Antioch Speedway, Marysville Raceway, Merced Speedway, More

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Hobby Stocks, Dwarf Cars And Something New Saturday 

At Antioch Speedway

 

The Haney family prepares the engine on one of their Hobby Stocks. Front is grandfather Gene Haney, back left son Jon Haney and right grandson Colton Haney. Photo by DCRR Racing Media

Antioch, CA...Saturday night racing returns at Antioch Speedway. Last week saw threatening skies for the early portion of the day, but the racing program went on as scheduled.

This time around, the Pacific Coast General Engineering Hobby Stocks will be competing along with the Delta Dwarf Cars and the Mini Stocks. The track will also see the first ever visit from the California Sharp Mini Late Models.

When last we left the Hobby Stocks, Misty Welborn was putting away her bridesmaid dress and becoming the bride as she finally got her first Main Event win. It didn't come easy with seasoned veteran Les Friend pressuring her hard over the final 10 circuits before settling for second.

The fact is, the competition level has risen in the Hobby Stocks. We've had several new drivers join in the past couple of years, and they are all getting better. You'll see 20 drivers line up to take a green flag, and many of them are capable of winning on an  given occasion, including young guns Aiden Ponciano and Jewell Crandall. Ponciano ran in the Top 5 for most of the opening race, and Crandall ended up finishing fifth.

Hard chargers such as reigning champion Larry McKinzie Jr, Chris Long and Jared Baugh truly make things interesting.

We also have the Haney family, which is three generations strong. Grandson Colton Haney just joined the fray last season. His grandfather Gene and father Jon Haney have been competing at the speedway for years.

Gene and Jon have competed in several different divisions, including Super Stocks, Dirt Modifieds and Mini Trucks, and they've done well. Gene Haney won a pair of championships in the Super Hobby Stock class, and before that he was a Street Stock Freedom Series champion. He was also a Mini Truck title winner. Jon has been Top 10 ranked in multiple divisions. It was Colton representing the family the best last time out with a tenth place finish.

The Delta Dwarf Cars demonstrated they can be both fast and very exciting at their opener last week. Dwarf Cars have been competing at least once at the Speedway every year since the mid 1995.

It was prior to 2020 when two-time champion Danny Wagner gathered drivers together and formed the Delta Dwarf Car Association. This put the group under the Western States Dwarf Car Association rules, and made Antioch eligible to host a big National Dwarf Car event.

Wagner, who is also a feature winner in Dirt Modified and Sprint Car competition, had won the NorCal Dwarf Car championship, and he liked the competition level of the drivers using the united rules set.

Wagner kicked off the season last week by getting the win ahead of young up and coming star Devan Kammermann. Kammermann has several seconds and thirds to his credit during the past few seasons, but he's closing in on his first victory.

Kammermann won't be the only threat. Hard chargers such as Ellie Russo, Chance Russell, 2020 champion Travis Day, David Rosa and Jack Haverty are sure to make things interesting this weekend.

Management added the Mini Stocks to the equation prior to the 2020 season as there was a need for an entry-level class. There have been various entry level four cylinder classes for the past 20 years, which includes this division and the Mini Trucks.

In two seasons, this division has grown slowly. Tom Brown bears the distinction of winning both the Antioch and Petaluma titles last year. He's had to battle with the likes of Laina Bales, Dan Abitz, Dana Gardner and Eddie Humphrey III. There are expected to be some new drivers in the field this time.

A division that has slowly taken hold in California is the Sharp Mini Late Models. These are 5/8 scale versions of Late Models with 600cc engines. A few of the drivers even made an appearance at one of the practice days a few weeks back.

Merced Speedway brought the class in 5 years ago as a way to get drivers up from the Outlaw Kart ranks onto the bigger track. They are already seeing drivers from this class graduate into the bigger divisions. Track management is looking at this same possibility for Antioch Speedway.

About a half-dozen of these cars are anticipated for this show. The field will include some new drivers from the area as well as drivers from down in Merced. If things go well, we could be seeing more Mini Late Model racing in the weeks ahead.

Management always strives to give the fans the best racing program possible, and Saturday's lineup should be good.

The gates are scheduled to open at 4:00 pm,, and this gives the fans a good opportunity to grab their favorite seat before racing starts at 6:00 pm. The track strives to get done by 10:00 pm on any given race night.

Ticket prices are $20 for adults, $15 for military, senior (60 and over) and children (under 11) with children five and under free. For further information, go to www.antiogspeedway.com.

 

California Sharp Mini Late Models Are Coming 

To Antioch Speedway Saturday Night

Antioch, CA...The California Sharp Mini Late Models are coming to Antioch Speedway. This is the newest class to hit California. These are a 5/8 scale Late Model Models in appearance with a potent 600cc engine under the hood. The cars are getting around the speedway rapidly. 

Antioch Speedway had some of them pay the track a visit at one of the practice events this year, but Saturday night will be the first time for them to officially race at the 62-year-old racing facility. 

Back in 2017, the late Ed Parker and past Hobby Stock champion Michael Shearer decided to introduce this division to Merced Speedway. One of the goals was to get newer drivers involved in the sport without breaking the bank. 

There are several youngsters competing in Outlaw Karts and Junior Sprints, and some of them never get beyond the tiny little bull ring oval tracks. This is an opportunity to get some of them onto a bigger track.

The other part of the goal is to see these drivers graduate into some of the other divisions, and they've started to see that happen at Merced. Not only are drivers moving up, they are running quite competitively. The Mini Late Models are already proving their worth, and they're just getting started.

Another group located in the Bay Area has taken on the mantle of getting this effort started at Antioch Speedway. In fact, some of those drivers branched out from Merced last year to do some practice laps at Hills Ferry Raceway in Newman. We should be seeing some of those drivers on Saturday night.

Antioch based competitor Matt Malcolm has been running these cars for a couple of years, and he ends up having to travel up and down the road. The fact that the division is getting a chance at his home track is music to his ears. 

Matt has competed at Adobe Mountain Speedway in Arizona and Barona Raceway near the California/Mexico border. Needless to say, he's logged many miles. He was also a Main Event winner at Merced last year.

To prepare for this weekend, there are four cars at the shop of Super Stock racer Chad Hammer. Hammer does the motors for the Sharp Mini Late Models, and he's keen on seeing this division have a good debut at his home track. Another name familiar to some is Enos. The Enos family is now competing in this division as they move into the third generation in the sport.

The California Sharp Mini Late Models have the right ingredients needed to see the class be successful. For starters, it's a more affordable option for drivers to move up from the Outlaw Kart level. 

They're also working with similar motor technology to what they run in Outlaw Karts and Micro Sprints. The cars are also pretty evenly matched, and that makes for some great racing action.

Antioch Speedway management is keen on giving the fans more different things to enjoy on race night, and this is the audition for the California Sharp Mini Late Models. There is interest in bringing them back for several more appearances this year and in the years to come. 

They will make a nice addition to this Saturday's lineup, which also includes Pacific Coast Hobby Stocks, Delta Dwarf Cars and Mini Stocks. The weather is being much more accommodating this weekend, so it's sure to be a great night at the races. For further information, go to www.antiochspeedway.com.

 

 

Chadwick, Ryland, Robles, Wagner Secure Antioch Wins 

Antioch, CA...March 19...Kellen Chadwick won the 20 lap IMCA Modified Main Event Saturday night at Antioch Speedway. The race had been in doubt due to rain in the forecast, but the speedway endured cloudy skies and a little bit of drizzle before the skies cleared and racing was allowed to happen. The win was redemption for Chadwick, who felt he let it slip away at the previous race. 

Past champion Bobby Motts Jr jumped into the lead at the start ahead of Terry DeCarlo Jr and Chadwick. A low pass in Turn 2 of the second lap put Chadwick into second, and Chadwick set his sights on Motts. Within a couple of laps, Chadwick was stalking Motts, and he made a Turn 4 pass on the seventh lap to take the lead. As Chadwick began to pull away from Motts, reigning champion Jim Pettit II had managed to move into third. However, previous winner Nick DeCarlo closed in quickly on Pettit. DeCarlo slipped past Pettit for third on Lap 13 and set his sights on Motts. Chadwick built a good lead as Motts and DeCarlo battled for second. Chadwick would go on to score the satisfying win. Motts held on for second ahead of Nick DeCarlo, Pettit, Terry DeCarlo Jr, Clark Gugliemoni, Paul Gugliemoni, Buddy Kniss, Trevor Clymens and Jeff Browne. Chadwick and Pettit picked up the eight lap heat race wins. 

Fred Ryland won the 20 lap IMCA Sport Modified Main Event. KC Keller started up front and took the early lead ahead of Nick Zapatero and Jake Bentancourt. Jacob Mallet Jr was running fourth until surrendering that position to Ryland on Lap 3. Ryland found his way past Bentancourt on the fifth lap, and a yellow flag waved moments later as Zapatero spun from second in Turn 2. Keller led Ryland and Mallet on the restart. A side-by-side battle began between Keller and Ryland before Ryland made a low move in Turn 2 of the seventh lap to take over. Mallet challenged Keller before taking second on the ninth circuit. Following heat race difficulties, Andrew Pearce was running fourth. A yellow flag slowed the pace on lap 14 with Ryland leading Mallet and Keller on the restart. The Top 3 ran in that order for the final circuits with Pearce settling for fourth ahead of Tyler Browne, Mark Garner, Chuck Golden, Jason Ryan Jr, Zapatero and Bentancourt. Keller and Ryland scored the heat race wins. 

Jason Robles won the 20 lap IMCA Stock Car Main Event. This race was destined to go without a yellow flag. Robles took the lead at the start ahead of Dave Hill and Joe Gallaher. Ryland started in the fourth row and quickly worked his way to the front. A low pass in Turn 2 of the fifth lap gained Ryland third with reigning champion Travis Dutra moving into fourth. Robles held a half-straightaway advantage over Hill as Ryland began challenging Hill for the runner-up spot. Kellen Chadwick moved in to challenge Dutra for fourth, making it a four-car battle for second. Robles continued to pull away as Ryland searched for a way around Hill. On the 14th lap, Ryland finally went low in Turn 4 to take the second spot from Hill. Dutra slipped past Hill for third on lap 17, but Ryland was already well ahead of him in second. However, Robles held a straightaway advantage over Ryland that he would take to the checkered flag. Dutra settled for third ahead of Chadwick, Hill, Gallaher, and Anthony Giuliani. Jeff Bentancourt was a feature scratch, and the eight lap heat race victories went to Hill and Ryland.

Danny Wagner won an eventful 20 lap Delta Dwarf Car Main Event. The two-time champion led the entire distance after starting on the outside front row next to Ellie Russo. Wagner took the early lead with Devan Kammermann in second ahead of Russo. Sean Catucci moved in to challenge Russo for third, and a yellow flag waved on the fifth lap after Mario Marquez and David Rosa tangled on the front stretch. Wagner led Kammermann and Chance Russell on the restart. The lead trio ran closely for the next few circuits as David Michael Rosa moved into fourth. A side-by-side battle for first developed between Wagner and Kammermann, who was searching for his first win. Russell spun from third on Lap 13. Contact exiting Turn 4 on Lap 14 between David Michael Rosa and Catucci resulted in a Catucci rollover for the red flag. Rosa was sent to the pits for his part in the incident. Wagner led Kammermann and 2020 champion Travis Day on the restart. Jack Haverty brought out a yellow flag with a flat tire on Lap 15. That was the final slowdown of the race. Wagner led Kammerman and Day on the restart, and they finished in that order. David Rosa ended up fourth ahead of John Tardiff, Joey Shreffler, Haverty, Catucci, Russo and David Michael Rosa. The eight lap heat race wins went to Kammermann, Justin Bingman and Wagner. 

Racing continues this Saturday night as the West Coast Hobby Stocks are back In action along with the Delta Dwarf Cars, Mini Stocks and the first ever visit of the California Sharp Mini Late Models. For further information, go to www.antiochspeedway.com.

 

Jernagan, Loftis Win Season Opener At Merced Speedway

Merced, CA...March 18...Bakersfield's Garrett Jernagan scored an impressive victory in the season opening 20 lap IMCA Sport Modified Main Event Friday night at Merced Speedway. The IMCA Sport Modifieds and the local Hobby Stock divisions ran a support show with the Nos Energy Drink World of Outlaws Sprint Car race, which was won by Carson Macedo ahead of reigning champion Brad Sweet, Giovanni Scelzi, Tyler Courtney and Spencer Bayston.

Jernagan bolted into lead from the outset ahead of reigning champion Tyler Bannister and Jacob Mallet Jr. Mallet put the moves on Bannister for second on the sixth circuit as Antioch point leader Fred Ryland was running fourth. Ryland moved around Bannister for third on Lap 8 and set his sights on Mallet. Mallet was keeping it close with Jernagan, but he started receiving pressure from Ryland in the waning laps. As Jernagan brought it home to the impressive win, Ryland made a last lap maneuver to take second from Mallet. Jason Bannister made a late move into fourth with Jeremy Hoff finishing fifth, followed by Tyler Bannister, Cale Kanke, Jason Pugh, Adam Baker and Brian Baker. The eight lap heat race wins went to Brian Baker, Jarrod Mounce and Andrew Pearce.

Tate Loftis won the 20 lap Hobby Stock Main Event. The Bakersfield racer followed suit with Jernagan in leading the entire distance. Reigning Bakersfield champion Ricky Childress Jr ran fourth early on, but he took second from DJ Keldsen on the fourth lap. Reigning Merced champion Domossie Scoggins gained fourth on Lap 10 and moved into third two laps later. Scoggins slipped past Childress for second on Lap 14 and held the position until Childress got by on Lap 17. Loftis drove a flawless race to win ahead of Childress, Scoggins, Keldsen, Darren Thomas, Donnie Shearer, Timmy Crews, Colby Ward, Ryan Hart and Race Shelton.

There were 36 Hobby Stocks in action, and the eight lap heat race wins went to Colby Ward, Loftis, Keldsen and Brandon Pickford. Hart won the time-limit shortened five lap B Main ahead of Kevin Irwin, Chad Ragsdale, Farren Steitz and Kristie Shearer.

Next up will be the Jerry Shannon Memorial race this Saturday night. The IMCA Modifieds will be competing for $5,000 to win. Also in action will be the IMCA Sport Modifieds, IMCA Stock Cars and Mini Stocks. For further information, go to www.mercedspeedway.net.

Hopkins Brings Home The Glory At Marysville Raceway 

Marysville, CA...March 19...Shane Hopkins won the 25 lap Winged 360 Sprint Car Main Event Saturday night at Marysville Raceway. California saw rainfall fall throughout the state, but somehow the Marysville officials were able to get this race into the books and had a solid turnout of Sprint Cars. 

The yellow flag waved before a lap could even be completed for Brent Bjork in Turn 4. Hopkins bolted into the lead at the start ahead of Justin Henry and Joel Myers Jr. Previous winner Andy Forsberg settled into fourth and slipped past Myers for third on the sixth circuit. A yellow flag waved on Lap 13 for Carson Hall on the back straightaway. As Hopkins continued to lead the way on the restart, Forsberg slipped past Henry for second. Forsberg was able to wrestle the lead away from Hopkins on Lap 21, but he had issues in Turn 3 a lap later as his race came to an unfortunate end. The restart saw a Turn 4 crack up involving Mike Monahan, Kevin Lovell and Wyatt Brown. The red flag was displayed at that point. On the final restart, Hopkins led the way with Chase Majdic moving into second ahead of Henry. Majdic kept it close, but Hopkins prevailed at the checkered flag. Henry settled for third, followed by Myers, Tanner Carrick, Cody Spencer, Jake Haulot, Drake Standley, Bobby Butler and reigning champion Billy Wallace.

There were 23 Sprint Car competitors in action under cloudy conditions, and Majdic turned the quarter-mile clay oval with a lap of 12.629 for the fast time. Bjork was second quick at 12.771, beating the 12.797 of Forsberg for second quick. The three eight lap heat race wins went to Haulot, Hopkins and Henry.

Brian Cooper won the 20 lap IMCA Sport Modified Main Event. It was Jimmy Ford putting the Scott Kames owned car into the early lead ahead of Richard Vander Ploeg. Cooper swept past Vander Ploeg for second on the fourth circuit. On Lap 11, Shaun Merritt and Ford tangled for a yellow flag on the front straightaway. Cooper took control on the restart ahead of Lisa Shelby and Vander Ploeg. Past Mini Stock competitor Shelby kept it close with Cooper, but Cooper prevailed in the end. Vander Ploeg settled for third, followed by Damian Merritt, Scott Savell, Ford, Casey Carpenter, Hunter Merritt and Shaun Merritt. The eight lap heat race win went to Cooper.

2020 champion Michael "Spanky" Grenert won the 20 lap Nor Cal Dwarf Main Event. Corey Eaton had the pole and took the early lead ahead of Gage Meyers and Mike Reeder. The yellow flag waved on the fourth lap for a Turn 2 tangle involving Myers and Shawn Whitney. Meyers saw his race come to an end at that point. Eaton continued to lead the restart with Reeder moving into second ahead of Grenert. Grenert began to battle Reeder for second until making the pass on the 14th lap. Grenert continued his momentum until putting the moves on Eaton for the lead on Lap 19. Eaton fell back a few spots on the final circuit as Grenert won ahead of Reeder and Josh Wiesz. Eaton settled for fourth, followed by Ben Wiesz, Dylan Shrum, Jeremy Blackshere, Kevin Bender, Dan Geil and Cody Shrum. The eight lap heat race wins went to Grenert and Dylan Shrum.

This Saturday night, the Xtreme Limited Late Model Series pays the track a visit along with the Winged Crate Sprints, IMCA Sport Modifieds and Hobby Stocks. For further information, go to www.marysvilleraceway.com.

The Editor's Viewpoint

So basically, I wrote a column here and deleted it. Why? I need to be succinct. I was rambling on too much. I was basically explaining how frustrating it was trying to get the souvenir program done for Antioch Speedway. 

It is done, and it was definitely an ordeal. It was stressful, not fun and I was more relieved than happy that the printer finally took it. The track has a souvenir program, so my mission was accomplished.

I'm going to have to figure out the best deal the track can get for printing, because the one they told me they had just doesn't work for me. I'm going to have to rework and reconfigure the program, because I wasn't completely delighted with what I had. 

I think the readers will like it okay, but I can do better. I'm about 80% happy with what will be presented, but it'll still be good. I just think it can be much, much better. It's going to get a reworking, because I think I'll be saving some space next time too.

I didn't really figure I'd be doing the souvenir program, but I figured there was a possibility it could happen. It became a bigger possibility when I opened my mouth, and I need to learn to stop doing that. I believe they understand that I'm still effective at what I do. 

The three factors that got me back here were my desire to be back in Contra Costa County, the fact that I love my racing family and I wanted to come back to work for Tina Chadwick. She convinced me, and if I didn't get a good vibe from her when we talked on the phone the two times we did, nothing would have happened.

I'm not looking for any more duties. I am patrolling the pit area and the grandstands as I'm dictating this, which isn't much quicker than actually typing it. I'm hearing people tell me I should be announcing. I pretty much believe you could keep bringing me beers in the booth, and I could do a better job than the guy up there. 

It's not a brag, but I don't feel the guy up there has retained much knowledge of what he's witnessed here in the time he's been here. I'll leave it at that. You want to be entertaining as an announcer, and part of that is acting like you actually care about what's going on out there on the track. I don't have to act, because I care.

I'm not lobbying, but there are people doing that on my behalf. I'm not looking to be drafted. Keeping an eye on the place and writing articles is more than enough for me. What made me do the souvenir programs? Tina Chadwick asked me to. 

What would get me to pick up a microphone? Tina would be the person. Then again, there are certain people up in the booth that I don't want to be around, and again, I'm not going any further. I'm not doing a power play, because I genuinely am not lobbying for that gig.

One of the challenges you have in running a race track and booking as many races as Antioch Speedway does is you have to fill the dates. You have to give the fans a show. You might have 7 or 8 divisions that you rotate, but rosters still suffer from fatigue.

The first week had everybody optimistic. The numbers were good for this place, although I personally feel they weren't spectacular. We can do much better, but we're also dealing with a difficult time. I get why people are happy.

I think it was with the thought that they could do it again that forced management to go for it under crappy conditions last Saturday. At a certain point, when you have gloomy weather on race day, even a little bit of misting, people disengage with the idea of racing. 

Fans decide it's not happening. It's gloomy, and it's actually cold out there. How many fans and racers don't come on a night like that? In Medford, Mike McCann was more often than not going to cancel. Racers got pissed, but the track didn't lose money. It's still a business, you know?

We went ahead with it, and we didn't reach 50 cars in the pits. I didn't hear an attendance number, but if we hit 300 fans in the stands, we didn't do it by much. When you have your three IMCA divisions on the card, you have certain expectations. That's probably why the race went on, but even that quality of lineup didn't get it done. 

The car count suffered, the crowd suffered and it wasn't the winner that it could have been under better weather conditions. I'm not delighted by that, and I worked social media pretty hard on race night. Maybe I helped convince a few people to come in. That's what I do it.

For the third week, we have Lineup B. This is not something I'm saying in a derogatory way. People do gravitate towards the IMCA Modified and Sport Modified classes, and some love the Wingless Spec Sprints. You're getting none of those. 

People love the Hobby Stocks, and you're getting them. Dwarf Cars don't bring a lot of fans, but there's a few. Mini Stocks are just getting started and don't have a big lineup. To try to make things better, they brought in the California Sharp Mini Late Models for their first visit.

The thing is, you had the promoters getting together in Reno to try to work with each other. Merced Speedway has the Jerry Shannon Memorial race, and it's $5,000 dollars to win the IMCA Modifieds. You don't want to touch that race. There's a certain group of your drivers that will come to Antioch, but could it equal 10 cars? 

The other thing is your big stars want to go to Merced for the money. Also, you're not trying to run your big classes every week, because this isn't the 1980s or even the early 1990s. So, you have to co-operate with Merced and let them have their turn with the three IMCA classes.

Antioch is further affected by the fact that Petaluma Speedway has a Joe Hunt Magneto's Wingless Sprint race. That's the bigger money race for the class. Even if there's not a big number of Antioch drivers going, you have enough that you have to keep the division dark. Let them go to Petaluma. 

Antioch is currently flirting with bringing the Super Stocks back after all. There was talk about that happening this weekend, but there is a Tri State Pro Stock race at Petaluma. There weren't enough Antioch guys willing to come, so they may be trying again on April 2nd.

As a promoter, it could become very frustrating to fill those rosters. Optimally, the Dwarf Cars and Hobby Stocks could bring in over 40 cars alone. We had a brutal Dwarf Car race last weekend, so can they even hit 15 cars? I think it's possible, but others don't. The Hobby Stocks may get into the 20s, and you need them to do that now.

I'm not sure that Mini Stocks can hit double digits, and then we have the California Sharp Mini Late Models. I'm hearing double digits here, but we haven't seen that at Merced in five years. Do you really think it's going to happen?

One thing that is encouraging is there's a second group developing. Michael Shearer has spearheaded the Merced effort. He got together with the late Ed Parker to do this thing at the valley track. The idea was to get these kids out of Outlaw Karts and into these cars on a bigger track. 

You're hoping to get them exposure on the bigger track and move some of them up to the higher classes as they're ready. It's already starting to happen. Merced had about a dozen different cars during the last year, so they are making progress.

The Bay Area is now getting car owners and there's a movement. Antioch happens to be the chosen track. As that grows, you might be hearing talk in Watsonville or Petaluma. Matt Malcolm lives in Antioch, so he's been making long trips to run at Adobe Mountain Speedway in Arizona and Barona Raceway. He's understandably happy to have a race here. 

Long time Stock Car racer Mitch Enos has family in the class. As I'm writing this, there are four cars at the shop of Chad Hammer, who does engines for these cars.

Larry Adams tells me there could be 10 or 12, and I'd love for him to be right about this. 10 cars, which could give you two heat races and a Main Event, is a victory. It's a good audition for this class and will likely get them stamped for however many dates these guys want. 

I've had this discussion with Mike McCann, and we both feel like a track like Antioch might be slightly too big for the 600cc motor. Maybe a place like Dixon or Stockton would be better, but these guys want to run quarter-mile or 3/8 mile tracks.

Promoters want a division that can give them a dozen cars. That's the bottom line. Give me a dozen, and I'll find you a spot. This is because nobody is able to run their primary divisions every week, and most tracks are still running 18 to 22 races. 18 races is too much to give a division, and you end up dropping under 10 cars on multiple occasions when you do that. 

So, if something from out of town gives you 12 cars, you take it. This is my frustration with the Bay Area Hardtop group, because they have that capability, but they have no organization when it comes to actually making it happen. 

As I said, Antioch Speedway is on solid ground with IMCA Sport Modifieds, Hobby Stocks, Delta Dwarf Cars and Wingless Spec Sprints. You're still getting a dozen in the IMCA Modifieds. IMCA Stock Cars have shown great progress in their year of existence at Antioch. 

The Mini Stocks will be something people will be wanting to see this year. Are they ready to deliver double digits this year? Super Stocks get a reprieve for one simple reason. If they can give you a half a dozen or eight cars on these off nights with no IMCA classes, you take them because you need the cars. That's the bottom line.

Yes, Mike Slaney has created the Xtreme Limited Late Model Series, but we have to see what the numbers are going to be there. John Soares was promoting Late Models, which included the crate class. He was able to get a dozen for a while, but the bottom fell out from underneath his efforts. You can't say the man didn't pay, because he most certainly did. 

He also paid Winged 360 Sprint Car drivers, and yet he didn't have a dedicated enough group of people who would be at a race any time he booked them. Hence, Late Models and Winged 360 Sprint Cars were not viable when PROmotions took over the track.

This means they've been thinking about all kinds of different things they can do to provide entertainment. One of the things they've spoken of is Figure 8 racing. They'll have that Mother's Day Mini Van race in May. What can they get to entertain the fans? That's the big question that is on the minds of management. 

To me, it becomes an easier situation if you reduce the races to a more manageable two dozen or so. Much more than 24 races, and you're going to have nights that just aren't going to look good on paper. It is what it is. I don't like to see too many races that lose money, because that equates to closed race tracks. I'm not saying the track is endangered, it just makes me nervous.

While Antioch is doing what they're doing, the other tracks that we keep an eye on will all be roaring to action. The Winged 360 Sprint Cars will be opening their season on Friday at Watsonville along with other divisions. Merced has the aforementioned Jerry Shannon Memorial $5,000 to win IMCA Modified show. Petaluma has the one-two punch of the Hunt Wingless Sprint Car Series and Tri State Pro Stock Challenge Series. It's an exciting time as the season is getting going.

I don't doubt that Merced will have a strong IMCA Modified turnout. They get to run the core IMCA classes now, and all of them should do okay. The Hunt Series is a winner right now and will probably be in the 20s at Petaluma, which would be music to the ears of Promoter Rick Faeth. 

A lot of people are wondering if the bottom will fall out from under the Tri State Pro Stock Challenge Series. I'm hoping not, but I do know that there are stormy seas ahead.

Petaluma seems to be having a slight uptick in their Super Stock class. The rug was pulled out from underneath Antioch, but it seems to be getting a reprieve. Then again, we hear issues of legality with some of these cars where it comes to Tri State rules. 

Antioch management is a bit grumpy towards Roy Bain and the way he's conducting the show. That's why Antioch was initially going to try to run a race on the 26th, even though I told everybody who would listen that it was a bad idea.

Nevada's racers have reformed their Pro Stock group. That was bound to happen, because there's enough cars there that they're going to want to race. If they're playing nice with Tri State, it's good. However, when I saw their schedule, it seemed like they were making an effort to book over key dates. That's not good. 

I'm also looking south to Bakersfield and wondering when those guys get their second wind and try to organize a little more. Part of what hurts them right now is the other track, Santa Maria Raceway, sits dormant.

Roy is guiding things as best he can. There's a lot of optimism and support behind Tri State, as there should be. Roy is also trying to offer another alternative for people who want to watch racing on pay-per-view. Speed Union TV went live a month ago with a broadcast from the Stockton Dirt Track. 

Everything seemed to go pretty well, and they're going to be in Stockton again. They're also going to be broadcasting from Medford this year and Yreka, the latter of which is a track we may be covering here on the blog.

I don't know what we're going to be doing. If it becomes too stressful for me, I won't be doing anything. Or, I'll take what's written that week and carry it over to the next week. It's not like I'm getting paid anything on this blog. I haven't generated any revenue through ad services yet, and tips are almost non-existent. 

Therefore, I'll do it if I enjoy it, and I'll not do it if I'm not having fun and not being motivated by people's support. I can put my writing energies into other things, and I actually want to do that.

It just so happens to be late Wednesday night, and I'm writing something now. I was relieved to get the program done and figured I'd turn my attention to this. If things go well on Thursday, you're going to see a blog post. If I get distracted for whatever reason, I doubt it will happen. 

I think there was a song that went, if it will it will, if it won't it won't. I'm fine with that. I'm trying not to stress, I'm trying to relax and keep my head and I'm also making every effort to enjoy my life for a change. I'm making progress.

On that note, I'll end this column. I don't think I was brief enough, but maybe next time...