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Antioch Speedway Racing Discussion
DeCarlo, Welborn, Ryland Kick Off New Season
With Antioch's Speedway Wins
Antioch,
CA...March 12...Nick DeCarlo scored the 25 lap IMCA Modified Main Event
win Saturday night at Antioch Speedway. This was the 62nd season opener
at the track, and DeCarlo won an intense mid-race duel with Bobby Hogge
IV to get the victory. DeCarlo hadn't won at Antioch in 2 years, but he
bears the distinction of being the only driver in IMCA Modifieds to win
track championships at Antioch, Petaluma and Watsonville.
Past
champion Kellen Chadwick bolted into the lead at the start with DeCarlo
not too far behind him in second. Nick's father Terry DeCarlo Sr was an
early third before reigning champion Jim Pettit II got by on Lap 2.
Five-time champion Troy Foulger moved in to duel Pettit for the third
position, and three-time Antioch champion Bobby Hogge IV quickly closed
in on them. An outside pass on the backstretch on the 7th lap put Hogge
into third. Hogge tracked down the lead duo as Nick DeCarlo began
challenging Chadwick for the lead. An inside pass on the backstretch on
Lap 16 put DeCarlo into the lead. The next lap found Hogge making a high
pass in Turn 2 to take over. DeCarlo came back strong, however, making a
high pass in Turn 4 to regain first. DeCarlo would lead the rest of the
way with Hogge a close second. Foulger got around Chadwick for third on
Lap 17 and would finish there. Chadwick settled for fourth, followed by
Pettit, Trevor Clymens, Chris Lewis, Kenneth Robles, Terry DeCarlo Jr
and Terry DeCarlo Sr. Hogge and Nick DeCarlo won the eight lap heat
races.
Fred Ryland got the victory in the
time-limit shortened 21 lap IMCA Sport Modified Main Event. The two-time
reigning champion got his weekend started right by holding off fellow
Antioch regular Jacob Mallet Jr to win the race at Watsonville a night
earlier.
Kelly Campanile took the early lead
ahead of Marysville point runner-up Jimmy Ford and Chester Kniss. 2019
champion Tommy Fraser slipped past Kniss for third on Lap 2, and he took
second from Ford a lap later. A low pass in Turn 3 of the fourth lap
gained past champion KC Keller third, and Ryland found his way into
fourth a lap later. As Campanile led the way, Fraser and Keller were
dueling fiercely for the second position. The yellow flag waved on Lap 7
for Mike Pitts on the back straightaway. Campanile led Fraser and
Keller on the restart, but Pitts and Nick Zapatero tangled for a yellow
flag a lap later. Campanile led Fraser and Keller on the first restart
attempt, but contact between Keller and Fraser saw both drivers spin.
The next restart attempt saw a bit of contact between Jacob Mallet Jr
and Campanile on the backstretch, resulting in a crash. When the
wreckage was cleared, Ryland lead Andrew Pearce and Dylan Connelly on
the restart. Tyler Browne moved up to battle Connelly for the third
position. Ryland and Pearce had pulled away from the pack a little bit
and caught slower traffic by Lap 16. However, a yellow flag waved for a
spin in Turn 2. Ryland led Pearce and Tommy Clymens Jr on the restart.
As Ryland and Pearce battled for the lead, Kniss started challenging
Clymens for third. A high pass in Turn 4 of the 20th lap put Kniss into
the third position. When Connelly spun in Turn 2, that brought out a
yellow flag after 21 laps. Connelly spun again on the first restart
attempt. At that point, the track officials called time, lined the
drivers up properly and they took the checkered flag with Ryland winning
ahead of Pearce, Knss, Clymens, Tyler Browne, Mark Garner, Mallet,
Shayna Nieman, Ford and Jake Bentancourt. Eight lap heat race wins went
to Keller, Ryland and Pearce.
Fred Ryland won
the 20 lap IMCA Stock Car Main Event, which brought the evening to a
conclusion. The win also puts him in a special category of racers who
have won two Main Events on the same night, which includes Bobby Hogge
IV, Troy Foulger, Keith Brown Sr, Danny Wagner and others. While Ryland
stopped short of saying he was going for the championship in this class,
he is hoping to be at every race.
Ryland
started up front and bolted into the lead ahead of past Four Banger
champion Jason Jennings and Anthony Giuliani. Driving for Rich
Quadrelli, Kellen Chadwick slipped into third on Lap 2. Foulger moved up
to battle Giuliani for the fourth position. By Lap 5, Ryland held a
straightaway advantage as Jennings and Chadwick had a side-by-side
battle for second. Just a few laps later, Ryland was a half-lap ahead of
Jennings and Chadwick. Foulger had moved into the fourth position by
then. Foulger got past Chadwick for third on Lap 14, but Chadwick made a
high pass in Turn 4 a lap later to regain the spot. The contest got a
bit too close with Foulger and Chadwick both getting around Jennings on
Lap 15. A yellow flag waved on Lap 19 for debris on the track, erasing
the commanding lead of Ryland. Undaunted, Ryland remained in command for
the final lap and brought it home to victory ahead of Foulger,
Chadwick, Giuliani, reigning champion Travis Dutra, Jennings, Rob
Gallaher, Andrew Pearce, Joe Gallaher and Scott Foster. Jason Robles and
Ryland won eight lap heat races.
Misty Welborn
won the 25 lap Pacific Coast General Engineering Hobby Stock Main
Event. Welborn was a Top 5 point competitor last season, but this was
her very first win in the class. To get the win, she had to hold off the
advances of seasoned veteran Les Friend, who settled for second.
Chris Long took the early lead ahead of Aiden Ponciano and Friend. A low
pass in Turn 2 put Friend into second on the second lap. Welborn was up
to fourth, with reigning champion Larry McKinzie Jr, Anthony Vigna and
Ponciano all battling fiercely. Long saw his race come to an abrupt end
when he slowed for a yellow flag on Lap 8. A yellow flag waved on the
first restart attempt for a bumper in Turn 2. On the next attempt,
Friend led McKinzie and Welborn. A yellow flag waved when McKinzie spun
going for the lead in Turn 2 on Lap 10. On the restart, Friend continued
to Welborn, and Jewell Crandall spun from a Top 5 position. A high pass
in Turn 2 of the 13th lap gained Welborn the lead from Friend.
Poinciano was back in third, but Jared Baugh was giving him pressure. A
yellow flag waved for Shelby Asher in Turn 1 on Lap 19. Welborn led
Friend and Crandall on the restart with Baugh also getting around
Ponciano over fourth. Ponciano fell out to end what had been a good run
on Lap 22, and a yellow flag waved. Welborn led Friend and Crandall on
the next restart. As Frend gave Welborn all kinds of pressure, Crandall
had her hands full trying to hold off Baugh and Bobby Gallaher. Baugh
got around on lap 24 with Gallaher following into fourth. As Welborn
scored a crowd-pleasing win ahead of Friend, Gallaher made a high pass
in the final turn to take third from Baugh, who settled for fourth.
Crandall ended up fifth, followed by Angela Brown, Jess Paladino,
McKinzie, James Graessle and Colton Haney. Danny Aves, Friend, McKinzie
and Welborn picked up the eight lap heat race wins.
Racing
resumes this Saturday night with the IMCA Modifieds back in action
along with the IMCA Stock Cars, IMCA Sport Modifieds and Delta Dwarf
Cars. For further information, go to www.antiochspeedway.com.
The Show Goes On At Merced Speedway
Despite Challenging Circumstances
Merced,
CA...There's no getting around the fact that we've gone through
challenging circumstances over the past two years. With the pandemic and
the government's reaction to it, several tracks struggled in 2020 to
promote any races at all. Merced Speedway had carried a tradition of
having a championship season every year since 1950, but no champions
were crowned in 2020. The track did open and had a few good moments that
year.
Restrictions were loosened up a little
bit, and the schedule that had been booked for 2021 was able to proceed.
However, some people were tightening their belts and not going to the
races as often as they might have in the past. Also, the heat in The
Valley makes it challenging to get people to come watch sometimes during
the summer months. The World of Outlaws Sprint Car race was booked to
get things started, but the restrictions were enough to keep the tour
from coming to California in March. However, Promoter Doug Lockwood
booked an appealing schedule with several highlights throughout the
year.
While some tracks are booking every week,
Lockwood has figured out that it's good to have weeks off. This helps
with the car count and makes it easier for the fan base to support more
races. The track continued to feature IMCA Modifieds and IMCA Sport
Modifieds, along with Mini Stocks, California Sharp Mini Late Models and
the Valley Sportsman class. The IMCA Stock Cars had their first
championship season. The track also featured several open wheel nights,
including visits from the Sprint Car Challenge Tour, the Hunt Wingless
Spec Sprint Series and the monumentally successful USAC Nationals Midgets
visit in November.
The track celebrated the
accomplishments of the season with a banquet. The
Top 5 drivers in the core six divisions were honored with the
exception of the Sportsman division, which did the Top 3. Stepping
up to the podium this year to collect the championship hardware were
Jim Pettit II in IMCA Modifieds, Tyler Bannister in IMCA Sport
Modifieds, Renn Bane in IMCA Stock Cars, Rick Elliott in the Sportsman
division, Tyler Post in Mini Stocks and Carson Guthrie in Mini Late
Models. Pettit and Bane also won their respective State championships.
Before
diving into the particular championship battles, it's important to note
the big shows that took place. On the Stock Car side of things, the
track mourned the loss of Jerry Shannon, the father of Late
Model/Modified racer Chris Shannon and grandfather of Modified star DJ
Shannon, with a special season-opening race. This extra money race
featured the IMCA Modifieds and IMCA Sport Modifieds. Not long after
that, the Al Miller Memorial race was moved to Merced Speedway with
$5,000 on the line for the Sport Modified winner and $2,000 to the
Modified winner. The race was held in memory of San Jose Speedway car
owner/racer Al Miller, whose sons Robert Miller and Randy Miller
continue to race.
Heat forced the postponement
of the annual Ed Parker Memorial race, but the extra money affair was
moved back a month and produced another strong turnout. The track also
ran the John Fore Jr/Bob Smith Memorial race and the season ending
George Steitz Memorial, both paying bigger money for the featured
classes. These races helped to serve notice to the racers and fans that
though the track intends to offer big open wheel shows, the Stock Car
racing that the fans have enjoyed for years isn't going anywhere.
The
Sprint Car Challenge Tour didn't get a race in last year, but they were
a welcomed return this year at Merced. The Hunt Series continues to be
the premier effort for Wingless Spec Sprint racing in California, and
they didn't disappoint the Merced crowd when they came to town. USAC
Midgets and Sprint Cars along with the BCRA/CLS Lightning Sprints also
came to Merced. The whole idea was that you were sure to find something
on the schedule to get excited about, regardless of your tastes. Throw
in the Malicious Monster Trucks and Destruction Derby visits, and
the quarter-mile clay oval delivered the excitement.
When it came to big money races for the IMCA classes, Merced did
better than most of the tracks in California. It started back in March
with the Jerry Shannon Memorial. There were 38 IMCA Modifieds, and Cody
Laney outran Ethan Dotson for the $2,500 winner's prize. The 32 IMCA
Sport Modifieds had a $1,000 prize at the end of the evening, and it was
Tyler Bannister holding off Fred Ryland for the win.
It
was not quite a month later when nearly 120 total cars came to compete
in the Al Miller Memorial event. The $5,000 winner's prize was given to
the IMCA Sport Modifieds, and the podium finishers all made out very
well. The 52 IMCA Sport Modifieds on hand was the biggest gathering for
the class for a single event anywhere on the West Coast for the year.
Just earning one of those features starts was a challenge in itself, and
Jason Bannister bagged the big bucks ahead of Ryland and Tommy Fraser.
The 32 IMCA Modifieds battled for a $2,000 first prize, and Kellen
Chadwick got his biggest win of the year on this occasion ahead of
Laney and Dotson. The IMCA Stock Cars received a $1,200 winner's prize,
and Dotson bested a 10-car field to win that ahead of Jeff Streeter. 21
Hobby Stocks competed for $750 to win with Domossie Scoggins outrunning
Bakersfield star Johnny Wood for that win.
The
Ed Parker Memorial race was postponed from it's June date due to
excessive heat and moved to late August. The IMCA Modifieds saw the
$1,028 prize go to Jerry Flippo ahead of Robby Sawyer, while Ryland
grabbed the $1,028 win in the IMCA Sport Modifieds ahead of Tyler
Bannister. The Sport Modifieds had the biggest turnout of 24 cars for
the occasion. $528 went to Dylan Wilson for his win over Scoggins in the
Hobby Stocks, while Nick Johnson outran Stephen Johnson to win the $528
prize in the IMCA Stock Car race. A season-high 16 competitors competed
in that class.
The John Fore Jr/Bob Smith
Memorial race offers bigger prizes on both nights, and the October event
is not for points. Roughly 100 competitors competed across four
divisions with the bigger money on the final night. It was Bobby Hogge
IV capturing the $2,500 IMCA Modified prize by outrunning Dotson.
Meanwhile, Dotson got the win in the IMCA Sport Modified race ahead of
Tyler Bannister, netting him a $1,500 payday. Wilson got the $1,000
prize by outrunning Bakersfield champion Ricky Childress Jr in the
Hobby Stock race, while Stephen Johnson won the $1,000 prize in the IMCA
Stock Car race ahead of Ryland.
The curtain
came down on the season at the end of November with the George Steitz
Memorial, and again a field of roughly 100 competitors came to honor a
legend and compete for bigger prize money. Dotson outran Hogge to win
$2,000 for his IMCA Modified victory. Jason Nation scored the $1,200 win
in the IMCA Sport Modified race, followed by Andrew Peckham. Syd Finn
outran Scoggins for the $750 payday in the Hobby Stock race, while the
$750 win in the IMCA Stock Car feature went to Dotson ahead of Hogge.
For
the second time, Lockwood also promoted the IMCA California Speedweek
Tour. It became an eight-race series this time. Dotson turned in such a
dominant performance for the week that he wrapped up the championship
before the final race. When it came to Merced, he picked up the $1,000
win ahead of Oregon's Collen Winebarger. It was Jason Bannister getting a
$700 win in the IMCA Sport Modifieds ahead of Speedweek champion Jason
Nation. The IMCA Stock Cars got to compete during the first half of the
series. Their final race was at Merced and won by Dotson, who
collected all four wins. This event was not counted towards the track
championship.
Fans got to enjoy various open
wheel classes throughout the season. This included two double-header
shows for the USAC Western States Midgets and USAC West Coast 360 Sprint
Cars. The conditions were a little bit dusty the first time around, but
the racing itself was top notch. Chase Johnson won the Midget portion
ahead of USAC title contender Brody Fuson, while Ryan Bernal outran
Kalib Henry in the 17-car Sprint Car race. A few weeks later, they
returned with BCRA champion Colby Johnson winning ahead of Fuson. Chase
Johnson won the USAC Sprint race ahead of series champion DJ Johnson.
The BCRA Lightning Sprints were there that night with CLS regulars David
Gasper, Dominic Del Monte and Eric Greco grabbing the podium in their
shootout with the BCRA group.
BCRA got a couple
of solo sanctioned Midget races, but USAC star Fuson won the first one
ahead of early season title contender David Prickett. The BCRA/CLS
Lightning Sprint race went to James Turnbull ahead of Bobby Michnowicz,
and the IMCA Western RaceSaver 305 Sprint Car win was recorded by Ryan
DeLisle in front of Michael Pombo. A month later, Prickett won the BCRA
Midget race ahead of Colton Raudman. The BCRA Lightning Sprint victory
went to Scott Kinney ahead of Steve Roza, while IMCA RaceSaver State
champion Kyle Rasmussen won their event in front of Connor Danell.
The
Midgets saved the best for last in November as the Nos Energy Drink
USAC National Midgets delivered a field of over 40 cars for two nights
of exciting racing. The first night didn't even have a yellow flag in
the Main Event as Justin Grant got the impressive win ahead of Tanner
Thorson and Series champion Michael "Buddy" Kofoid. Kofoid bested the
field a night later ahead of championship rival Chris Windom and Grant.
The Winged 360 Sprint Cars supported both nights, and Kyle Larson was
unstoppable. Larson got the first win ahead of Colby Copeland and Chance
Russell, and he won the second occasion ahead of Tanner Carrick and DJ
Netto.
Fans were disappointed in the World of
Outlaw cancellation at the start of the year, but the Sprint Car
Challenge Tour ended July with a visit won by Copeland ahead of series
champion Ryan Robinson and NARC/GSC title winner Dominic Scelzi. The
Hunt Wingless Sprint Car Tour also made a visit in July, won by Series
champion Shawn Jones ahead of Bradley Terrell and Daniel Whitley.
Not
every event on the calendar was a special big show, but regular fans
would know that it's always special when you can enjoy a night of
good racing at Merced Speedway. The IMCA Modified championship saw Cody
Laney take the lead early on. Laney had a win out of five Top 5 efforts,
but he was never intent on running for this championship. Laney's
departure left Ventura champion Trevor Fitzgibbon to battle Pettit.
It
went down until late in the season, but Pettit held on to win by 44
points. Pettit had two wins out of seven Top 5 finishes and 11 Top 10s,
while Fitzgibbon got one win out of three Top 5s and nine Top 10s.
Two-time IMCA Sport Modified champion Rick Diaz ended his rookie season
in third, eight points ahead of Bakersfield stand out Robby Sawyer. Diaz
had four Top 5 finishes and six Top 10s, while Sawyer had a win, six
Top 5s and seven Top 10s. Bakersfield title winner Jerry Flippo
completed the Top 5 with a win out of three Top 5s and four Top 10s.
Making
up the balance of the Top 10 in the standings where Mike Shepherd,
Bobby Hogge IV, Darrell Hughes II, Watsonville title winner Cody Burke
and Matthew Hagio.There were 10 total winners with both Ethan Dotson and
Hogge winning on two occasions. Also visiting the winner's circle were
Kellen Chadwick, Troy Morris III and Paul Stone.
Scheduling
made it possible for drivers competing for other track championships to
battle for the honors at Merced, and Antioch champion Fred Ryland
battled Bakersfield title winner Tyler Bannister for the Sport Modified
honors. This race came down to the wire with little margin of error, but
Bannister prevailed by 11 markers in front of Ryland. The young charger
matched Ryland with one win each, but Bannister had 10 Top 5s and 12
Top 10s. Ryland had 11 Top 10 efforts, all of which were also Top 5
performances. Tyler's father Jason Bannister grabbed two wins out of six
Top 5s and seven Top 10s to nail down third.
Local
standout Chuck Weir was 14 points off of the podium. He had one Top 5
finish out of eight Top 10s to secure fourth in the standings by a comfortable
margin ahead of California Sharp Mini Late Model graduate Riley
Jeppesen, who had four Top 10s. Making up the balance of the Top 10
were Andrew Pearce, Richard Ragsdale, Jason Nation, Mark Squadrito and
Tanner Thomas. As was the case with the Modifieds, there were 10
different winners in this class. both Nation and John Piker had a pair
of wins each, while other wins were recorded by Garrett Jernagan, Jarrod
Mounce, Chase Thomas, Pearce and Ethan Dotson.
History
was made in the Hobby Stock division as Domossie Scoggins engaged in a
thrilling battle with long time competitor Syd Finn for the
championship. This one saw the point lead change hands on multiple
occasions. Both drivers had to be precise when they were on the track.
Scoggins outdid Finn three wins to two and beat him with nine Top 5
efforts to seven. Both drivers had 11 Top 10s. Scoggins won the title by
just two tallies, making this talented competitor the first black man
to win a championship in the storied history of Merced Speedway. The
Shelton family is several generations deep, and it was Race Shelton
doing his family proud with three Top 5s and eight top 10s to grab a
comfortable hold of third in the standings.
Chad
Ragsdale used six Top 10 finishes to beat Allen Neal by just 23 points
for fourth. Neal had three Top five efforts. Two-time winner Derek
Ogden, Gary Hanson, Kristie Shearer, Jeff Lacy and Xavier Baez completed
the Top 10. Bakersfield visitor Dylan Wilson scored five wins in his
seven appearances, and Tim Elias and Ryan Hart each had a win. Long time
racer Elias ended up selling his car to Marysville racer Brian Cooper.
Merced
Speedway was one of two California tracks to add IMCA Stock Car racing
to their schedule with a championship on the line. They had nine events,
and consistent State champion Renn Bane used two Top 5s and seven
Top 10s to beat Austin Van Hoff by 19 tallies for the Merced title. Van
Hoff did win at Antioch as he was trying to compete for the State
championship early on. At Merced, Van Hoff had three Top 5 finishes and
seven Top 10s.
Bakersfield champion Stephen
Johnson had three wins out of six Top 5s and eight top 10s to finish
third by 10 markers ahead of Nick Johnson, who had two wins out of four
Top 5s and six Top 10s. Jeff Streeter ended up fifth with three Top 5
efforts. Ethan Dotson had three wins, while Fred Ryland, Garrett Corn
and Chad Johnson each had one. With his wins, Dotson may have became the
only driver to win in three different classes at Merced Speedway in the
same season.
When the track added the
California Sharp Mini Late Models a few seasons back, it was with the
hope that drivers would move up from the Outlaw Kart circuit to the
bigger track. Already, a few drivers have graduated from this division,
and this season saw 11 different drivers compete throughout the year. It
was a nip and tuck battle between Carson Guthrie and Tyler Tucker for
the championship, but Guthrie prevailed by just six points. Both drivers
had nine Top 5 finishes, and Tucker bested Guthrie five wins to three.
Unfortunately, Tucker's bad luck cost him in the end. Ryder Jeppesen had
a solid season with eight Top 5 finishes to rank third ahead of
Brayden Morton, who had seven Top 5s and DJ Saenz, who at eight Top 10s.
Matt Malcolm was the only other driver to get a win in the division.
The
Mini Stock drivers didn't get as many races as they might have liked,
but they were in action a half-dozen times. The consistent Brian Post
and Shelby Neal matched their totals with four Top 5 finishes and six
Top 10s, and Post prevailed for the championship by just two markers.
Russell Myers ended up third by 27 points ahead of West Coast Sport
Compact star Shawn DePriest. Myers had one Top 5, while DePriest
prevailed in three of his four visits. Leo Lotz was a solid fifth.
Austin Sprague, Matthew Herod and West Coast Sport Compact racer Gene
Glover were the other winners.
It was a short
season for the Vintage Valley Sportsman division, which has been running
for championship points at the track since 1999. However, the four-race
series still counted. Rick Elliott kicked things off by winning the
first race, and that proved to be to his advantage as he won the
tiebreaker with two-time champion Mike Friesen in securing the
championship. Elliott had a pair of Top 5 efforts, while Friesen had
three. Six points behind them was Watsonville Hall of Famer and past
Merced champion Jerry Cecil. Like Jeff West, Cecil had two Top 5
finishes, and he beat West by just eight points for third. Mark Odgers
missed the first race, but the past division champion won a pair of
races to end up fifth in the standings. The division presented
double-digit car counts in three of the four races. They allowed the
Hardtop drivers to come to town, and Joel Hannagan piloted the Junkyard
Dog owned by Doug Braudrick to a very convincing win in their lone
appearance.
Promoter Doug Lockwood and his
team works to make each and every race as good as possible. Whether it's
offering special big money races or the regular events, they strive to
give the fans some top notch racing entertainment. There were many good
memories made this season, and they are looking ahead to the
2022 schedule. You can keep track of those announcements by going to
www.mercedspeedway.net or following the track's Facebook page.
Tri State Pro Stock Challenge Series
Successfully Completes Third Season
Klamath
Falls, Oregon...It's certainly been a tumultuous time for auto racing
over the past few years. Roy Bain picked an interesting time to create
the Tri State Pro Stock Challenge Series. Roy has competed in Pro Stocks
at several Oregon and Northern California venues through the years, and
he's seen a few other things in the sport as he travels up and down the
highways as a truck driver. At first glance, Roy might not have seemed
like the guy to organize the premiere Pro Stock series on the West
Coast, but that's exactly what he's done.
There was one
thing Bain observed in his time supporting the Outlaw Pro Stock
Association's big Billy Geyer Memorial race at Siskiyou Golden
Speedway. This event has attracted drivers from further south, and it
has produced some of the biggest car counts for the class. It was prior
to the 2019 season when Roy got together with Gordon Russell Jr, who was
promoting a special memorial race for his father at Cedarville
Speedway. One thing led to another, and the first season for the Tri
State Pro Stock Series was launched that year.
The
concept behind this series makes so much sense, and yet nobody has even
attempted to do this. Various tracks on the West Coast have divisions
that they call Pro Stocks, Super Stocks or even Limited Late Models. The
rules are not exactly the same, but the cars are close enough in
competitive speed that it begged an important question. What if you were
allowed to compete in big events in the car that you race at your home
track? You simply go to these big Tri State shows in a car legal to your
home track, and you're allowed to compete.
Once
it was decided what tracks had divisions that were competitive with the
other tracks, a schedule was put together. The inaugural season didn't
have as many races, but it had some really good shows. It was a nip and
tuck battle for the championship, but past Petaluma Speedway champion
Mike Learn managed to beat Dave King Jr to win that championship. The
buzz was so positive for the Tri State Pro Stock Series and what it
could bring to your race track that promoters started wanting race
dates.
The visionary among the promoters was
Stockton Dirt Track and 99 Speedway head honcho Tony Noceti. Not only
did he want as many Pro Stock dates as he could get for his dirt track,
he did not flinch when it came to paying a really good purse. The
schedule was set for 2020, and great sponsors such as Jay's Mobile
Welding Service, Winning Attitude Motorsports, Workman Communications
and VIP Medical Concierge got on board. All four continue to support
this series. In fact, Jay's Mobile Welding Service even sponsored the
point fund for the 2020 season. There was just one problem.
The
pandemic that swept across the country left some tracks closed and in a
holding pattern. First, they wondered if they could even open for
racing, and then they had to figure out a game plan to open without fans
being allowed in the grandstands. This also meant promoters were
changing schedules on the fly to assure the best car count possible, and
Bain became a popular man. He was making deals for the group, and they
managed to hold over a dozen races in 2020 with some strong car count
support. Because of the nature of the year, it was decided to suspend
point racing and return this year.
As things
opened up more this year, the Tri State Pro Stock Challenge Series was
able to negotiate an 18 Race season, 15 of which were considered point
races. Because drivers are traveling greater distances to support the
show, it was further allowed that each competitor could throw away two
races. If they had two bad nights, they could wipe them from the record,
or they could forgo making the trip entirely in order to save money and
prepare for the next race. It led to what was an exciting season from
start to finish, and the championship was in doubt all the way to the
end.
The series visited nine different tracks
during the season, and nine drivers took their turns in the Winner's
Circle. They never competed for less than $1,000 to win, and there were
some increased rewards at certain events. The Pro Stocks headlined the
Billy Geyer Memorial race in Yreka, the Rocky Nash Memorial in Medford,
the Tom Tilford Tribute in Placerville and the opening night of the Gary
Patterson Tribute in Stockton. They also took part in the Adobe Cup
with the Bob McCoy Memorial at Petaluma and were part of the annual Bud
Nationals at Bakersfield. With Cedarville still unable to open, they
kept the Gordon Russell Sr Memorial alive for one of their four visits
to Susanville.
The battle for the championship
was between Sprint Car veteran Richard Brace Jr, Western Pro Stock
Series champion Justin Crockett and car owner Lyle Hopper, who put some
of the best drivers he could find behind the wheel of his car. In the
Hopper's case, the car competed for championship points. Brace and
Crockett elected to skip two races for their throwaway totals, and that
meant that the Patterson Tribute season finale at Stockton featured a
championship that was very much up for grabs.
When
it came to winning, Crockett and Brace were both hard to beat. Both
drivers notched four wins. Brace got off to a strong start with three of
his wins in the first four races, while Crockett picked up wins in the
final two races of the season. After winning the Patterson, Crockett was
able to beat Brace by just 15 points to become the second champion of
the series. Crockett was a model of consistency with 11 podium finishes,
while Brace made it to the podium on six occasions. This duo gave the
fans one heck of a show anytime they were on the track.
The
Hopper name has been at the forefront of Late Model racing for several
years. Lyle Hopper runs Winning Attitude Motorsports, which distributes
parts to the competitors. When the Late Models were having their run
under the NASCAR banner in the Bay Area in the late 1980s and early
1990s, drivers like Ken Haskell were getting Lyle's car to the front of
the pack. Another driver who goes back to the days of Ken Haskell, past
San Jose champion Robert Miller, drove the Hopper car to a win in
addition to another podium finish.
In fact, seven different drivers got
podium finishes for Hopper. Watsonville Sport Modified champion Randy
Miller had a pair of seconds, while Royce Goetz, Fred Lind, Jim Pettit
II, Walter Ball and Dr Scott Lenz also had a podium finish each. When
the points were tabulated, Hopper ended up third in the final point
rundown, beating the steady Matt Kile by just 25 points. Kile never made
it to the podium, but he did get a pair of Top 5 finishes early in the
season and was a strong supporter of the series.
Chris
Smith ended up fifth in the standings in another close battle. He beat
Brent Lawrence by six points and outran his son Ryan Smith by just 19.
Bill Hall III was just 22 points out of fifth. Of those drivers, Chris
Smith was the only competitor to make it to the Winners Circle on one
occasion. On that night in Susanville, Chris Smith outran his son to get
the glory. Jay Sears ended up third on that occasion.
Sears
is shown as the top point earner in the four visits to Susanville. He
got a win there and also scored the triumph in the Bob McCoy Memorial
race at Petaluma in September. The record will show that Nevada racer
Sears ended up ninth in the standings as Enduro specialist Rich Denman
finished 10th in the Manny Avila car.
Getting a
win on the tour meant that you accomplished something special.
Susanville Promoter Jeff Olschowka didn't compete in every race as he
had other responsibilities. However, he scored three wins during the
season. Fred Ryland drove Antioch champion Jim Freethy's car to the win
on New Year's at Stockton, and Dave King Jr returned to get a win on the
first night of the Bud Nationals at Bakersfield in October.
It
was always a special occasion if you were able to win on the tour, but
notable wins went to Olschowka in the Billy Geyer Memorial race at
Yreka, Crockett in the Gordon Russell Sr Memorial at Susanville and
Klamath Falls star Steve Borror in the first running of the Rocky Nash
Memorial in Medford. If you couldn't get a win, reaching the podium was
almost as good. Denman managed a second in Hanford back in March.
Multi-time Antioch champion Kimo Oreta finished second at the first
Petaluma show. Previous champion Mike Learn returned to action to finish
second in the Bob McCoy race at Petaluma in September, and Tim Randolph
finished second on the final night of the Bud Nationals in Bakersfield
behind Crockett. Perris Auto Speedway racer Billy Griffin, Jeffrey
Hudson, Late Model veteran Jerry Stewart, past Petaluma champion Matt
While and Jim Pettit II each had a third place finish.
In
a time when people are asking for the old Late Model style of racing
but that division is struggling to stay afloat, the Tri State Pro Stock
Challenge Series offers the perfect solution. The schedule is booked
with care in order to provide each track the best possible car count
that they can give them. In three years, this series has grown by leaps and
bounds, and other racers, tracks and sponsors are looking into getting
involved. Drivers who were parked because they didn't have any place to
race now have a very good option.
Bain is hard
at work this off season as he is putting together what is sure to be
another great schedule. The purses will be top-notch, and there's even
word of some new tracks getting race dates this year. It takes a team to
make it all happen. In addition to Jay's Mobile Welding Service,
Winning Attitude Motorsports, Workman Communications and VIP Medical
Concierge sponsoring the group, people like Mike Learn and Jay Learn
work behind the scenes to take some of the pressure off of Bain. Good
things are in store for the future, and you can keep up with those
announcements via the Tri State Pro Stock challenge Facebook
page.
Forsberg, Youngman, Cooper
Open Championship Season At Marysville
Marysville,
CA..March 12...A week after winning the Sherm Toler Memorial race, Andy
Forsberg won the 25 lap Winged 360 Sprint Car championship season
opener Saturday night at Marysville Raceway.
The
race was run in rapid fashion with no yellow flag slowdowns, and
Forsberg led every lap from the pole. Reigning champion Billy Wallace
was an early second ahead of young charger Dylan Bloomfield. Bloomfield
slipped past Wallace for second on Lap 11. Jake Haulot was an early
fourth before surrendering the position to Casey Schmitz on the 15th
circuit. Schmitz began to make a move on Wallace for third before making
the pass on Lap 23. Forsberg went on to beat Bloomfield by a
straightaway. Schmitz was a solid third, followed by Wallace, Justyn
Cox, Jodie Robinson, John Clark, Haulot, Kevin Lovell and Korey Lovell.
The 24 competitors ran four eight races with wins going to Forsberg, Cox, Bloomfield and Kevin Lovell.
Reigning
champion Brett Youngman won the 20 lap Winged Crate Sprint Main Event.
The race had three early yellow flags before going the final 16 laps
uninterrupted. Youngman started on the pole and bolted into the early
lead ahead of Kelly Hicks. On the fourth lap, Mike Ballantine spun in
Turn 4 for a yellow flag. A crash on the first restart attempt saw Misty
Castleberry tangle with Chase Madden. The next restart attempt saw Jack
McDonald spin. The race would go uninterrupted from that point on with
Youngman leading at the green flag ahead of Britton Bock and Jason
Ballantine. Ballantine put the moves on Bock for second on Lap 7.
Youngman held off the pressure of Jason Ballantine to get the win with
Bock settling for third ahead of Mike Hall, Nevada racer Jeff Macedo,
Jacob Johnson, Cameron Haney Jr, Hicks, Mike Ballantine and Tyler
George. The three eight lap heat race wins went to Matthew Kaiser, Jason
Ballantine and Bock.
Brian Cooper closed the
evening's festivities with the 20 lap Hobby Stock Main Event triumph.
David Cooper had the early lead ahead of Brian Cooper and Zach Lindgren.
The race had to be restarted for Preston Hughes, who retired at that
point. A Lap 5 yellow flag flew for Toby Merrifield in Turn 2, and Dave
Cooper had problems on Lap 7 as Brian Cooper got the lead ahead of
Lindgren and Kyle Cheney. Brian Cooper continued to lead Lindgren and
Cheney on the restart. Unfortunately, a red flag waved on Lap 18 for a
fire in the Willie Horn Jr car. Lindgren retired as Brian Cooper led
Howard Law and Cheney on the restart. Law kept it close, but Brian
Cooper scored the well earned victory. Cheney was third, followed by Joe
Gillock, Maurice Merrill, David Cooper, Trevor Deadmond, Jacob Bright,
David Allen and Jim Brookshire.
There were 28
Hobby Stocks, and the four eight lap heat race wins went to Brian
Cooper, David Cooper, Cheney and Lindgren. They also ran a 12 lap B
Main, won by Orland Raceway champion Keith Ross. Ross started on the
pole and led every lap in victory. Niles Streever was an early second
before being passed by Ken Reische on Lap 3. Reische had problems on lap
seven with Streever briefly gaining second. However, Mario Davis ended
up in the runner-up spot on Lap 9 and chased Ross to the finish. Kevin
Thomas ended up third ahead of Reische and Streever.
Keep up to date with scheduling information and other news by going to www.marysvilleraceway.com.
Forsberg Wins Sherm And Loree Toller Memorial
At Marysville Raceway
Marysville,
CA...February 26...Highly decorated Sprint Car champion Andy Forsberg
scored the victory in the 25 lap Winged 360 Sprint Car Main Event
Saturday night at Marysville Raceway. This was the annual Sherm and
Loree Toller Memorial event, paying tribute to the two longtime
Marysville and Grass Valley racing officials.
Tanner
Carrick had the pole and charged into the early lead ahead of Colby
Wiesz and Forsberg. Forsberg started pressuring Wiesz for second before
making the pass on Lap 6, and a Lap 10 yellow flag waved for Steel
Powell in Turn 3. Tanner Carrick continued to lead Forsberg and Wiesz on
the restart with a yellow flag waving once again on Lap 13 for Jimmy
Steward. On the restart, Blake Carrick stalled in Turn 2 to force
another restart attempt, and that attempt saw another yellow flag wave
for Cody Spencer in Turn 2. Tanner Carrick continued to lead Forsberg
and Wiesz on the restart. Forsberg made the move around Tanner Carrick
for the lead on Lap 15 with a yellow flag waving moments later for Wyatt
Brown in Turn 3. The final 10 laps went all green. Forsberg led Tanner
Carrick on the restart as Brad Bumgarner settled in the third. However,
Tanner Carrick regained first on Lap 18. The tenacious Forsberg stayed
with him and made a thrilling last lap pass to grab the glory. Tanner
Carrick settled for second ahead of Bumgarner, Wiesz, reigning champion
Billy Wallace, Carson Hall, Steven Ingraham, John Clark, Korey Lovell
and Jeremy Wilson.
A full field of 24
competitors qualified on the quarter-mile clay oval, and Ingraham
surprised with the fast time of 12.310, beating the 12.352 of Tanner
Carrick and the 12.399 of Spencer. They ran four eight lap heat races
with wins going to Blake Carrick, Wiesz, Forsberg and Carson Hammes.
They elected to skip the B Main as 23 drivers survived to start the
feature.
Mike Hall won the 22 lap Winged Crate
Sprint Main Event. Hall jumped into the lead ahead of fellow front row
starter Jason Ballantine and Misty Castleberry. Britton Bock slipped
past Castleberry for for third on Lap 4. Bock set his sites on
Ballantine and made the movie for second on Lap 9. Bock briefly took the
lead from Hall on Lap 10 with Hall regaining command a lap later. A Lap
15 yellow flag waved for Chase Madden in Turn 1. Hall continued to lead
Bock and Jason Ballantine on the restart. A final yellow flag waved on
Lap 21 for Kelly Hicks on the front straightaway. Hall went on to lead
the final lap for the win with Jason Ballantine executing a last lap
maneuver to take second away from Bock. Bock settled for third, followed
by Castleberry, reigning champion Brett Youngman, David Sims, Mike
Ballantine, Hicks, Madden and Kirk Miner. They had 14 competitors, and
the two eight lap heat race wins went to Youngman and Castleberry.
Brent
Steck beat a six car field for the 20 lap Wingless Spec Sprint Main
Event win. Petaluma racer Mark Hanson had the pole and took the early
need ahead of Hunt Series regular Josh Young and Steck. Steck slipped
past Young for second on Lap 4 with Nathan Schank settling into third a
lap later. Schank took second from Steck on Lap 12. A wild final lap saw
Hanson have problems as Steck made a move around Schank that resulted
in victory. Young also got by Schank for second with Schank settling for
third ahead of a disappointed Hanson, James East and Orland racer Cort
Marchuk. The eight lap heat race went to Hanson.
Keep up to date with the latest happenings at the track by going to www.marysvilleraceway.com.
Shelby Doubles Up At Stockton Dirt Track
Hogge, Learn, Baldwin, Winter Other Winners
Stockton,
CA...February 6...Philip Shelby picked up the wins in both the Dirt
Modified and Sport Modified Main Events Saturday night at the Stockton
Dirt Track. Shelby has won championships in Stock Cars and IMCA Sport
Modifieds at Marysville Raceway.
In the 25 lap
Dirt Modified Main Event, Bobby Hogge IV and Ryan McDaniel shared the
front row, and Hogge bolted into the early lead ahead of McDaniel and
Jeffrey Faulkner. McDaniel saw his race come to an end on Lap 5, and
Faulkner took the lead ahead of Shelby on Lap 7 after Hogge's race
ended. A yellow flag waved on Lap 12, and Shelby took the lead from
Faulkner on the restart. Josh Combs took third from Buddy Kniss on Lap
16. Shelby went on to victory ahead of Faulkner, Combs, Kniss, Jim
Weiler, Danny Malfatti, Terry DeCarlo, Michelle Paul, Hogge and
McDaniel. Hogge and Kniss won the eight lap heat races.
In
the 20 lap Sport Modified Main Event, Shelby had the pole and took the
early lead ahead of past Merced and Antioch champion Jeremy Hoff and
Andrew Pearce. Pearce took second from Hoff on Lap 2 and put the moves
on Shelby for the lead on the 11th circuit. Hoff surrendered third to
Ryan Smith on Lap 9, and Shelby regained the lead from Pearce on Lap 15.
Shelby went on to win with Pearce a strong second, followed by Smith,
Hoff, Chris Sieweke, Jarrod Mounce, Matthew Hagio, Emali Van Hoff, Mark
Squadrito and Jeremy Phillips. Smith and Shelby picked up the eight lap
heat race wins.
Bobby Hogge IV won the 20 lap
Super Late Model Main Event. Paul Gugliemoni started on the pole and led
a lap before being passed by Anthony Slaney. Hogge moved into second on
the third circuit and gained the lead from Slaney a lap later. Slaney
had problems on the fifth lap with Ron Oliver moving into second, and
Jim Pettit II gained third on Lap 8. Pettit slipped past Oliver for
second on Lap 16. However, Hogge had a commanding lead that he brought
to the victory. Pettit settled for second ahead of Oliver, Coos Bay
Speedway champion Brody Montgomery, Richard Vander Ploeg, Slaney,
Gugliemoni, David Newquist and Clay Daily. Eight lap heat race wins went
to Slaney and Hogge.
2019 Tri State Pro Stock
Challenge Series champion Mike Learn won the 15 lap Pro Stock Main
Event. Donny Richardson had the pole and led three laps before Learn
took over. Richardson saw his race come to an unfortunate end on the
fifth lap with Mike Walko briefly gaining second before surrendering the
position to Joey Ridgeway on Lap 7. Learn went on to win with Ridgeway
not too far behind in second, followed by Walko, past Orland champion
Phil Spencer, Ray Trimble, David Spindel, Richardson and Brent Lawrence.
Learn also won the eight lap heat race .
Ryan
Winter won the 20 lap NorCal Dwarf Car Main Event. Ben Wiesz started on
the pole and led three laps before Winter went racing by. Corey Eaton
fell out of third on lap 5 with Michael "Spanky" Grenert getting the
position. Winter went on to win with Wiesz and Grenert in close pursuit.
Shawn Whitney settled for fourth, followed by Dylan Shrum, Mike Reeder,
Dan Geil, Mark Biscardi, Fred Dickey and Jace Badeker. Eaton, Winter
and Whitney were the eight lap heat race winners.
Multi
time Placerville Speedway Pure Stock champion Nick Baldwin won the 20
lap Hobby Stock Main Event. Baldwin took the lead from Orland champion
Keith Ross on the sixth lap with Ross retiring on Lap 7. Enduro
specialist Rich Denman and Scott Rogers battled for second with Denman
gaining the position as Baldwin won ahead of Denman, Rogers, Troy Tatum,
Jim Brookshire, Brandon Carpenter, Clarence Holbrook, Kevin Lesch,
Craig Tatum and Ross. The eight lap heat race wins went to Baldwin and
Denman.
Keep up with the latest happenings at the track by going to www.stocktondirtrack.com.
Macedo, Golobic, Johnson, Wolford Win Dave Helm Memorial Races At Keller Auto Speedway
Hanford,
CA...February 26...Carson Macedo won the 30 lap King of Thunder Winged
410 Sprint Car Main Event Saturday night at Keller Auto Speedway. This
was the annual Dave Helm Memorial race, held an honor of the long time
car owner.
Macedo lined up on the pole position
and bolted into the immediate lead ahead of Kerry Madsen. The duo went
on to score a 1-2 finish at the checkered flag. Shane Golobic also held
on to his third position from start to finish, followed by Justin
Sanders, Dominic Scelzi, Mitchell Faccinto, Austin McCarl, Kaleb
Montgomery, Brody Roa and Joel Myers Jr.
Mitchell
Faccinto set the fast time of 12.923, beating the 13.066 of Sanders and
the 13.193 of Kaleb Montgomery. The seven lap heat race wins went to
Golobic and Sanders, who also claimed four lap Trophy Dash. There were
14 competitors for the occasion.
Shane Golobic
scored the victory in the 30 lap King of Thunder Winged 360 Sprint Car
Main Event. Golobic would lead the final 10 circuits in victory. Chase
Majdic set the early pace ahead of Dominic Scelzi. They ran that way
until Scelzi slipped past Majdic to grab the lead on Lap 15. Golobic the
moves on Majdic for second on Lap 16. He stalked Scelzi for a few laps
before making his winning maneuver. Golobic got the win ahead of Scelzi,
Majdic, Grant Duinkerken, Craig Stidham, Ryan Rocha, Max Mitttry,
Tucker Worth, Brendan Warmerdam and Michael Pombo.
There
were 21 competitors, and Warmerdam set the fast time of 13.646, beating
the 13.672 of Caeden Steele. The seven lap heat race wins went to
Majdic, Scelzi and Rocha with Rocha claiming four lap Trophy Dash
honors.
Cody Johnson won the 20 lap IMCA Stock
Car Main Event. Johnson took advantage of his pole position start to
lead the entire distance for the win. Garrett Corn trailed Brock
Hamilton for five laps before taking over second. Nick Johnson followed
Corn into third and raced by Corn for second on the sixth lap. Nick
Johnson held that position until Corn regained it for good on Lap 17.
Cody Johnson had serious pressure from Corn in the end, but he prevailed
at the checkered flag. Nick Johnson ended up third, followed by Steven
Johnson, Matt McEwen, Larry Thompson, Hamilton, reigning State champion
Renn Bane, Rob Gallaher and Joshua Nichols. Gallahar and Thompson picked
up the six lap heat race wins.
David Wolford
Jr won the 20 lap West Coast Sport Compact Main Event. Wolford took full
advantage of his pole position start to lead the entire distance.
Two-time reigning series champagne Greg Baronian ran third for a lap
before moving into second. However, he was still quite a ways behind
Wolford by the time the checkered flag waved. Nick Thompson was second
before being overtaken by Baronian. Thompson ran third the rest of the
way to finish there. Jason Cook settled into fourth early on and held
the position until Lap 17, when Gene Glover went racing by. Glover ended
up fourth at the checkered flag, followed by Shawn DePriest, Cook,
Edward Marvin, Todd Minchew, Helder Santos and Eddie Humphrey III. Heat
race wins went to Thompson and Wolford.
Keep up the date with the latest happenings of the track by going to www.racekingspeedway.com.
Dotson Dominates Opening Night
Of Jerm "The Worm" Smith Memorial At KCRP
Bakersfield,
CA...December 3...Ethan Dotson won the 30 lap Dirt Modified Main Event
Friday night at the Kern County Raceway Dirt Track. Earlier in the
evening, Dotson also picked up the win in the 25 lap Sport Modified
feature race. With the Modified win worth $2,000 and the Sport Modified
triumph worthy of a $1,200 payday, Dotson bagged $3,200 for his efforts.
Bakersfield
champion Jerry Flippo took the early lead in the Modified Main Event
ahead of Danny Lauer and Dotson. Dotson slipped past Lauer for second on
Lap 2. A close battle developed between Flippo and Dotson with Dotson
getting by for the lead on Lap 11. A yellow flag waved moments later for
a tangle that involved Gavyn Manning, Rob Sanders and Mike Shepherd.
All drivers restarted in the back, and Dotson led Flippo and Troy Morris
III on the restart. Bobby Hogge IV had moved into contention and took
third from Morris on Lap 13. Hogge charged past Flippo for second as
Cody Laney followed him into third. Laney got by Hogge for second on Lap
17, and Hogge surrendered third to Flippo on Lap 21. A yellow flag
waved on Lap 23 for Jake Pike and Morris. Dotson led Lauer and Flippo on
the restart, and Hogge saw his Top 5 run end for a Lap 25 yellow flag.
Again, Dotson led Lauer and Flippo on the restart, and they would finish
in that order. Dalton Houghton ended up fourth, followed by Manning,
Lauer, Robby Sawyer, Rick Diaz, Sanders and Donald Houghton.
They
had 28 drivers for the Dirt Modified portion of the show, and the eight
lap heat race wins went to Brad Pounds, Morris, Dotson and Hogge.
Dalton Houghton won the 10 lap B Main. Cody Barnett set the early pace
ahead of Shepherd and Dalton Houghton. A yellow flag waved for Barnett
on Lap 4. Dalton Houghton and Jake Pike raced into first and second on
the restart, and a yellow flag waved on Lap 7. Dalton Houghton led Jake
Pike and Sawyer on the restart, and they would finish in that order with
Rob Sanders and Shepherd completing the Top 5.
Dotson
started on the outside front row for the Sport Modified Main Event and
bolted into the immediate lead ahead of Garrett Jernagan and Antioch
Speedway champion Fred Ryland. Mike Dean ran fourth early on before
surrendering the position to Bakersfield Speedway champion Tyler
Bannister on the third lap. Tyler Bannister brought out a Lap 4 yellow
flag, and Dotson continued to lead Jernagan and Ryland on the restart.
Ryland slipped past Jernagan for second on Lap 6, and Troy Morris III
started challenging Jernagan for third. A Lap 9 yellow flag waved for
Matt Mayo. Dotson continued to lead Ryland and Jernagan on the restart,
but a yellow flag waved for Adam Baker a lap later. Dotson continued to
show the way ahead of Ryland and Jernagan on the restart, but Mayo and
Elton Schafer tangled for a yellow flag a lap later. As Dotson led
Ryland on the restart, John Piker settled into third. Jernagan regained
the third position on Lap 19, and a yellow flag waved a lap later with
Morris out of the race at that point. Dotson led Ryland and Jernagan on
the restart, but Jernagan's run up front ended for a Lap 22 yellow flag.
Again, Dotson led Ryland on the restart, and the two drove on to the
1-2 finish. Brian Baker had settled into the third on the last restart
and finished there, followed by John Piker, Dylan Potter, Tyler
Bannister, Billy Simkins, Jason Bannister, Jon McKinley and Dean.
27
drivers came to compete, and the eight lap heat race wins went to Matt
Wankum, Tyler Bannister, Dotson and Jernagan. Adam Baker won the 10 lap B
Main ahead of Jason Bannister, Tyler Blankenship, Jim Reed and Cody
Hampl.
Ricky Childress Jr won the 25 lap Hobby
Stock Main Event. Childress won the Bakersfield Speedway championship
this year, and he turned in a dominant performance in winning this race.
He started on the pole and led when the green flag waved, followed by
Justin Tuey and Nick Johnson. Johnson put the moves on Tuey for second
on Lap 3 with Don Mead settling into third two laps later. However, Mead
had problems and fell back with Brock Crawford moving into third on Lap
6. A Lap 11 yellow flag waved, and Childress continued to lead Nick
Johnson and Crawford on the restart. It was smooth sailing the rest of
the way for Childress as he won with Nick Johnson not too far behind
him. Crawford was about a straightaway behind the lead duo in third,
followed by Stephen Johnson, Mead, Tuey, Marcus Wankum, Nick Coffman,
Colby Ward and Kevin Irwin. They ran a pair of six lap heat races with
the wins going to Mead and Nick Johnson.
Cody
Johnson won the 20 lap American Stock Main Event. When the green flag
waved, he charged into the lead over Bakersfield Speedway champion Kody
Sly and Mason Conway. JR Daves settled into third on Lap 2 with Dakota
Brown following into fourth. Brown slipped past Daves for third on Lap 4
before a yellow flag waved as Brock Crawford saw his race come to an
end. Johnson continued to lead Sly and Brown on the restart. The lead
trio ran closely with Brown taking second from Sly on Lap 11. A yellow
flag waved moments later for Clay Walters. Johnson continued to lead
Brown and Sly on the restart. The close battle up front continued. A
tangle between Daryl Mealer and Sly brought out a Lap 19 yellow flag.
Cody Johnson led Brown and Mason Conway on the restart, and they
finished in that order with Daves finishing fourth, followed by Walters,
Tyler Weeks, Mealer, Sly and Brock Crawford. Danny Smith was a Main
Event scratch. Sly and Cody Johnson won the six lap heat races.
Gene
Glover won the 20 lap West Coast Sport Compact Main Event. This was a
non-point affair for the WCSC ahead of Saturday's $3,000 to win season
championship finale. It was also the second win on the circuit for
Glover.
When the green flag waved, Glover
bolted ahead of David Wolford and Joe Rogers Jr. Destiny Wolford was
eliminated on a Lap 1 yellow flag, and Glover continued to lead David
Wolford and Rogers on the restart. Championship contender Dan Myrick
began challenging Rogers for the third position before getting by on Lap
10. Though David Wolford kept it close, Glover stayed smooth down the
stretch and scored a well-earned victory. Myrick was about as
straightaway behind the duo in third, followed by Rogers, Nick Thompson,
Eddie Humphrey III, Jason Cook Sr, Jason Cook Jr, Bakersfield Speedway
champion Brandon Wolford and Cory Mata. David Wolford and Glover won the
six lap heat races.
To keep up with the news from the track, go to www.kernraceway.com.
Dotson Dominates Second Night Of
Jerm "The Worm" Smith Memorial At KCRP
Bakersfield,
CA...December 4...Ethan Dotson wrapped up a stellar weekend by winning
the 25 lap Dirt Modified Main Event Saturday night at the Kern County
Raceway Dirt Track. This was the final night of the Jerm "The Worm"
Smith Memorial, and Dotson collected $3,000 for his impressive win. Fog
began to set in during this race, prompting officials to throw a red
flag on Lap 25 of the scheduled 40 lap event and end the evening early.
Dotson also picked up the $2,000 victory in the Sport Modified race
earlier in the night.
Robby Sawyer jumped into
the early lead over Mike Shepard and Rob Sanders. Sanders slipped past
Shepherd for second on Lap 2 with Dotson claiming third a lap later.
Dotson got around to Sanders for second on Lap 4 before a yellow flag
waved for Jake Pike, Andy Obertello and Gavyn Manning on Lap 5. Sawyer
continued to lead Dotson and Cody Laney when the race resumed. Both
Dotson and Laney put the moves on Sawyer for first and second on Lap 7,
and Sanders gained a third on Lap 9 before a yellow flag waved. Dotson
led Laney and Sanders on the restart, but a yellow flag waved a lap
later as Justin Gonzalez saw his race come to an end. Dotson maintained
his lead on the restart ahead of the Laney and Bakersfield champion
Jerry Flippo. The longest green flag period of the race ensued as Dotson
and Laney left the pack far behind. A lap 25 yellow flag waved for
Laney. Heavy fog had set in by then, and visibility was becoming a
problem. The race was ended at that point with Dotson the winner ahead
of Flippo, Sawyer, Ventura champion Trevor Fitzgibbon, Troy Morris III,
Sanders, Bobby Hogge IV, Brad Pounds, Larry Wise and Danny Lauer.
Another
solid turnout of 28 competitors were on hand, and the eight lap heat
race winners were Dotson, Laney, Morris and Pounds. The Top 4 finishers
in each heat race made the show along with the Top 6 finishers from the
10 lap B Main. Pike got the win in that race. Ventura regular Dalton
Houghton took the early lead ahead of Pike and Corey McDonald. Houghton
had problems on Lap 5 as Pike moved into the lead ahead of McDonald and
Steve Pemberton. Manning made a big move around Pemberton and McDonald
on the last lap. Pemberton also got past McDonald, and Pike won ahead of
Manning, Pemberton, McDonald and Cody Barnett.
All
24 drivers started the 35 lap Sport Modified feature, and Dotson led
from the start ahead of Jason Bannister and John Piker. Dotson
immediately started to build a big lead as Bannister and Piker battled
closely for second. A Lap 9 yellow flag waved with Jim Reed out of the
action. Dotson continued to lead Jason Bannister and Antioch champion
Fred Ryland. Ryland got by Bannister for second with Troy Morris III
following him into the third position on Lap 12. Garrett Jernagan found
his way into fourth, and a Lap 17 yellow flag bunched the field and
ended the race for Matt Mayo. Dotson led Ryland and Morris on the
restart, but Morris got around Ryland for second on Lap 19. Jernagan
settled into third on Lap 24 with a Lap 28 yellow flag waving. Dotson
led Jernagan and Morris on the restart. The race had two yellow flags in
the final five circuits, but Dotson won ahead of Jernagan. Morris
surrendered third to Tyler Blankenship on a Lap 33 restart and would
settle for fourth, followed by Ryland, Piker, Billy Simkins, Michael
Black, Tim Randolph and Adam Baker. The eight lap heat race wins went to
Ryland, Blankenship, Dylan Potter and Dotson.
Dakota
Brown scored the $300 win in the 25 lap American Stock Main Event.
Brown jumped into the early lead ahead of Friday night winner Cody
Johnson and James Williams. Williams and Bakersfield champion Kody Sly
moved into second and third on Lap 2 with Sport Modified star Nick
Spainhoward running fourth. Spainhoward slipped past Williams for third
on Lap 7 with Johnson following him into fourth. The battle between
Brown and Sly for the lead was close, but a Lap 10 yellow flag signaled
the end of the race for Johnson. Brown led the restart. They ran that
way through two yellow flags, but a Lap 18 yellow flag ended the second
place run of Sly. Brown led Spainhoward and Williams on the restart, and
they would finish in that order with Sunnie Simkins fourth, followed by
Mason Conway, JR Daves, Tyler Weeks, Jesse Bowles, Clay Walters and
Sly. They ran a pair of eight lap heat races with Brown and Williams
getting the wins.
Brock Crawford picked up the
$400 win in the 25 lap Hobby Stock Main Event. Bakersfield champion
Ricky Childress Jr took the early lead ahead of Crawford and Don Mead. A
Lap 5 yellow flag slowed the pace, and Crawford continued to lead
Childress and Mead on the restart. Childress slipped past Crawford for
the lead on Lap 7 at the same time that Kevin Irwin got by Mead for
third, and a Lap 9 yellow flag waved. Childress led Crawford and Irwin
on the restart. Crawford began pressuring Childress and took the lead on
Lap 15. Childress saw his race come to an unfortunate end for a Lap 16
yellow flag. Crawford led Irwin and Mead on the restart, and they would
finish in that order. Nick Johnson finished fourth, followed by Steven
Johnson, Marcus Wankum, Justin Tuey, Nick Coffman, Colby Ward and
Childress. The eight lap heat race wins went to Mead and Nick Johnson.
The
West Coast Sport Compats were set to run their Main Event last on the
evening, and this was to serve as their season finale with $3,000 on the
line to the feature winner. Unfortunately and for the second time in
three races, fog kept this race from happening. The heat race points did
count, and Shawn DePriest gained some points with his second place
finish to Gene Glover in their eight lapper. However, Greg Baronian had
enough points to win his second series championship after finishing
second to David Wolford in their heat race. The other heat race saw Ryan
Doglione outrun Joe Rogers Jr for the win. There were 21 Mini Stocks
for their season finale.
Keep up to date with what's happening at the track at www.kernraceway.com.
The Editor's Viewpoint
By
All Rights, you shouldn't be reading this. I made a conscious decision
at the end of last year that I was done with my modern media effort in
racing. I was going to focus primarily on nostalgia and my books. In
fact, I was getting ready to make a deeply personal announcement about
myself that I'm sure might bother a few people, but racing was done for
me. I couldn't even muster the energy to edit what I had written in
December.
To be honest with you, I was amazed
that I made it into December before I finally stopped. The one person
you can thank for what you read on the blog last year was Michael Burch.
Because I was getting no financial support, all the hours and hours of
work I was putting into it were starting to take a toll on me. I was
also tossed out into my trailer during the year and struggled to have an
internet connection and all of that. It also messed with my head a
little bit more, so last year was pretty difficult. Michael supporting
me the way he did is why I kept going as long as I did. Every point
season we've attempted to cover has been done to conclusion.
What's
interesting is the timing of everything. It's pretty much the same day
that I came out to Antioch Speedway in 2015. I barely could afford bus
money to watch things from outside the fence and was desperate to try to
save my home. A year later to the date, I was leaving California in
defeat and depression to do what I did at Southern Oregon Speedway. It
was the only way I could keep a roof over my head, so I buried myself
into my work, which is what I've always done with racing. There is no
me, only racing. I want that to stop.
Before I
go any further, I feel it necessary to say that I am eternally grateful
to Mike McCann and Evonne Decker. They took me into their home and
treated me like family. I love Mike and Yvonne like they are family. By
the time I left, it wasn't easy in the sense that Mike and I pretty much
talked every day. He was pretty much my best friend in Oregon as I
didn't really make friends there. I lived like a visitor for six years,
but Mike and Evonne made me feel like I was at home.
The
working environment could be very frustrating for me at Southern Oregon
Speedway. I didn't get the budget for all of the tools I needed, so I
either improvised, made do with what I had or it didn't get done. Not
getting done wasn't an option. When I saw things that needed to be done
behind the scenes, I jumped in. We worked hard to improve the program in
each of the four years we were there. Despite what some of the critics
want to say, I think we did pretty darn good and I'm very proud of what
we accomplished there. It didn't end the way I wanted it to, but I did
everything I could do. I also don't blame Mike for deciding to call it a
career. He has nothing left to prove either.
I
was sitting in my trailer, freezing my ass off and minding my own
business when Larry Adams decided to contact me. He had a solution to a
problem the track was having. Things were getting broken into, and they
needed somebody to keep an eye on things. I had the trailer to bring
down here, so all I had to do was negotiate a deal with Tina Chadwick.
I
have to tell you, I was done. I'm not making that up, I was done. I was
more done than I was in 2003, and I was at peace with it. I didn't know
what was next, but I knew writing another racing article during another
new racing season was not part of it.
Larry
made it sound like he could get me down here if I made the deal with
Tina, so I figured why not. Tina floored me with a comment that was made
by somebody about me and the fact that I am different. I'll just say
it, I'm transgender. A few people know that, most don't. I've struggled with it for years. It doesn't
change who I am as a person. I'm awake, but not woke, and that will
serve as my political statement. I just happen to be somebody who feels I
was born in the wrong body, and I've used racing to suppress that. I
got very good at doing what I did in racing because it was my my main
focus to the detriment of other aspects of my life.
I
don't wish to merge that part of me with this column or make any sort
of statement. I merely say this to give an understanding about what's
going on in my head. Tina told me what was wanted in addition to that
little bit of information I didn't want to hear. That bit of information
was big, because I was getting ready to come out publicly to the racing
community. I figured that was needed for me to start to take my steps.
I'd like to appear a little bit differently than I do. Because of the
comment that had been made, I struggled to even phone Tina back. I
almost let it slip away and I waited a day longer to call her than I was
going to.
I sat down and wrote down any
questions that I had. There may have been a dozen of them. I wanted to
get a better understanding of what my duties were. I wanted to get a
better understanding of what my living conditions were. I wanted to know
what was expected of me. I also made her aware of my abilities and what
I could do to help the place. In the end, we decided that I was keeping
an eye on things around here as I'm living out here. I'm not crazy
about living out here, but it's a way for me to get back to the Bay Area where I belong.
I'm also okay with just writing articles. Those were the agreed-upon
terms.
With that settled, I thought I'd let
Larry know that we had a deal and I could get ready to go within a
couple of weeks. Unfortunately, I found out that it was going to be up
to me to figure out a way back. That was a mess, and I stressed on that
for over a month. It almost got canceled. I was within a couple of hours
of contacting Michael Burch, who brought my car and my stuff down here,
to tell him it was done. He brought Jimmy Robbins up with him, and it
looked like I had a way to get the trailer down a few days later. I
decided to do this, and here I am.
I must
say that I thoroughly enjoyed my trip down with Tom Sagmiller and Keith
Trusso. They towed my trailer, and the conversations that we had made
the time just slip by. We talked about everything you could imagine
about racing, from the old days to the current days. Stopped off a
couple of times to get food. I've said it before and I'll say it again, I
don't deserve a friend like Tom. He's always been good to me. I never
really got to talk to Keith before. Like I said, it was a fun trip.
I
had people pitch in to make sure I could offer fuel money, because I
didn't have any. The big supporter I will call my angel, because if you
can believe it, they don't want credit. They just wanted to help. John
Soares and Doug Braudrick both pitched in, and then Tom floored me by
saying that he and Cindy didn't want the money. They let me keep it. Any
money that I've been able to keep out of this will help me, because I
was pretty much broke coming down here. It's a brand new start in the
Bay Area for me. I'm looking forward to it.
It's
a bittersweet deal for me, because I had hoped to be here for the final
few years of John's run as Promoter. John and I are good, and he's told
me some things in regards to the work I did for him when he first took
over the place. I knew he felt that way, but hearing it meant a lot. I
knew I had his respect, because he wouldn't have let me come back in
here in 2018 and do a Hall of Fame and even let me announce a night if
he was not happy with me. He wouldn't have let me announce races at
Chowchilla and Merced in 2015. John is family to me and I love the guy. He's earned his
retirement just as much as Mike McCann has, and I wish him well.
The ambitious goal is to make this place better than ever before. The
reality is we're living in 2022, and there are economic challenges, not
to mention the whole covid-19 thing that threw them for a loop as they
tried to run the 2020 season. The community rallied behind Chad and Tina
Chadwick, and you got a much cleaner facility. The race track looks
nice. They've done an amazing thing here. The challenges are numerous.
What I learned in Medford is you work week to week to get the crowd to
come out there, and you never rest on your laurels. There's a lot that
needs to be done.
I'm just coming in here and
observing what's here. There are some very good building blocks to work
with, such as the Hobby Stocks, IMCA Sport Modifieds and Wingless Spec
Sprints. All three did good numbers last year. The IMCA Modifieds are
maintaining, the IMCA Stock Cars are growing quickly, the Mini Stocks
are doing the same and the Dwarf Cars are still doing well, now using
the Delta Dwarf Car brand. The bigger challenge is getting fans to come
out and watch when you're running so many races.
It's
my contention that Antioch Speedway has about 10 too many races on
their schedule. You only need to run about two dozen races at the very
most, because you don't want to run any division more than about 14
times. Having so many divisions affords you the opportunity to shuffle
things and take the pressure off of any one division. You can also put
on a couple of special events. The way Petaluma Speedway and Merced
Speedway do their schedules is ideal to me.
Presentation
is an important thing. We've got to get the word out quickly and let
everybody know. When they come in, they need to be entertained by a good
show with a quality announcer. Announcing is so important. I didn't do
it in Medford, even though I wanted to. The reason was I needed to move
in and out of the booth and handle other things, but I made sure the
announcer always had information that would help him do a little better job
of informing the fans. I did do the souvenir programs there, and I
think it's important to have one for the fans.
It
will always be a source of pride for me that this kid from the
grandstands was able to establish the Antioch Speedway Hall of Fame. I
did it for for two years from Oregon, and I think I did pretty well
overall. Was it perfect? No. It was a struggle sometimes, but the
community rallied around me. Chris Briggs has taken it over and is doing
well. There are still ways that this event can be grown and improved
upon, and the great thing is there will be a fourth year for that. One
of the pet projects I'd like to take on would be the Chet Thomson
Memorial night in October and possibly establishing a Vallejo Speedway
reunion that would induct people into their Hall of Fame.
I
knew nothing about Medford racing history when I came up there, but I
took a crash course. I organized statistics and did a bunch of things to
illustrate to the people what the history was there. I respected it. I
pitched an idea a couple of days into moving to Oregon, and Mike was
there along with Uncle Rich.
I said we needed a Southern Oregon Racing
Hall of Fame and we needed a race to honor the late great R Charles
Snyder, the voice of Medford racing and popular DJ. A year later, both
things came to pass. These things matter as they illustrate the legacy
of racing in the area. I don't know if Medford is going to keep the
Hall of Fame going as they didn't do it last year. I hope they do.
Some
people may know that I have established some nostalgia pages on
Facebook. One is the Chowchilla Speedway Glory Days page. I also created
Merced Speedway Days of Old back in 2015, and a couple of years ago I
started Petaluma Speedway Days of Old. The latter two pages were
designed so that we could get more of the history out there and get
discussions going about starting a Hall of Fame in both locations. We
had a rousing conversation on the Petaluma page last year, and I know
there's an interest. My concern is we need to settle the future of the
track as it is being threatened.
The late Ed
Parker wanted me to go to Merced while he was doing Legends Night, which
had been established by Doug Williams in 2013, or was that 14? I'd have
to look. Ed and I had conversations, but he wasn't sure how to do it.
Sadly, he passed away. I've always had a vision in my mind that you
start with the legendary Dennis Moomjean, Vern Wilhoite, Ted Stofle,
George Steitz and Johnny Sass. It would be easy to come up with another
four or five in that first year, but those four drivers are on the Mount
Rushmore of Merced Speedway greats in my opinion. Johnny would be my
first man behind the scenes to put in there. There's a list of greats
that would be very easy to pick from. Merced Speedway has been around for 70
years, so you're going to have some easy choices early on.
In
December, Promoter Doug Lockwood messaged me to ask about helping him
get it going at Merced. I'm all in favor of that. Since I'm located
where I am, it could be possible that I would be able to make it there
for that night. It depends on the duties I have here. As a writer, I can
easily do stories and take a week off from the track, because the
information is easily accessible to do a proper story. I'm all about the
nostalgia, and I think Merced Speedway has a great history to
celebrate. I'm on board with that.
You see,
that's kind of where I am now. I'm not enamored with racing as it is
now, but I don't begrudge people enjoying it. I'm glad somebody's
trying. I only tell you that if I came out here as a kid and the program
we have in 2022 was what I saw, all the things I did in racing probably
wouldn't have happened. It wouldn't have captured my imagination the
way the Sportsman division did in the 1970s or even the Stock Car class
of the early 1980s. Everything looks so cookie cutter these days.
There's good racing, but it doesn't really capture my imagination.
I
could easily get involved with organizing a couple of nostalgia events
that featured the Sportsman cars, Hardtops, Super Modifieds, Vintage
Midgets and maybe a newly established Vintage Stock Car class. I'd love
to see something happening in Antioch or some other dirt track location.
The problem would be that promoters aren't going to make a lot of money
on that, but the racing community would fully embrace it. Therefore,
doing things like Hall of Fame night or trying to get something Vallejo
Speedway related and associated with the Chet Thomson Memorial race would be
another appealing thing.
There are two people
who have written some really good racing books. Tom Motter has done
several for BCRA and Oakland Speedway. A lot of pictures, and it's good
stuff. Dennis Mattish is probably the premier guy. If you haven't
seen his books on Watsonville, San Jose, San Francisco racing or
Baylands, check them out. There will be an Altamont book soon. Dennis
gives you lots of good pictures and there are some stories in there too.
As time passes on, we are in danger of forgetting this history. Part of
me says why fight it, and another part of me says I need to fight it.
I
have a vision for a race at Antioch Speedway, but it could easily be at
Watsonville or Merced. I can't think of a better promoter in the
history of our sport in California then Bob Barkhimer. How many people
remember Barky? How about Bert Moreland, who ran multiple tracks for
Barky? How about John Pershing Soares, who also ran multiple tracks?
What about Jerry Piper? In fact, I'm sure there's a couple of other
names that were part of this family that I don't even remember, and
that's a travesty.
What I thought would be
cool is a night that had an open wheel class of either Winged 360
Sprints or Wingless Spec Sprints, a Modified class and a Stock Car
class. We'd call it the Founders Cup. This would celebrate all of the
legends, even guys down south like Doug Fort and Doug Bainton. We'd talk
a little bit about them on the PA, put display boards up near the
concessions and celebrate the people who created these circuits.
Barkhimer had about two dozen tracks before he brought them into NASCAR,
and people are forgetting that history.
I
haven't talked to Dennis to figure out where he might go with his next
book after Altamont. I'm thinking he may go to Fresno and do Kearney
Bowl, Clovis, Selma and those tracks. I don't know who is going to do
the books for Antioch Speedway, Petaluma Speedway, Merced Speedway,
Vallejo Speedway. I mean, there's so much out there about Vallejo
Speedway, it would be easy to do a year by year breakdown with lots of
pictures. Was there a more prolific photographer than Bob Bockover? His
son John was a hell of a photographer as well.
What
prevents me from doing racing books the way they need to be done is
weekly racing. I do enough weekly coverage that I just don't want to
mess with the books. I'd like to do something completely unrelated to
racing, but oftentimes I'll just sit down and vegetate until it's time
to go to the track again. I'm tired of that cycle, but yet I have to
deal with it a little bit longer. That's one of the reasons why I'm
trying not to take on too many duties, so it's not every day stress on
something racing related. I do it to myself, because I keep adding
more.
Antioch Speedway will kick off the
season with IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Sport Modifieds and IMCA Stock Cars.
The Hobby Stocks also get to be a part of the rotation. I think they
should do pretty well in attendance. I think opening nights tend to do
pretty well for a track.
It's all new, new
bodies on the cars and new cars. People want to see all of that.
However, we also have to do a better job of putting the word out. If the
average is 350 or 400 people a week, and I don't know this, we need to
aim higher. Whatever the average is, our goal needs to be 200 more
people, and how do we get that?? That's how I approached Medford.
One
of the concerns I had about the IMCA Stock Car class was the price tag
of these cars. They aren't cheap. They aren't entry level. In fact, they
are higher level than the Hobby Stocks. They're even higher level than
the Sport Modifieds. They are different looking and put on a good race,
but is this thing going to grow into the 20s? These days, a promoter
tries to get a dozen to 16 cars in any class, and if a division delivers
that, they are important to the roster. If not, you keep working until
you get a division that does.
The Super Stock
division was something John Soares thought would be nice as a way to
bring back the Late Model class we saw from the late 1980s and early
1990s. We had people like Ron Brown out there hunting down the old
chassis, and the division didn't do too bad after a few years.
The
last five or six years have seen them struggle to get 10 cars. This was
just
low enough that management decided the division needed to go. I was
asked what I thought about it, and my thing would be to know how many
drivers want to fight to keep it alive. If they want to fight for it,
possibly they could justify getting a date or two as there's going to be
nights when the track needs cars as the numbers will be low with the
divisions they have booked.
You can say it's
over, and you may be absolutely right about that. I like this style of
class, because it brings a Late Model style without a Late Model budget.
There is the Limited Late Model class using crate motors, but I
question whether we're going to get that division up beyond a dozen
cars. I hope so as an effort is being put forth by Mike Slaney with the
Xtreme Limited Late Model Series. Placerville has done okay with it, but
can it expand beyond Placerville? This year, we're going to find out.
If
you are a fan of a division, it might be harder to watch it fade away.
For instance, the Sportsman division was something I loved. There might
have still been a dozen cars in Antioch in 1982. Even if the track
wasn't going to run them as the featured class, they might have been
able to put together a little series between Antioch and Watsonville
that could have brought a dozen cars and kept it around for a while
longer.
Would it have been worth fighting for?
Obviously the NASCAR brass didn't think so, and it was over. I lamented
that loss for a few years and didn't warm up to the Stock Cars early
on. I don't think I truly appreciated the Stock Car show until looking
back in hindsight, and that's because I loved the Sportsman class so
much.
I didn't like when John took the Super
Stock class and merged it with the Street Stocks. Some could say that
his Super Stock idea should have died at that point. They only had five
or six cars, but the Street Stocks were getting a dozen to 14. He merged
the two classes, but within a couple of years, the Street Stocks were
all parked.
I'm baffled by that, not to
mention the fact that Watsonville doesn't even have something like it.
We're talking Street Stock/Late Model haven, and Watsonville doesn't
have that? What John really accomplished at Antioch was eliminating a
decent Street Stock division and still keeping a Super Stock class that
struggled to get 10 cars.
Therefore, I don't
blame people for saying the division is over. When it was decided to add
the IMCA Stock Cars, this division was able to get to double digits
somewhat regularly in its first full season. It's got good names getting
involved here, and I think it's going to continue to grow. What way
would you go? Do you go with the IMCA Stock Cars that are growing on the
West Coast, or a Super Stock class that might remind you of the
good times but doesn't have a car count? If the drivers want it bad
enough, they better demonstrate they can get double digits and justify
getting another chance.
I have asked for
people's input, and I'm not getting much there. I also asked for input
from the Hardtop racers. If I have to pick one of these things, I'll
talk more with the Hardtop guys. My concern is that Antioch Speedway and
the Bay Area Hardtops ought to be able to have at least eight Hardtops
based in the area on any night they are booked. This doesn't count
people who come down from Sacramento or Sportsman cars, and you're going
to have a problem justifying them on the roster if so many guys stay
parked. For teams that are committed to other types of racing, send your
Hardtop with another driver if you like this class. Bottom line.
In
any case, I'm still here for now, and I'm not going to write much
longer than I have here. The nucleus of what I would consider covering
on this blog if it doesn't get too stressful would include Antioch,
Petaluma, Merced and Watsonville. I may include Orland, but they have to
give me information. If I have Orland's spot available, I'd hand that
to Yreka. Otherwise, since it looks like the Limited Late Model series
has a writer, I would support Roy Bain's Tri State Pro Stocks and Dan
Myrick's West Coast Sport Compacts. Without adding more than that, I
think it would be manageable on this blog.
What
I've always failed to remind myself was that even if I covered a
fraction what was being offering on this blog in recent years, it's still
more than you'll find in most places. People are giving up on writing
the articles and instead just look at the statistics. It doesn't mean
that there aren't people interested in the color or any insights into
what's going on, but a lot of people want to get in and get out and get
on with their lives. As a writer, I can be succinct, but oftentimes I'm
not. It is what it is. I don't feel I have to write another word about
racing, because I feel like I've done quite a bit as it is. I'm doing it
this week, and we'll see from here.
I'm very
happy to be back in Contra Costa County, not too far from Concord, which
would be my ideal area to live. I'm within walking distance of a lot of
things, and I can start getting the help that I need. I need to get up
on my feet and get moving. I've recently established my own personal
relationship with Jesus Christ, which I say only because it works for
me.
You do you, but I can tell you why it
works for me if you want to know. If you don't and you're good to me and
we're friends, we're still going to be friends. I'm not the type of
person who would abandon anybody who's been good to me. I want to spread
that love all around.
There's also the matter
of the girl I call Candice. She came out in 2008, and I'm sure people in
the racing community saw her. She didn't do everything right, but she
did build a wardrobe. She is a work in progress, and she'd like to make
progress and become who she was meant to be. This girl has been in my
head since I was a child, and explains a lot about why I am where I am
now. I never got the help I needed. I buried it. It's time to work on
that. I know some people may not accept me if they see me changing too
much, but others will.
I don't ask anybody to
do me any special favors. I don't get all temperamental if I'm
misgendered or misnamed by people who knew me, provided that they're
not doing that from a negative place. I only know I want to be me. I
don't know if the new me that people will see fits in the racing scene,
or whether I'd want to stick around. But I'm here now. I don't want to
get into the trans topic in my racing column. It's a bit like getting
into politics. It doesn't belong here, but I wanted to tell you a little
bit about what was going on with me.
For
Saturday night, I will be at Antioch Speedway, and I intend to be
monitoring Watsonville on Friday night. We're just going to play
everything week to week and see what we can do. I wish all of my friends
happiness and the best of luck in whatever they do. I look forward to
seeing my racing friends at the track, because these are the people who
made me want to be involved in the first place.
On that note, I'll end this column. Until next time...
