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Two Day West Coast Nationals
At Antioch Speedway This Weekend
Antioch, CA... This weekend Antioch Speedway will be hosting the biggest Dirt Modified race of the year. It's the First Annual West Coast Nationals. The A Modifieds and the B Modifieds will both be competing.
The event event kicks off on Thursday night with a practice, barbecue, cornhole tournament and live music. Both divisions will compete in heat races and Preliminary Features on Friday. The Top 4 finishers in the Preliminary Features will be locked into Saturday's big money Main Event. On Saturday, the two divisions will again run heat races as well as B Mains and Last Chance Qualifiers. The night ends with the Main Events offering purses of $25,000 for the A Modifieds and over $5,000 for the B Modifieds.
Antioch Speedway has held some big Modified races during the past 30 years, but this one will be the biggest ever. Just to take the green flag in the A Modified Main Event on Saturday will ensure a driver a minimum $500 payday. To win the show will be worth $7,500, and even second place walks off with a tidy sum of $3,800. The B Modified drivers will be competing for $1,500 to win their feature race with drivers earning $150 just to start.
The money being offered for the A Modifieds was enough to attract the attention of Bakersfield driver Ethan Dotson. Dotson gained national attention by winning the big IMCA Nationals event in Boone, Iowa in early September. He may come in as a top driver to beat, but an all star lineup of competitors is anticipated with the money on the line.
Bobby Hogge IV has a knack for winning some of the biggest races on the West Coast, and he's won 70 Main Events at Antioch Speedway alone in his impressive career. Hogge picked up the lucrative victory in the Mike Cecil Memorial at Watsonville earlier this year and also left with the big prize money in the Roger Haudenshild Tribute race in Medford back in June. When you talk about drivers to beat, Bobby's name will be found near the top of the list.
Like Hogge, Kellen Chadwick, Troy Foulger and Nick DeCarlo are all past Antioch Speedway champions. Chadwick won both the Donna Soares Memorial and Jerry Hetrick Memorial at Antioch this year. He also won the Wild West Speedweek Series title for the second time this year and the $5,000 R Charles Snyder Salute in Medford. Foulger is a four-time Antioch champion teaming with Billy Bowers, and he won the Merced Speedway title this year. DeCarlo won the Antioch championship last season and had three wins this year. This second-generation competitor bears the distinction of being the only driver to win Modified championships at Antioch, Petaluma and Watsonville.
This is just a sampling of some of the stars anticipated not just from California but from the Pacific Northwest and even Canada. Local stars such as new champion Buddy Kniss, 2017 champion Bobby Motts Jr, Sean O'Gara, multi-time Late Model champion Jeff Decker and Bob Newberry are among a roster of roughly 50 competitors expected to do battle.
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$1,500 is one of the bigger prizes being offered for the B Modifieds, and that kind of cash will bring some fast competitors to Antioch Speedway. This will include past champion Fred Ryland. Ryland has won over 50 Main Events in his career at Antioch Speedway alone as well as the 2015 championship. He won the Merced title this year. Local star Tommy Fraser, who won the championship this year along with eight Main Events, is anticipated as well.
In addition to other local stars such as Trevor Clymens and brother Tommy Clymens Jr, Todd Gomez and Kevin Brown, top racers from tracks such as Watsonville, Merced and Marysville are anticipated for this special event. There's even reports of a few Modified racers bringing two cars to compete in both divisions.
The track has offered some big paying events through the years, and this is the biggest one yet. The West Coast Nationals promises to be a can't miss event. This two-day event is also the final race of the season until next year. For further information, go to www.antiochspeedway.com.
Wingless Spec Sprints, IMCA Modifieds Close
Petaluma Speedway Season Saturday Night
Petaluma, CA...It's been an exciting season at Petaluma Speedway this year, but it's coming to a close this Saturday night. Promoter Rick Faeth has an exciting four division show lined up to compete on the fast 3/8 mile adobe oval. Both the PitStopUSA.com Wingless Spec Sprints and the McLea's Tire Service IMCA Modifieds will be competing for $1,000 prizes. Also in action will be the Jake's Performance Hobbies Mini Stocks and the General Hydroponics Redwood Dwarf Cars.
Consistency was the key to Angelique Bell winning the 10 race Wingless Spec Sprint Series championship. Bell only missed the Top 10 once and also had a feature victory, but she was still just 13 points ahead of Scott Chapeta by season's end. Chapeta used a strong second place finish in the pointe finale to overtake past champion Sparky Howard for second. Points aren't on the line this week, but the increased purse should get the attention of a few drivers. Two-time winner Cody Fendley and four-time winner Bradley Terrell could be among them. Others to watch for include Keith Calvino, Bob Davis, Tony Bernard and Dennis Furia Jr.
With only an eight race IMCA Modified schedule booked and two of them being lost to rain, Faeth made the decision in June to add the $1,000 to win finale to the schedule to take care of the racers. Oreste Gonella defended his championship by just three points over multi-time champion Michael Paul Jr this year, despite the fact that Paul had two victories and Gonella again went winless. One-time winner Mitch Machado and Justin Yeager ended up tied for third in the standings. Other stars in the division included Tim Yaeger, Gary Zwicker, Jay Learn, Trevor Brady and Jeffrey Faulkner.
All season long, Jeremy Tjensvold and Tom Brown have been dividing the Mini Stock victories amongst themselves. Tjensvold used his sixth win of the season in the finale to dethrone three-time winner Brown as the division champion. Most of the time, this duo has finished first and second in the Main Event, which has made it rough on anybody else wanting to get a piece of the glory.
Sophie Shelly finished third in the standings ahead of Darien Balestrini and Roy Deering. Balestrini only started seven races, but he had Top 5 finishes in all of them, while Shelly and Deering each had five of them. This trio would seem to be the best chance the rest of the division has to knock the two stars out of the winner's circle. Others to watch for include Antonio Miramontez, Roberta Broze, and Danny Manzoni.
Chad Mathias won a close Dwarf Car championship battle this year with Mark Hanson, Marcus Hardina and Matt Hagermann. Last week's Twin 25 show went to Adam Teves, and this will be the last opportunity for the local stars to put on a show for the fans. All season long, the Dwarf Car division has been delivering some of the biggest car counts seen at the speedway. Some of the stars to watch for this week include 2018 champion Scooter Gomes, Kevin Miraglio, Carrol Mendenhall, Mike Affonso, John Peters and Adam Freitas.
This four division lineup is the perfect way to bring down the curtain on what has been an exciting season at Petaluma Speedway. You won't want to miss out. For further information, www.petaluma-speedway.com.
Liggett, Teves, Beck Win Adobe Cup Night #2 Races
At Petaluma Speedway
Petaluma, CA...October 12...Austin Liggett won the 30 lap USAC Western 360 Sprint Car Main Event Saturday night at Petaluma Speedway. This was the second Adobe Cup night and the first appearance of the season for the USAC Sprint Cars after their race earlier this season was rained out. Liggett is the reigning champion of the group, but he hasn't been pursuing a championship this year with the class. This was the series leading fourth feature win of the season for Liggett.
Liggett had the pole for the feature race and raced into the early lead ahead of series point leader Tristan Guardino and TJ Smith. Smith raced past Guardino for second on lap six. Yellow flags slowed the pace on laps 7, 12 and 13, but Liggett maintained his lead over Smith on each restart. Bradley Terrell charged past Guardino for the third position on lap 15 and gained second from Smith on a lap 26 restart. However, Terrell's race came to an end for a lap 27 yellow flag. Liggett led Billy Aton on the final restart, and he held him off for the victory. JJ Ringo finished third, followed by Caden Sarale, Guardino, Koen Shaw, Austin Ervine, Ricky Brophy, Norm Johns and Hannah Mayhew.
There were 22 Sprint Cars, and Terrell set the fast time on the 3/8 mile adobe oval with a lap of 14.728, beating the 14.783 of Aton. Cody Fendley outran Mayhew to win the first of three 10 lap heat races. Aton won the next heat ahead of Ricky Lewis, and the final heat race victory went to Ryan Timmons ahead of Ringo.
Adam Teves scored of the victory in the time limit shortened 39 lap General Hydroponics Redwood Dwarf Car Main Event. Teves was behind the wheel of the #08 Rat Rod, which was piloted by his father David Teves to the South Bay Dwarf Car championship three years ago. This race included several competitors from the South Bay Dwarf Cars, which led to an increased car count.
Mark Hanson had a front-row start for the feature race and charged into the early lead ahead of South Bay champion Mark Biscardi. The first half of the race saw four yellow flag slowdowns. Teves took second from Biscardi on a lap five restart with new champion Chad Matthias settling into third. Following a yellow flag on lap 14 for Hanson, the first half of the scheduled 50 lap race was called complete. Joe Barkett led the restart lap, but Mathias briefly charged by to lead the 16th lap. Barkett was back in front until a lap 22 yellow flag. Teves was second at that point, but he put the moves on Barkett to take the lead on the restart. Teves led the rest of the way to win ahead of Matthias, Barkett, Matt Hagermann, Jimmy Damron, Buddy Olschowka, John Peters, Tom Van Tuyl, Vern Hubbard and Michael Williams.
There were 29 Dwarf Cars, and the eight lap heat race wins went to Matthias, Hanson, Biscardi and Damron. Garrett Brady won the 11 lap B Main with a flag to flag effort. Ryan Amlen finished second ahead of Robert Johnson and Shawn McCoy.
Jim Beck won the 20 lap Santa Rosa Auto Body 600 Micro Main Event. Beck is a multi-time champion in the division, but this was his first start of the season. Jeromie Charon had a front row start and set the early pace ahead of Carroll Mendenhall. Anton Gianini took second from Mendenhall on lap three and put the moves on Charon to grab the lead a lap later. Nick Robfogel followed into second as he was in search of his sixth win of the season. The lead two competitors ran closely with Beck gaining third on lap 10. A yellow flag waved on lap 11, and Robfogel grabbed the lead on the restart. Beck quickly followed into second. A yellow flag waved with two laps to go. Beck took the lead from Robfogel on the restart and would hold him off for the thrilling victory. Kyle Grissom finished third, followed by Koen Shaw, Mendenhall, Rob Brown, Sam Borland, Victor Guerra, Charon and Jack Clark. Robfogel set the fast time of 15.537.
The racing season will conclude next Saturday night with a $1,000 to win McLea's Tire Service IMCA Modified event. The PitStopUSA.com Wingless Spec Sprints also compete for a $1,000 first prize, and the Jake's Performance Hobbies Mini Stocks and General Hydroponics Redwood Dwarf Cars will also be competing. For further information, go to www.petaluma-speedway.com.
Siskiyou Speedway Prepares For Final Two Races
Yreka, CA...Fans of racing in the Northern California and Southern Oregon area still have Siskiyou Golden Speedway available to give them some thrills on the dirt track for the next two Saturday nights. Promoter Kevin Barba has lined up two exciting races to close the season, and it all starts this Saturday night. The Calculated Comfort Outlaw Pro Stock Association will be there for their final race of the year. Scheduled to join them will be the IMCA Sport Modifieds, IMCA Modifieds, Mini Stocks and Jefferson State Jalopies.
Barba"s open invitation to other divisions to come race resulted in an exciting finale scheduled for October 26th. Several Sprint Car competitors voiced an interest in coming to Yreka, and Barba ended up being put in contact with leaders from the Interstate Sprint Car Series. Several drivers from the group will be on hand for the October 26th race along with the IMCA Sport Modified class. Barba has indicated that other divisions could be added that night, and there will also be a costume contest and trick or treating for the kids.
The Pro Stocks have generally delivered a dozen to 16 cars for their shows in Yreka this year. Last time out, it was Scott Flowers scoring his first feature win since 2014. Flowers managed to use the win to take the point lead from two-time reigning champion Dr Scott Lenz. Lenz won the first four Yreka races this season, which included the Billy Geyer Memorial race. However, he's been shut out of the winner's circle for the past three races and didn't finish two weeks ago. 2016 title winner Steve Borror won the two features previous to Flowers winning. Flowers leads Lenz by 16 points going into this race.
Rick Lukens enjoyed his best finish with the group yet last time as he held off John David Duffie to finish second in the Main Event. Matt Harlow, who currently counts himself among the Top 5 point competitors along with Duffie, finished fourth in the feature race. Scott's son James Flowers had a disappointing outing in eighth last time, but he continues to rank third in the standings. However, only 25 points separate James from Duffie and Harlow in another close race. The Pro Stocks never disappoint when they're in town, and some of the others to watch for this week include Ginny Flowers, Colby Hammond, Kenneth LaPlant and newcomers Michael McLeod and Darek Alford.
The IMCA Sport Modified championship went to Ethan Killingsworth. Killingsworth ran strong this season with three feature victories to his credit, and that enabled him to hold off Ryder Boswell in a close championship battle. Ryder's brother Colt Boswell won the first postseason Main Event. Colt also finished third in the standings this year. Last time out, it was Medford star Rich McCoy outrunning two-time Medford champion Mike Medel to collect his third feature win of the season. Killingsworth finished third that night ahead of Hayfork Speedway racer Patrick Solometto. You never know who will show up to compete in this class this week.
It'll be interesting to see who shows up to compete in the IMCA Modified and Mini Stock classes this week. Duane Orsburn won the IMCA Modified championship this year ahead of two-time feature winner Nick Trenchard, who picked up wins at the Speedweek race and the Rod Restad Memorial. This is the final scheduled appearance for the class this year.
Even with young stars Zak McMurry and Darek Alford giving it an impressive effort this year in the Mini Stocks, Mike Whitaker was able to join teammate Marilyn Yawnick as a three-time champion in the class this year. Whitaker won the final two point races of the season. Though Whitaker and Yawnick have called it a season, this will be an opportunity for others to shine at the speedway. Among the stars getting feature wins this year in this class are Medford champion David Steele, Terry Alford, Terry Kendrick, Kassidy Wilkinson and McMurry.
The Jefferson State Jalopies will be making another appearance. Champion Marilyn Yawnick will be looking for her third feature win as she attempts to match the effort of Michael Colson. JJ Smith and Karl Bernstein are both expected to compete, and Smith is also a feature winner this year.
Barba wants to give the racing fans a little more exciting action to enjoy at the speedway this week and next week. With what is being planned, you won't want to miss out. For further information, go to www.siskiyougoldenspeedway.com.
Sanders, Lewis, Tatoole Score Championship Night Victories At Dixon Speedway
Dixon, CA...October 12...Rickey Sanders won the 25 lap Super 600 Micro Sprint Main Event Saturday night at Dixon Speedway. With his third place finish, Kyle Mentch made his second-straight championship season official. Sanders had the pole for the feature race and set the pace from the start. Mentch ran second early on with Sage Bordenave moving from the third row into third by lap eight. The three leaders ran closely with a final yellow flag waving on lap 19. As Sanders led the restart, Bordenave began to pressure Mentch for the second position. Bordenave finally made the pass on lap 22. However, Sanders drove a flawless race to score the victory. Mentch settled for third, followed by Devon Courtnier, Ashton Torgerson, Blaine Baxter, Cody Parmley, Anthony Lewis, Chris Parmley and Tony Alosi.
Hayden Saitch was the quickest of 17 qualifiers with a lap of 10.648. Mentch turned the 1/5 mile dirt oval at 10.676 to be second quick. Sanders and Bordenave were the 10 lap heat race winners, and Sanders made it a sweep of all his races with his six lap Trophy Dash triumph.
Kelvin Lewis won the 25 lap Wingless 600 Micro Main Event. Though it wasn't the best of races for Norman Harley Rose, he nonetheless secured the division championship. Lewis had the outside front row starting position and raced into the early lead ahead of Blake Parmley. Parmley lost the second position to ninth starter Blake Bower on a lap seven restart. However, Bower's race came to an end for a lap 14 yellow flag. Blake Parmley took up pursuit of Lewis on the restart as Derek Patterson settled into third. Parmley and Patterson had a good battle going for second, and Patterson gained the position on lap 22. However, Lewis held a comfortable lead at the checkered flag with Patterson in second. Josh Hurley made a late move around Parmley for third as Parmley settled for fourth ahead of Nate Wait, Randy Sims, Jeremy Chapman, Danny Rozendahl, Harlee Aguilera and Ryan Holden.
Lewis was the quickest of 22 competitors with a lap of 10.901, beating the 10.928 of Wait. Darrell Busby, Don McLeister and Bower won the 10 lap heat races. Blake Parmley scored the eight lap Trophy Dash victory.
Matthew Tatoole scored an impressive victory in the 20 lap 600 Restricted Micro Sprint Main Event. Ashton Torgerson would emerge as the division champion by the end of the night. Jeffrey Pahule set the pace for just two laps before Tatoole took over. Torgerson gained second from Pahule on lap 12, and Pahule's race ended on lap 13. Tatoole stretched his lead to nearly a straightaway ahead of Torgerson at the checkered flag. Izaak Sharp was a solid third, followed by Austin Wood, Bryant Bell, Hailey Wood, Austin Taborski, Rylee Whitehouse, Braden Streuter and Tatoole. Tatoole set the fast time of 10.941 with Streuter and Pahule the 10 lap heat race winners. Pahule also claimed the six lap Trophy Dash.
Logan Taylor won the 20 lap Junior Sprint Main Event. Mikayla Tatoole is the division champion. The race had a red flag at the start when Kellen Harper flipped. Taylor jumped out to the lead from his pole position start and led all the way with Brody Rubio in second and Tatoole in third. Hayden Stepps and Peyton Whitehouse completed the Top 5 at the checkered flag. Rubio set the fast time of 13.558. Taylor won the 10 lap heat race and followed that up with the four lap Trophy Dash win.
With point racing wrapped up, the season comes to a close this Friday and Saturday with the Seventh Annual Lonnie Kaiser Memorial race. The usual Micro Sprint divisions will be competing. For further information, go to www.dixonspeedway.net.
Myrick, Velazquez Win At Lemoore Raceway
Lemoore, CA...October 12...Dan Myrick won the 25 lap Central Valley Mini Stock Main Event Saturday afternoon at Lemoore Raceway. Myrick turned in a rather impressive performance all afternoon as only a second place finish in his heat race blemished an otherwise perfect effort. Myrick currently leads the championship series, which is sponsored by House of JuJu of Clovis and Morro Bay.
Fresh off of his impressive feature victory at Kern Raceway a week earlier, Clinton Massey was hoping derail Myrick's effort, but Myrick charged into the early Main Event lead ahead of Massey. Following a lap one yellow flag, Randy Brown Jr settled into third behind Myrick and Massey. With Massey providing the pressure, Myrick wasn't making any mistakes at the front of the pack. Yellow flags slowed the pace on laps 16 and 17, but Myrick maintained his lead ahead of Massey on each restart. Myrick went on to become the third different winner at Lemoore in as many races. Massey settled for second ahead of Randy Brown Jr, Brent Myrick, Gene Glover, Ryan Blank, Jeff Durant, Darren Wilson, Greg Baronian and Randy Brown Sr.
Dan Myrick looked impressive in qualifying as he bested the 15 car field with a lap of 14.419 on the 1/5 mile dirt oval. Myrick continued his momentum as he held off brother Brent Myrick to win the four lap Trophy Dash. However, Durant prevented Myrick from scoring the clean sweep as he outran him to win their 10 lap heat race. Brent Myrick and Blank were the other heat race winners.
Tommy Velasquez III scored the win in the 25 lap VRA Dwarf Car Main Event. There was a close battle at the front of the pack throughout the entire race. Thomas Velazquez paced the first five laps before Jeff Brink moved into the lead. A yellow flag waved after six laps, and Brink continued to lead Tommy Velazquez III and Thomas Velasquez on the restart. There were three yellow flags during the midpoint of the race with Brink still leading a close battle with Tommy Vasquez III. Velazquez briefly took the lead from Brink on lap 16, but he surrendered the position to Brink on lap 19. A yellow flag waved on lap 22, and Tommy Velasquez III took over on the restart. He led the rest of the way with Brink settling for second ahead of VRA Dwarf Car champion Nick Velazquez, Thomas Velazquez, Tony Pellegrino and Kobe Kerns. Tommy Velasquez III was the quickest qualifier with a lap of 13.295, and Nick Velazquez won the 15 lap heat race.
The final CVMS point event of the season will be at Keller Auto Speedway on November 16th. In addition to the CVMS Mini Stocks, the King of Thunder Winged 360 Sprint Cars, IMCA Western RaceSaver Sprint Cars and IMCA Stock Cars will also be competing. For further information, go to www.centralvalleyministocks.com.
Abreu, Macedo Win Cotton Classic Races
At Keller Auto Speedway
Hanford, CA...October 12...Rico Abreu won the 30 lap NARC/King of the West Fujitsu Sprint Car Series Main Event Saturday night at Keller Auto Speedway. This was the second win in the series for Abreu, who collected a victory at Tulare Thunderbowl back in June. Mitchell Faccinto led a lap over Cory Eliason before the red flag waved for a Jason Statler flip. Faccinto continued to lead Eliason and Abreu on the restart. Abreu began pressuring Eliason and charged by for second on lap eight. Two laps later, Abreu grabbed the lead from Faccinto. Eliason took second from Faccinto on lap 13 with championship contender Bud Kaeding gaining third on lap 16 before a yellow flag waved. Abreu continued to lead Eliason on the restart, but Kaeding charged past Eliason for second on lap 20. However, Abreu held a decent lead and brought it home to the checkered flag. Kaeding settled for second ahead of Eliason, Chase Johnson, Dominic Scelzi, DJ Netto, Ryan Bernal, Willie Croft, Geoff Ensign and Colby Copeland.
There were 21 competitors, and Eliason was the only driver in the 12 second bracket with his 12.936 effort. Eliason, Johnson and Craig Stidham won the 10 lap heat races, and Faccinto was the six lap Trophy Dash winner.
Cole Macedo won the 30 lap King Of Thunder/Sprint Car Challenge Tour Main Event. Macedo was the Civil War Sprint Car champion last season, but this was his first win with either tour this year. Justyn Cox started on the outside front row next to Macedo and raced into the early lead. Macedo held second behind Cox through the first half of the race. Following a lap 14 yellow flag, Macedo made his move around Cox on the restart. Macedo led through two yellow flags during the final six laps to score the victory. Cox settled for second. World of Outlaws veteran Jac Haudenshild made a late move around recent Petaluma Adobe Cup winner Sean Becker to finish third. Becker settled for fourth ahead of Michael Faccinto, King of Thunder point leader DJ Netto, Tucker Worth, Kalib Henry, Danny Faria Jr and Zane Blanchard.
Michael Faccinto qualified with the third group and set the fast time of 13.442, beating the 13.550 of Macedo. 10 lap heat race wins went to Becker, Blanchard, Tucker Worth and Tim Kaeding. Ben Worth won the 12 lap B Main ahead of Sprint Car Challenge Tour point leader Kyle Hirst and Colby Johnson.
Racing season will conclude on November 16th with a special Turkey Night event featuring the King Of Thunder Winged 360 Sprint Cars, IMCA Western RaceSaver Sprint Cars, IMCA Stock Cars and Central Valley Mini Stocks. For further information, go to www.racekingsspeedway.com.
Pendergrass, Richards, Davis Win Battle Of The Axles
At Orland Raceway
Orland, CA...October 12...Kevin Pendergrass scored the victory in the 25 lap Pure Stock Main Event Saturday night at Orland Raceway. This was the Third Annual Battle Of The Axles race, and the win paid Pendergrass $1,200. He made a nice charge from the back of the pack after spinning on the opening lap and had some luck on his side in scoring this win.
Wes Smock and Jeremy Langenderfer led the Pure Stock field to the green flag. Smock immediately charged into the lead as Langenderfer and Placerville star Dan Jinkerson battled for the second position. Second changed hands multiple times during the first half of the race as Smock led the way. After his opening lap spin, Pendergrass found himself back in fourth at the lap 11 yellow flag. Smock led Jinkerson and Pendergrass on the restart, and Pendergrass gained second a lap later. However, Pendergrass pushed high exiting Turn 2 on lap 18 and fell to fourth behind Jinkerson and Langenderfer. The battle up front got more interesting as smoke begin pouring from the Smock car.
A low pass in Turn 4 of the 19th lap gained Pendergrass third, and a yellow flag flew moments later. Pendergrass took second on the restart and began battling Smock for the lead. An inside pass on the frontstretch of the 23rd lap gained Pendergrass the lead. Despite the smoke, Smock continued on to the checkered flag as Pendergrass was the happy winner. Langenderfer finished third ahead of Maurice Merrill, new champion Phil Spencer, Rick Etchieson, Placerville star Scott Grunert, Paul Stephens and Steve Martin. Toby Merrifield won the 15 lap B Main ahead of Merrill and Zack Thornton.
Tony Richards scored the victory in the 25 lap Wingless Spec Sprint Main Event. The win paid Richards $500. Richards charged into the lead at the start ahead of Tyler Rockwell and Jonathan Romano. Romano made an inside pass in Turn 4 of the fourth lap to take second from Rockwell. Yellow flags slowed the pace on laps 8 and 10 with Richards leading Rockwell and Romano on each ensuing restart. New champion Denny McNary was running in the fourth position and made a frontstretch pass on lap 21 to take third from Romano. Richards was never seriously threatened as he won by a straightaway ahead of Rockwell, McNary, Romano and Jeremy Langenderfer.
Tom Davis won the 20 lap Mini Stock and Mini Truck Main Event. The win paid the Mini Stock champion $500. Davis has won all but two of the Mini Stock Main Events held at Orland this season. He set the pace from the start ahead of Barbara Crain. Dusty Hills made an outside pass on the frontstretch on lap three to take second from Crain, and the Top 3 competitors ran closely for several laps. With three yellow flags during the midpoint of the race, Davis continued to lead the way. A low pass in Turn 1 of the 17th lap gained Crain second from Hills, who began to slow just a little bit. The truck of Dan Webster moved into third on lap 19. Davis began to pull away in the waning laps to win ahead of Crain, Webster, Rick Etchieson and Hills.
This wraps up the 2019 season at Orland Raceway. For news on the happenings at the track, go to the Orland Raceway Facebook page.
Kellen Chadwick Enters West Coast Nationals
At Antioch Speedway
Antioch, CA...The list of entrants in this year's West Coast Nationals at Antioch Speedway reads like a who's who of some of the best A Modified drivers around. Following his victory in the Donna Soares Memorial race two weeks ago, Kellen Chadwick confirmed that he would be making a run at the big $7,500 payday that's being offered up in the Saturday portion of the two-day event.
Since he was very little, Kellen has been comfortable behind the wheel of a race car. He started out racing in the Box Stock Kart division at tracks like Stockton's Delta Speedway in the 1990s. When he was old enough to get behind the wheel of an A Modified, he began competing at Antioch Speedway. As was the case with his Kart racing effort, it didn't take long before Chadwick began winning races.
In fact, he has 33 A Modified Main Event wins at Antioch Speedway alone, making him third on the all time win list in this division. He also won the 2006 track championship. It wasn't long after that when Kellen began branching out and entering some of the bigger Modified races on the West Coast. He also started running Late Model races and was a three-time winner at Antioch Speedway.
At a time when he had just become one of the top drivers in the big-money races, Kellen was in a terrible IMCA Modified crash at a race in Arizona in 2008. He suffered neck and back injuries and nearly lost his life in the crash. Though he was sidelined for quite some time, Chadwick was determined to get back behind the wheel again and do what he loved to do. When he started racing again, it didn't take long for him to begin winning races.
During the last decade, he has continued to be one of the top stars in the A Modified division on the West Coast. This season, he won his second IMCA Modified Wild West Speedweek Series championship in the Pacific Northwest. He also added the $5,000 victory in the R Charles Snyder Salute at Southern Oregon Speedway to his resume. The win was particularly impressive as Chadwick started in the last row.
Though he hasn't chased points at Antioch in recent years, he returns periodically to win races. This year, he won Antioch's two biggest regular-season A Modified races, the Jerry Hetrick Memorial and the season-ending Donna Soares Memorial race. This positions him as one of the favorites to win the West Coast Nationals this weekend. Though there will be an all star lineup for the show, which begins on Friday night with heat races and Preliminary Features, Kellen has proven that he has what it takes to get to the front.
Bobby Motts Jr To Do Double Duty At West Coast Nationals
Antioch, CA...The West Coast Nationals A Modified and B Modified event is just a few days away at Antioch Speedway, and the list of drivers committed to running this race continues to grow. It was just announced that Bobby Motts Jr will be competing in both the A Modified and B Modified races. This week, Bobby struck a deal with Nick Caughman Jr to pilot Caughman's B Modified. There will reportedly be several drivers running both divisions, but Motts has been confirmed.
The three-day event kicks off on Thursday with a special practice, barbecue, cornhole tournament and live music. Drivers hoping to get a feel for the speedway will have the opportunity to make some laps before race day. On Thursday, each racer will compete in two heat races with points determining who makes it into the Preliminary Features. At the end of the night, the Top 4 finishers in the Preliminary Feature races will automatically make it into the big money Main Events for both classes on Saturday.
Saturday's show includes heat races in which the winners will automatically make it into the show. There will be two 15 lap B Mains with the Top 4 finishers going in, and the Last Chance Qualifier will offer one last shot to make it in as the Top 2 finishers transfer into the 40 lap A Modified Main Event or the 25 lap B Modified race.
Motts and Mike Ferry have proven to be a very successful team through the years. Bobby won over 20 Street Stock Main Events in his career and also claimed the 2004 Antioch Speedway championship. He moved up to the A Modified division, where he won the 2017 title after finishing second in the standings in 2015. Bobby will drive anything and is a threat to win, as witnessed by his feature victories this year in both the Hobby Stock and A Modified classes.
Caughman has also had his success through the years as a Main Event winner in the A Modified class and a past IMCA Modified champion at Petaluma Speedway. After being out of racing for a few years, Nick built a B Modified for his return. Since Nick will be unable to drive his car this week, he picked Bobby to get behind the wheel and make a run for the prize money. To win the B Modified feature will be worth $1,500, while the A Modifieds pay $7,500 to win.
There are many top teams coming to town in both divisions, and some of those drivers are being called the favorites to win. However, Motts is one of those fast competitors who has a bit of a home-field advantage. He's run at the front of the pack with the best of them, and he'll give it a good go in both divisions this weekend. The West Coast Nationals at Antioch Speedway will be a show you won't want to miss.
Newberry And Salazar To Team Up At West Coast Nationals
Antioch, CA...The West Coast Nationals at Antioch Speedway is a week away, and some of the biggest Modified names on the West Coast are planning to compete for the $7,500 first prize money being offered by race promoter Chad Chadwick of PROmotions. It was just announced that A Modified car owner Mike Salazar and Wingless Spec Sprint star Bob Newberry would be teaming up to compete in this event, which will take place on October 17th through 19th.
Salazar, who is a past Top 3 point competitor in A Modified competition and has won multiple feature races, has spent more time at the speedway helping as an official this season. He wanted to enter his car in this race, and Newberry was the most logical choice. Though Newberry is more recently known as a top driver in Wingless Spec Sprint competition, don't let that fool you. He's driven Street Stocks and Dirt Modifieds at the speedway in the past, and he's proven to be very competitive through the years.
Newberry started his racing career in the late 1980s coming out with Larry Cates and others to drive the infamous "Titanic" in a very talent loaded Street Stock division. The team knew that they were outgunned by the other drivers, but Bob managed to catch the eye of 1984 Street Stock champion Walt Haas. Haas was running very competitively at the time and was winning Main Events. Engine man Mike Conley and Haas talked about the possibility of putting Newberry in a more competitive Street Stock for a race. The result was Bob driving to a Top 5 finish in Walt's car that night.
The ability of Newberry was showcased on that occasion, and he soon landed better support and sponsorship and became one of the front runners in the Street Stocks in the early 1990s. In addition to being a Top 3 ranked competitor in 1993, he was a feature winner. The next logical step for Newberry was to move up to the Dirt Modified division. He managed to get a competitive car, once piloted to victory by Sportsman and Stock Car veteran Steve Skarry. Newberry was a Top 3 point competitor in 1998 and 2000 was a feature winner in that division.
With the emergence of the Wingless Spec Sprint division at Antioch Speedway in 1999, Bob began to think about the possibility of going Sprint Car racing. It was something he'd thought of in the past, but it seemed to be something that may never happen. Not only did he join the Spec Sprint division, but he was a feature winner there as well. He won the first of his two Antioch championships in 2004. He ran competitively at Chico in 2006 and won the championship there, while coming very close to doing the same at Petaluma Speedway. Newberry returned to Antioch in 2016 and was a multi-time feature winner that year. A year later, he returned to winning form and claimed championship honors.
Point racing didn't seem to be compatible with Bob's busy work schedule this season. When he could race, he won multiple Main Events again. After point leader Shannon Newton saw his car get destroyed in a rollover on the back straightaway, Bob lent him his car so that Newton would secure his first championship.
Salazar has a feature winning car, and he's known Newberry for quite some time. The teaming of these two long time Antioch Speedway competitors makes them one of the teams to watch on West Coast Nationals weekend on October 17th through 19th. Just making it into the Main Event and securing the minimum $500 available for just taking the green flag is a big challenge. However, Newberry has proven through the years that you should never underestimate him. They don't call him "Racing" Bob Newberry for nothing.
Bakersfield Speedway Unofficial Race Results October 12, 2019
Bud Nationals
Late Models
Cody Laney
Joey Tanner
Ron Bartels
Richard Papenhausen
Paul Guglielmoni
Randy Shafer
Kody Scholpp
Ray Trimble
Kiely Ricardo
Tyler Lightfoot
Bobby Hogge IV
Rick Coffey
James Cornelius
Robert Sanders
Dennis Souza
Mike Lightfoot
Clark Guglielmoni
Nick Bartels
IMCA Modifieds
A Feature
Ethan Dotson
Cody Laney
Collen Winebarger
Alex Stanford
Trevor Fitz
Austin Kiefer
Shane Devolder
Steve Noland
Matt Jenner
Robert Sanders
Austin Rodarte
Shawn Natenstedt
Brad Pounds (15B)
Jerry Flippo
Kollin Hibdon
Ricky Childress Jr
Darrell Hughes II
Danny Lauer
Robby Sawyer
Clark Guglielmon
Dylan Thorton
Kody Scholpp (02)
B Feature 1
Collen Winebarger
Dylan Thorton
Ricky Childress Jr
Shawn Natenstedt
Kollin Hibdon
Bryan Clark
Ryan Lauer
Troy Morris III
Zack Simpson
Randy Shafer
Aaron Rodarte
Ray Trimble
B Feature 2
Trevor Fitz
Shane DeVolder
Darrell Hughes II
Kody Scholpp
Robert Sanders
Bobby Hogge IV
Joe Duvall
Troy Morris Jr
Michael Thing
Devon Reed
Ryan Daves
Dave Sciarroni
IMCA Sport Modifieds
A Feature
Ethan Dotson
Ricky Childress Jr
Michael Johnson
Garrett Jernagan
Nick Spainhoward
Kevin Johnson
Jason Nation
Austin Manzella
Tina Pounds
Tyler Blankenship
Kyle Wood
Brian Carey
Justin McPherson
Cory Hemphill
Matt Mayo
Gavyn Manning
John McKinely Sr
Chris McKellar
Billy Simkins
Matthew Mayo Jr
Dylan Potter
B Feature 1
Kyle Wood
Tyler Blankenship
Matthew Mayo Jr
Cory Hemphill
Justin McPherson
David Pearson
Jack Aguiar
Brandon Jennings
Doff Cooksey
Max Bagget
Crystal Hemphill
Cale Kanke
Kyler Reynolds
B Feature 2
Tina Pounds
Brian Carey
Matt Mayo
Dylan Potter
John McKinely Sr
Markus Frazier
Brylon Holder
James Cecil
Adam Baker
Jeff Miller
Daniel West
Michael Black DQ
Pro Stocks
Brady Bell
Justin Crockett
Wayne Coffman
Clay Daly
Billy Simkins
Dakota Schweitzer
Jerry Flippo
Tim Randolph
Chris Clinton
Scott Bartels
Ryan Smith
Jerry Stewart
Chris Smith
Mod Lites
Zack Forster
Brenden Priest
JD Brown
Sean Conyers
Kaden Cochrun
Derek Rosse
Roy Maynard Jr
Tim Varney
Anthony Balcazar
Jeff Thompson
Kenny Cochrun
Collin Bender
Colby Lewis
Steve Bender
Mike Phay
Brandi Myers
Kyleigh Forste
Phillip Barrow
Candi Varney
Hobby Stocks
A Feature
Nicholas Johnson
Kenny White
Austin Manzella
Raymond Noland Jr
Brian Brown
Chad Johnson
Tyler Bannister
Jeremy Willey
Don Mead
Rob Gallaher
Marcus Wankum
Matt Wankum
Domossie Scoggins
Johnny Wood
Jerry Flippo
Joe Gallaher
Trevor Baker
James Cornelius
Kevin Irwin
Brian Childress
Dylan Wilson
Austin Van Hoff
B Feature 1
Jerry Flippo
Marcus Wankum
Dylan Wilson
Jeremy Willey
Austin Van Hoff
Dale Frye
Rick Childress
James Coots
Sam Garvin
Wayne Dotson DNS
B Feature 2
Don Mead
Joe Gallaher
James Cornelius
Brian Childress
Matt Wankum
Matt Crawford
Jacky Roberts
Justin Gonzalez
Michael Scruggs
Eric Cimental
Bakersfield Speedway Unofficial Race Results October 11, 2019
Bud Nationals Night #1
Late Models
Cody Laney
Bobby Hogge IV
Nick Bartels
Joey Tanner
Richard Papenhausen
Randy Shafer
Robert Sanders
Rick Coffey
Ray Trimble
Paul Guglielmoni
Chett Reeves
Dennis Souza
Tyler Lightfoot
James Cornelius
Kiely Ricardo
Mike Lightfoot
Clark Guglielmoni
IMCA Modifieds
A Feature
Ethan Dotson
Austin Kiefer
Cody Laney
Collen Winebarger
Kollin Hibdon
Kyle Heckman
Shane Devolder
Kody Scholp
Bobby Hogge IV
Ryan Daves
Brad Pounds
Trevor Fitz
Robby Sawyer
Dylan Thorton
Robert Sanders
Joe Duvall
Aaron Rodarte
Stephen Streeter
Devon Reed
Ryan Lauer
Ricky Childress Jr
Michael Thing
B Feature 1
Brad Pounds
Dylan Thorton
Ricky Childress Jr
Trevor Fitz
Joe Duvall
Danny Lauer
Troy Morris III
Ray Trimble
Jerry Flippo
Randy Shafer
Zack Simpson
Troy Morris Jr
B Feature 2
Kollin Hibdon
Kody Scholpp
Ryan Daves
Aaron Rodarte
Stephen Streeter
Austin Rodarte
Clark Guglielmoni
Dave Sciarroni
Shawn Natenstedt
Steve Noland
Matt Jenner
Bryan Clark
IMCA Sport Modifieds
A Feature
Ethan Dotson
Garrett Jernagan
Austin Manzella
Nick Spainhoward
Kevin Johnson
Ricky Childress Jr
Jason Nation
Matthew Mayo Jr
Billy Simkins
Gavyn Manning
Kyle Wood
Tina Pounds
Chris McKellar
Cory Hemphill
Justin McPherson
Matt Mayo
Tyler Blankenship
David Pearson
Jeff Miller
Michael Johnson
Jack Aguiar
Michael Black
B Feature 1
Gavyn Manning
Matt Mayo
Tyler Blankenship
David Pearson
Jeff Miller
Brian Carey
Kyler Reynolds
Doff Cooksey
Adam Baker
Brandon Jennings
Max Bagget
Randy Schweitzer DNS
Cale Kanke DNS
B Feature 2
Jason Nation
Nick Spainhoward
Cory Hemphill
Justin McPherson
Tina Pounds
Daniel West
Brylon Holder
Dylan Potter
Crystal Hemphill
Jason Pugh
John McKinely Sr
Markus Frazier
Hobby Stocks
A Feature
Nicholas Johnson
Tyler Bannister
Jerry Flippo
Kevin Irwin
Brian Brown
Austin Manzella
Eric Cimental
Matt Wankum
Marcus Wankum
Trevor Baker
Justin Gonzalez
James Cornelius
Joe Gallaher
Johnny Wood
Dylan Wilson
Chad Johnson
Rob Gallaher
Raymond Noland Jr
Don Mead
Kenny White
Michael Scruggs
Wayne Dotson
B Feature 1
Brian Brown
Raymond Noland Jr
Kenny White
James Cornelius
Joe Gallaher
Sam Garvin
Jacky Roberts
Aaron Stewart
Jeremy Willey
Robbie Witwer
B Feature 2
Nicholas Johnson
Marcus Wankum
Rob Gallaher
Wayne Dotson
Justin Gonzalez
Rick Henderson
Dale Frye
Brian Childress
Austin Van Hoff
Meghan Myers
Mod Lites
Zack Forster
Kaden Cochrun
Phillip Barrow
JD Brown
Roy Maynard Jr
Brenden Priest
Sean Conyers
Anthony Balcazar
Derek Rosse
Jeff Thompson
Collin Bender
Colby Lewis
Kenny Cochrun
Tim Varney
Kyleigh Forster
Candi Varney
Cayden McCaslin
Brandi Myers
Mike Phay
Jakob Carey
Steve Bender
Keller Auto Speedway Unofficial Race Results October 12, 2019
King Of Thunder/Sprint Car Challenge Tour
Cole Macedo
Justyn Cox
Jac Haudenschild
Sean Becker
Michael Faccinto
D.J. Netto
Tucker Worth
Kalib Henry
Danny Faria Jr
Zane Blanchard
Grant Duinkerken
Mitchel Moles
Jake Haulot
Colby Johnson
Chris Ennis
Kyle Offill
Colby Copeland
Kyle Hirst
Landon Hurst
Willie Croft
Tim Kaeding
Ben Worth
Luca Romanzzi
Jake Hagopian
NARC/King Of The West Fujitsu Winged Sprints
Rico Abreu
Bud Kaeding
Cory Eliason
Chase Johnson
Dominic Scelzi
D.J. Netto
Ryan Bernal
Willie Croft
Geoff Ensign
Colby Copeland
Mitchell Faccinto
Craig Stidham
Sean Watts
Nathan Rolfe
Kenny Allen
Steven Kent
Blake Carrick
Gary Paulson
Mark Barroso
Jason Statler
Jace VanderWeerd
Lemore Raceway Unofficial Race Results October 12, 2019
House Of JuJu Central Valley Mini Stocks
Dan Myrick
Clinton Massey
Randy Brown Jr
Jeff Durant
Brent Myrick
Gean Glover
Darren Wilson
Greg Baronian
Randy Brown
Tustin Griffioen
Scott Glenn
Chuck Doglione
Danny Myrick
Randy Brown JR
VRA Dwarf Cars
Tommy Velasquez III
Jeff Brink
Nick Velasquez
Thomas Velasquez
Tony Pellegrino
Kobe Kerns
Dixon Speedway Unofficial race Results October 12, 2019
Wingless 600 Micros
Kelvin Lewis
Derrick Patterson
Josh Hurley
Blake Parmley
Nate Wait
Randy Sims
Jeremy Chapman
Danny Rozendahl
Harlee Aguilera
Ryan Holden
Jared Byrd
Taylor DeCarlo
Blake Bower
Matthew Kaiser
Matt Santana
Steve Bettanini
Darrell Busby
Norman Harley Rose
Isak Johnson DNS
Jackie Whiteson Jr DNS
Don McLeister DNS
Chuck Patterson DNS
Super 600 Micros
Ricky Sanders
Sage Bordenave
Kyle Mentch
Devon Courtnier
Ashton Torgerson
Blaine Baxter
Cody Parmley
Anthony Lewis
Chris Parmley
Tony Alosi
Jarrett Heimlich
Hayden Saich
Lee Brewer
Jeffrey Pahue
Cody Gray DNS
Jackie Whitson DNS
Jason Chapman DNS
Restricted 600 Micros
Matthew Tatoole
Ashton Torgerson
Izaak Sharp
Austin Wood
Bryant Bell
Hailey Wood
Austin Taborski
Rylee Whitehouse
Braden Streuter
Jeffrey Pahule
Thomas Vo DQ
Jr Sprints
Logan Taylor
Brody Rubio
Makayla Tatoole
Hayden Stepps
Peyton Whitehouse
Kellen Harper
Cynric Vo DNS
Andy Hintz DNS
All American Speedway Unofficial Race Results October 12, 2019
Late Models
Jeremy Doss
John Moore
Jason Romero
Randy Hedrick
Cole Moore
Matt Ericksen
Cole Brown
Ron Chunn
Matt Wendt
Toni Breidinger
Chris Scribner
Tyler Caturheli
Aiden Daniels
Michael Mitchell
JJ Ferguson
Rick Scribner
Lance Halm
Joey Iest
Limited Modifieds
Eric Price Jr
Nick Lyons
Tyler Wentworth
Mike Gorham
Don Shalla
Matt Manolis
Ralph Bailey
Niles Strever
Tyler Mullican
Kris Price
Corey Englehart
Derrick Doering
Super Stock
Byron Gonzales
Dan Farrington
Billy Ray
Andrew Peeler
Erick Ray
Chris Paulson
Tony Latimer
Garry Eisenhour
Nathan Hickok
Jeremy Fritts
Roy Smith
Blake Disomma
Jr. Late Model
Cole Brown
Aidan Daniels
Brody Armtrout
Holly Clark
Kylie Daniels
Lane Anderson
Legends
Nick Halen
Pete Soto
Josh Fleming
Scott Sabol
Kevin Travels
Dylan Washburn
Keith Clement
Pete Pierce
JK Kinney
David Rank
Mini Cup/Bandolero
Kenna Mitchell
Trey Daniels
Colton Nelson
Bella Thomsen
Tayler Mitchell
F4
Timm Williams
Vic Theberg
Ray Molina
Rich Innis
Jerry Nunes
Tony Vino
Haley Woessner
Petaluma Speedway Unofficial Race Results October 12, 2019
Adobe Cup Night #2
USAC West Coast 360 Sprint Cars
A Main
Austin Liggett
Billy Aton
JJ Ringo
Caden Sarale
Tristan Guardino
Koen Shaw
Austin Ervine
Ricky Brophy
Norm Johns
Hannah Mayhew
Nathan Schank
Cody Fendley
Bradley Terrell
Ryan Timmons
TJ Smith
Ricky Lewis
Bruno Bianchi
Shawn Arriaga
Roberto Kirby
Glenn Bryan
Slater Helt
General Hydroponics Redwood Dwarf Cars
A Main
Adam Teves
Chad Matthias
Joe Barket
Matt Hagemann
Jimmy Damron
Buddy Olschowka
John Peters
Tom VanTuyl
Vern Hubbard
Michael Williams
Sam Borland
Carroll Mendenhall
Mark Hanson
Jamie Faulkner
Kylee Johnson
Punky Pires
Travis Day
Ryan Ameln
Danny Marsh
Mark Biscardi
Mike Affonso
Robert Johnson
Shawn McCoy
B Main
Garrett Brady
Ryan Ameln
Robert Johnson
Shawn McCoy
Sam Borland
Tom VanTuyl
Travis Day
Kylee Johnson
Jordan Souza
Eddy Claessen
Shiloh Borland
Vic Vaz
Jim Dubois
Mike Farrell
Adam Freitas
Santa Rosa Auto Body 600 Micros
Jim Beck
Nick Robfogel
Kyle Grissom
Koen Shaw
Carroll Mendenhall
Rob Brown
Sam Borland
Victor Guerra
Jeromie Charon
Jack Clark
Savannah Brown
Anton Gianini
Jerry Andrade
Charlie Emery
George Nielson
The Editor's Viewpoint
It's an off week for me again. It's Friday night as I'm writing this, and I won't have to be at a track covering a race tomorrow. I will be at a track as I'm still in Antioch for another week. Had an intriguing offer to extend my stay here, but there are two factors that are preventing that from happening. Left to do what I'd like to do, I'd be staying, but I will be boarding a train for Oregon on October 21st. There is a scenario that could have me stay a couple of days later, but I will be on the train headed to Oregon after that.
For me personally, nothing is written in stone for 2020. I expect to be involved in the sport most likely and to be at a track working in some capacity. That much I do know. The location and all of that might still be subject to some question. I know there's a lot of work to do for me, regardless of anything else. Though I see myself looking for an exit door out of all of this, I'm still prepared to be involved in the sport and believe I can bring what's needed to help the cause.
So, I sit here on Friday night, knowing there's only one more race left to go this year at Antioch Speedway. It's a big one, and Chad Chadwick will be taking his first shot at promoting a big race. He and others will be at the track tomorrow to make preparations. It looks like some work will be done to spruce up the pit area, and after a Sunday that probably won't have much activity at the track, Chad and his crew will get to work on Monday with more preparations.
I'm on alert for anything I can do to help, but Chad already hired Mike Adaskaveg to work in an official capacity for publicity. Having been on location for the last two races and being able to put my full effort into the last point race of the season, I was encouraged to hear that things went a little bit better for the track with a good attendance. I'd like to think that some of the things that I was doing might have helped a little bit, and I know that sort of effort does make a difference. I'm not sitting on my hands for this race and have been doing a little bit, basically following the lead on what Mike has already done.
Chad hit me with something today. I was asking about the official shirt for the race, which there is none. He also pointed out that there is no official souvenir program. The light bulb went off over my head. I've done the official souvenir programs for Southern Oregon Speedway for these past four years and had two years of experience doing it for Antioch Speedway as well. With my laptop here, I could probably turn out a design for a program relatively quickly. Chad was asking me about printing and all of those things, but it's not a problem for me. Simply find out what the rates are and come up with a good deal for the track. I don't put a program together that's a profit loser.
Having done my magazine for all of those years on almost no budget at all, I've learned how to get the job done. Mike McCann also taught me a little bit more about the business model, which I might not be able to pull off if I were to jump in and do a program for the track on short notice. However, I know I could do a program that didn't lose money. The real question is do I want to? My basic needs are rosters, whatever the event sponsors are for the program ads and some pictures. I can get all of that. The rosters are the bigger challenge, because I don't have a 100% accurate roster for the two divisions on the bill. Best I can do is probably 85% to 90%, and leave space where people can write the names of the other racers.
On one hand, I like the idea that people can come to the races and get a souvenir program. It's part of the tradition in my opinion. A soda, a snack, an official shirt or a hat and a program. This way here, we could still play Race-o. By the time this column goes online, I will have made up my mind what to do here. The effort won't be too difficult. I believe I can have a program blueprint ready to go in a day's time. At the moment, I'm thinking about it. It's one of the things that I think I can do to help out the show, and I did say that I would help as best I could.
The speculation about the future of the speedway is rampant, and I've intentionally been evasive about things. I've seen some people publicly say some things that have come back to haunt them. Until a deal is done, there is no deal. There is a deal happening at Antioch Speedway this weekend, and it's the West Coast Nationals. Chad Chadwick is taking his first shot at promoting, and he's already learning just a fraction of the things that somebody goes through as a racing promoter. Call it a crash course, if you will.
George Steitz was the master of the big race weekend. He came into whatever track was hosting his race and worked his magic. We all looked at George and thought he was taking this humongous risk, and he was. Those purses were not cheap, and therefore, he had to have that money with him in case everything didn't pencil out. Racers would have to be paid by the end of the night, whether the track made the money or not. The thing is, there was never much doubt that George would get a good crowd. They were practically beating down the gates to get in there.
George was such a nice guy, everybody wanted to be at his events. They were some of the first shows where we had camping in the pits, barbecues, bonfires and good times. We also had George going around and thanking everybody for coming to the track. He never really had to worry about his races being failures, because the way he promoted them made them something people wanted to do. It's still a risk putting up big money, because there are certain numbers you have to reach or it's going to be a loser.
It's interesting to talk to Chad about this race. I can see him losing thousands of dollars. I certainly hope I'm wrong about that as I don't like to see a promoter who makes this sort of gesture come out the loser. What is interesting is I'm not hearing Chad worrying about losing money on this particular endeavor. You don't do this to lose money, and the things he's going to be doing from now until race day are being done as a way to get more people to show up and make this as successful as possible.
However, there is also the idea that he's doing this race to promote positivity at Antioch Speedway. One of the reasons he and his crew are coming on Saturday is to tidy up the pits a little bit. I know that Chad won't be able to do all of what he'd like to do there, but what he will do is going to make a big difference in what the racers will see when they pull into the pits. On Monday, Chad's crew will be working on another aspect of things. Track preparation. He has an idea of what he'd like to do with the track, so effort will be made with the racing surface itself, and there is a slightly different philosophy being employed for this.
it comes down to the two heat race format. The first day is about qualifying through heat races and maybe being able to make the big Main Event with your Top 4 Preliminary Feature finish that night. Because of that, Chadwick is hoping to have the raciest conditions possible. He's looking forward to two or even three good grooves of racing, and he's looking for track conditions that are not too wet, and yet not too dry. Track prep experts struggle to find that delicate balance in conditions at some venues, so the goal will be a challenge.
The heat race format includes passing points, and conditions that are conducive to passing is what you want from your race track. It also comes down to that positivity aspect that Chad is going for. You want the racers to leave after two nights of racing with a good feeling about the track. You want the fans leaving and wanting more. You want people thinking about Antioch Speedway during the off-season and looking forward to being part of this show next year. Almost sounds like he's aiming for more than just a successful race this weekend, doesn't it? I'll leave the speculation there.
I was happy to hear from John that numbers were better for the Donna Soares Memorial Hall of Fame night. I was hoping this would be the case, and I was trying to do everything that I could to help make that happen. You can put all the preparations into a night like that, but you still don't know what's going to happen until it happens. Any number of things can go wrong, and there were challenges early in the evening that might have derailed it. However, everybody pulled together and gave the fans a good show to wrap up the 59th championship season. That's all you can ask for.
The beautiful thing about all of this is that the track isn't in any immediate danger. Even if numbers weren't quite as good as one might hope this year, there isn't much doubt that next year and the immediate years that follow are going to happen. The fairgrounds are happy with the track these days and certainly get a sizeable rent. There's nobody breathing down the neck of the race track and threatening it's very existence, as has been the case with other tracks. We have other questions in need of answering, but will there be a next year is not one of them.
If anything, there's a higher expectation for this track. The fairgrounds have a higher demand. At a time when some tracks are dialing it back a little bit in total race dates booked, this track still pushes 30 dates each season. In my opinion, that's just a bit much. Looking over at tracks like Watsonville and Petaluma, where the season is a bit shorter, I sort of understand why that happens to be the case. It isn't just the fact that you are worried about being able to get racers to show up for every race, the cost of living and the price of tickets and concessions makes it so that fans can't afford to make it to every race these days.
Promoters struggle with that sort of balance. What are you going to book on race night? How many divisions will you have on your roster? When do you give certain divisions off nights and when do you book them? Can you strike up any sort of working relationship with neighboring tracks that's beneficial for both of you? Is there any way you can give the fans a break during the season? You worry about all of these things while also worrying how you are going to make rent based on money coming through your gates. It's a never-ending worry.
You also find out who is there for the long haul and who can't handle it. It will take a toll on even the most hearty promoters. John has been doing this for over 20 years at Antioch. John Prentice has been in the game for close to 15 years at Watsonville. Scott Schweitzer has been at Bakersfield for about as long. I don't think Rick Faeth has made a decade yet, but he's certainly shown he has a passion for what he does at Petaluma. The good thing about having guys at these tracks who are committed is that you don't have revolving door promoters.
Revolving door promoters are not a good thing for a race track, because tracks that don't have somebody in it for the long haul sometimes struggle to keep open and have years when there's little or no racing happening at all. This is why I was happy to see Rich Hood enter the picture at Orland. He's already proven a commitment to that track as a driver for several seasons, but having completed his fourth season at Orland with the improvements he's made there to that program, fans don't have to worry about whether there will be a next year. We pretty much know that 2020 at Orland Raceway will happen. Thanks to Jeff Olschowka stepping in at Susanville, we know that track will have a 2020 season as well.
Somebody has to do the oftentimes thankless job of promoting the track. These are the bad guys who are doing everything wrong as far as the racer or fan who wasn't happy is concerned. These are the ones who worry about whether they've got everything covered for any particular race night. These are the ones who worry about paying the bills and being able to keep doing what they're doing. Sometimes you're even talking about racers who have given up that side of things so that other racers can enjoy their home track.
We're also navigating through a time in which technology has changed and impacted the sport. The biggest and most obvious way is with the cars we use at these tracks. The era of the Street Stock as we have known it is on its way out. The fabricated race cars are the future. I don't know that there is a next best thing around the corner the way we've had at various times. Modifieds and Sprint Cars seem to be it for the foreseeable future and whatever other divisions you can schedule shows with.
Technology now makes it easier than ever for a fan to sit at home and not even go to their local track. For instance, I'm writing this article on a phone. More to the point, I am dictating it into the phone and will be proofreading and cleaning it up. I used to have to do this column on a typewriter. With smartphone technology, not only can you let somebody know what happened at your race track in an instant or comment on social media about anything you saw there, good or bad. Now, you can broadcast the show as you're watching it to all of your friends who are sitting around at home.
I don't know what this costs the sport, but I can guarantee you that there is money not coming through the gates at these race tracks because people can sit at home and watch the full show thanks to other people. I'm not talking about professional broadcasts like Speed Shift or Low Budget TV. At least with these companies, the track makes something from the broadcast, even if it's not much. With a fan broadcasting from their smartphone, the track isn't drawing a dime. Promoters might want to put a stop to this practice, but what can they do? Confiscate phones? This is a lawsuit waiting to happen.
Getting back to the aspect of social media, the problem you have there is frequently people want to throw shade at their local track. They will get on the track Facebook page or their own and say some of the most negative things. These are things that influence other people's decisions not to go to that track. I don't necessarily think that these people hate the race track. True, there are some that I wonder about, but I think it's often a case of being so passionate about your track that In the heat of the moment, you don't think that what you're saying is hurting the cause. You're hoping that what you're saying will help it get better.
I'm not one of those people that are posting memes on Facebook saying that when you bash your home track you are killing it. I'm not somebody who's going to tell people that they shouldn't say anything negative about their track at all. This is America. In reality, there have always been people that left the track unhappy and would say anything to anybody who would listen about what they felt was wrong with that track. This would happen in garages or maybe the pizza parlor after the races. It didn't happen on social media, where a post is left for everybody to see for the foreseeable future. I would only urge people to think before they post. Write whatever you have on your mind and before you hit send, think about it for a few minutes. Is it really worth sending?
I don't think we're going back to the good old days in the sport. I've heard people suggest we're going to make racing great again. People have talked about those days when there were 1,500 or 2,000 fans in the stands every week and we had B Mains and all of that. I don't know if that's in our future. I know that sounds pessimistic, but I think we face certain factors in winning the fans back and getting more racers that makes it difficult to get there. We've been forced, for instance, to run five division programs to get the car count up in the pits. It's either that, or you might run a two division show with 25 or 30 cars total. Fans won't come for that, and we have a hard enough time getting them to come for the five division show.
When I say that, I don't believe that good days aren't ahead of us. I don't believe that we can't get those nights with packed grandstands or B Main car counts. I think Antioch Speedway might just have one of those weekends this week. What I'm saying is you have to do a lot of work. We can't go into the automatic pilot mode that we used to go into back in those days. You did certain things over and over again, and everybody seemed to come. These days, you need to adjust your strategy on the fly and do different things to get those results.
Given the fact that we are now an instant feedback society, you have to brace yourself for the negativity to be thrown at you on any given weekend. If you're somebody involved in presenting the sport to the fans and the racers, you have to be doing it because you love it and you know that your ideas are ultimately good for the cause. You also have to be willing to take reasonable suggestions into consideration when making plans for the future. When the negativity hits you, and it will, you have to be willing to brush it off and not let it affect how you do things. If you do let it get to you, you're not going to last, and you'll be flinging negativity back at your loyal customers before you know it.
It's a really good feeling when you're working on a turnaround effort at a race track and you start to see things going your way. At Southern Oregon Speedway, we've put four years into a track that was pretty much on its last legs where the racing program was concerned. Beautiful facility, but nobody wanted to race there except for on special shows. We've managed to more than double those numbers in our first four years at the speedway in both the stands and the pits. Mike McCann has made a strategic financial commitment to improving that program that has paid off, and I've certainly done everything I can do from a publicity standpoint to get the word out about our racers. Everybody does their part on race day, and things are moving along rather nicely.
I mentioned Orland Raceway earlier, and they just had perhaps the biggest race of Rich Hood's four year promotional run. The Third Annual Battle Of The Axles boasted a strong attendance last week, and numbers were pretty good in the pits. They had enough Pure Stocks to have a B Man. They combined the Mini Trucks and Mini Stocks and had a full field of them, and even the Spec Sprints put on an exciting show. I'm sure the fact that they ended the night with a big Destruction Derby attracted people to the show.
We're just a couple of days away from an opportunity that Antioch Speedway will have to fill the stands and have a good pit area. As I've mentioned, Chad Chadwick has been stressing over the last-minute details. Maybe the rollout of this race wasn't perfect, but it's going to happen. There are already over 50 people registered to race, so my thoughts on there being at least 80 cars seems possible. Chad seemed to think there's going to be 100. I'd love to see that, but I'm a little bit pessimistic. To be honest with you, that kind of car count is warranted based on the purse being paid.
I've heard some people pointing a finger at Rick Faeth at Petaluma Speedway, because he's got an IMCA Modified race booked this week. Let me just stop the negativity right here. This date was booked back in June. Rick has done a remarkable job at Petaluma Speedway, and as I said, they've been one of the tracks having the most success this year. However, he's got vocal critics in the IMCA Modified division, many of whom believe he is not booking the division enough. Sidestepping my thoughts on that particular issue, he had eight dates scheduled this year, and two of them were rained out. He did manage to get the $1,500 to win Top Dog Nationals race into the books. In June, he decided that as a way to compensate for the scheduling issues, he would give the IMCA Modifieds a $1,000 to win race. That race happens this week.
When I told Chad a week or so ago that Petaluma had this date booked, he was surprised. I think one of the things a promoter will learn when they go to book big races is to check the schedules at the tracks surrounding them. Certainly, Petaluma Speedway should have been looked at. Do I think that would have affected Chad's decision to try to run this date? Nope. He wanted John to move the race from the 11th and 12th, which was when the big show was initially scheduled. Chad was going to do this, but it's not difficult for me to believe that he would have picked up a phone and called Rick to see what was going on.
Actually, this was a phone call that still should have happened a few weeks ago at the very least. When I think about tracks working together and alliances being formed, it's not difficult for me to say that Petaluma and Antioch should have a strong working relationship. Both tracks gain when they're working together, and this has been proven time and time again through the years. They could easily work with each other involving the divisions they have in common, and the racers and fans would come out the winners.
A phone call could have been made to see about getting the IMCA Modifieds moved, but it's a little late in the game now. Commitments have been made. Done earlier, I think Rick might have been able to move the Super Stocks onto the night and done okay with that. He could have even pulled the IMCA Modifieds back to last week as I don't believe any Petaluma racers headed to Bakersfield to be a part of that show. But, commitments are made now. You've just got to run with what you've got and do the best you can for your track.
Another division that might have been considered was the 600 Micro class, but it just so happens that Dixon Speedway is hosting the Seventh Annual Lonnie Kaiser Memorial race. All season long, the Micro show has been pretty solid at Dixon, and I give Jeremy Prince and his crew credit for what they've accomplished. The Wingless 600 Micro class in particular has done so well that they are getting regular B Mains. This weekend's show offers $1,000 to win Main Events for the three core Micro classes based on 22 Main Event starters. I would expect that all three divisions will have that many cars and then some with drivers coming in from neighboring Delta Speedway, Lemoore Raceway and Plaza Park.
The Central Valley Mini Stock Series out at Lemoore ran their fourth and final scheduled race for the season there. One event got rained out. In his third season at the helm of this group, I believe Dan Myrick has done a remarkable job of putting this thing together. I've been an advocate of running Mini Stocks on a small track such as this since watching them compete at the smaller Delta Speedway in the 1990s. They had a decade-long run there, had a few seasons at Cycleland in Chico and even ran at Dixon Speedway for a couple of years. Honestly, I'd love to see a Mini Stock program restarted at Dixon.
Anyway, this effort started at Lemoore with Dan and others making a strong commitment to it. It's grown to where they are now getting dates at Hanford and other venues. One of the challenges Dan has in running races at Lemoore is that he has to take on the role of promoter. He doesn't get the track for free, so he's trying to run these races and not lose money. It would certainly be a lot easier if he could get some support divisions, and I'm baffled as to why there's not more enthusiasm being shown by divisions that would work beautifully on the 1/5 mile dirt track. They did have the VRA Dwarf Cars out there last week, and the seven competitors who came put on a good show for the fans. Dwarf Cars, Mod Lites, Mini Late Models, Super Fours and who knows what else would work there. There's no reason they couldn't have a second or third division on Mini Stock nights at that track.
Dan has reached out to the newer Stock 600 Micro class that races at the regular Lemoore shows, but so far nobody has taken him up on the offer. To me, it seems like a perfect place for that particular Micro class to get better showcased. I also wonder if the Junior Sprint class would work there. But as I said, it doesn't appear as if anybody from the Micro programs is interested. It's a shame, because I think if the Mini Stock program could get better support, there could be a half a dozen of these events on top of the regular Micro shows there.
One of the things Dan has done is attract some good sponsorship, which includes House of JuJu of Clovis and Morro Bay. The restaurant has offered a significant point fund for this year, and the Top 10 point earners will be receiving money at the end of the season. The champion wins $1,000. I don't know how many Mini Stock groups can boast that claim. With Lemoore done for the Mini Stocks this year, they'll close out their season in November in Hanford. Then, Dan goes back to the drawing board to come up with something for next year. Knowing that he's looking at all sorts of things to keep this going and make it better, I have confidence that the fourth season for the Central Valley Mini Stocks will be a good one.
In any case, these are my thoughts on an off week at the track. By the time the final October race happens, the regular media effort that we've engaged in will be done. I might go dark on the blog after that. It all depends on what happens with me personally. If there's any news to report on that front, you'll read it here. On that note, I'm going to end this column. Until next time...
