cross the line and support non-sanctioned stuff too willingly. There's no real good reason more teams couldn't have gone to Kern Raceway. The same sort of thing happened with the big money Wingless 410 Sprint Car race that Kern Raceway booked last month. Sometimes I look at people's loyalty to certain organizations and shake my head. Sure, be loyal, but when it doesn't conflict, there's no reason not to support the other thing too.

The show only had 10 Midgets, six Wingless Sprints and seven Hardtops. The Mod Lites were booked, but it doesn't appear as if anybody showed up. I can't see this race as a financial success for the track, and that's a shame. They're obviously willing to put money up for open wheel specials. If racers don't want to support things like this, they shouldn't be unhappy when fewer opportunities are created for them. The Midget race still had plenty of action, and the Sprint Car Main Event was surprisingly interesting for the low turnout.

The Kern County Hardtops had seven cars, and it's nice to see a few different cars showing up. This effort has undergone a major shake up in the last few years as key people have passed away or sold their cars and moved on. It's fortunate that they've instilled a love of these cars in other people who are carrying on the tradition. What I've always liked about the Hardtop effort in Bakersfield is they seem to be more in the spirit of the old days. They aren't trying to trick out their cars, even though they've run for championship points in recent years. They are doing this in the spirit of the vintage class. They have another date around the corner at Bakersfield Speedway. I hope they start updating their Facebook page as it would be nice to hear more details.

Watsonville was Watsonville. Nearly 30 Winged 360 Sprint Cars again, and several top drivers in the field. I know Antioch is hoping to do well with the show they have tonight. If they get enough Watsonville support, I think they will be okay. They won't get 29 cars, but they can get a dozen or so. The Winged the 360 Sprint Cars are carrying the load at Watsonville right now, but the South Bay Dwarf Cars got off to a nice 19 car start. The Hobby Stocks and Western Midgets did what they were supposed to do, but I still worry that they are running the Hobby Stocks too hard right now. All in all, it wasn't a bad show. They ran it rapidly, and there was some good racing all night.

Merced Speedway pulled in over 120 cars for the first night of the Al Miller Memorial. This is about on target for them. I can't knock either the IMCA Modifieds or the Sport Modifieds as they delivered the goods. With the volume of cars they had, they came right up on curfew once again, but all they had to cut from the program were the final four laps of the Sport Modified feature. If I have a criticism of the program, it was putting the IMCA Stock Cars above the Hobby Stocks in the pecking order. Then again, sponsorship may have dictated the billing order. After all, tonight's $5,000 to win race isn't going to the IMCA Modifieds, it's going to the Sport Modifieds.

The thing is, the IMCA Stock Cars don't have the capability to produce the car count the Hobby Stocks have right now. That's just a fact. Everybody wants to see the IMCA Stock Cars soar like an eagle, but it's going to take time. I think they had the class at Hanford for six or seven years before they were able to produce a double digit car count on any sort of regular basis. There were 11 of them for Friday's show with 29 Hobby Stocks. The whole Friday thing was regular purse, but the IMCA Stock Cars get $1,200 to win on Saturday to $750 for the Hobby Stocks.

I will concede that the IMCA Stock Cars are interesting to look at. Their racing is just a little bit different than what you see with the Hobby Stocks, but that's what IMCA was going for. They were creating a Stock Car class that didn't look like your typical class of Stock Cars. The IMCA Stock Cars have certainly captured the attention of the racing community on the West Coast. The Merced event is a drop in the bucket to what's coming. As we mentioned previously, Sunset Speedway in Banks, Oregon is running a 100 lap race for the class on July 4th and paying $5,000 to win.

This column was only meant to talk about a couple of things, so even though I might have a few other ideas, I need to end it here. I would like to put a post up on Saturday afternoon, so writing too much here would negatively impact that goal. So, until next time...