DON'S CALIFORNIA RACING RECOLLECTIONS

The End Of The Sportsman Division: A What If Scenario

2011-12-28T12:46:00.000-08:00

I had an interesting thought last night that I thought I'd share here. Looking at the state of racing the way it is now, had the 8-10 car Sportsman field we had in 1981 occurred in the last couple years at Antioch Speedway, it probably would still be a part of the program. Back then, it had to go. Car count wasn't considered to be high enough. The Street Stocks, in their third full season back in 1981, had about 20 cars. The Stock Cars, absent during the 1980 season, still had about the same car count as the Street Stocks. Paul Bender had also brought in the BCRA Midgets that year, and they had a good car count as well.

Car count started going down as they went to the full bodied cars, and during the last couple of seasons, some of the cars didn't even run wings on them anymore. The first track to drop the division was Merced. Jim Soares was track manager at that time, and he has told me in the past that he told the drivers there that if they couldn't give him ten cars, he'd have to drop the class. Well, it happened. Ironically, according to Jim, Chuck Griffin was one of the racers missing when the count dropped under ten, but years later, Chuck brought the division back to Merced.

It was 1998 when the Limited Sprints completed about a decade long run at Merced. That group became a club, and Mark Amador took the newly formed Renegade Sprints to the pavement of Altamont, Madera and Stockton. Enter Luis Miranda, a Pure Stock champion in the past at Merced. Luis was the early leader in the effort to get the Sportsman division back at Merced, and they started having races at Merced in 1999.

Just a couple years later, I had heard buzz that Chuck was planning to pay this division more and make it the headline class. You'd think this would go over well, but instead, the Central Valley Sportsman club was formed. There were a dozen cars, and the guys wanted to take the show on the road. Chowchilla gave them dates and Antioch brought them in for an exhibition race. This was at the height of the comeback, with guys like Miranda, Kevin Freitas, Keith Van Houton and Robb Schropp among the competitors.

You know, there are times for clubs, and there are times to just shut up and race. That may have been one of those times. I was talking with Don O'Keefe Jr., and we both agreed that it was the right move to keep Wingless Spec Sprints as a division at the track, not a club. But, that's a side issue. Let's get back to the Sportsman division.

Almost all of the "big stars" had retired or headed elsewhere. 1977 champion J.D. Willis was brought back from a short retirement by Buzz Wadsworth and George Viscia to drive a Stock Car. 1979 champion Dennis Furia had retired. 1978 champion Marv Wilson won his final race, a 50 lapper, at Petaluma in 1979 and sold his car to Sam Houston. Buzz Enea and Sal Belleci retired at the end of the 1980 season. Then you had the drivers who followed the man, John Soares Sr., to Petaluma Speedway and the Super Stock division.

But, a few drivers were willing to go down with the ship in 1981. Having narrowly missed winning the championship in 1980, Houston decided to come back. Coming off of a State championship, Richard Johnson returned. Jerry Garner was ready to step up and be counted. Al Nordstrom was hoping to get a little glory having been a B Main runner the previous few seasons. Then there was Len Mello, a competitor at the track since the early 60's, who only had one feature win in that time. Len's son in law, Buzz Enea, offered his support in a bid for Len to try and go out a champion.

A few stars of the past, such as Dana Auger, Mike Green, Gene Millard, John Soares Jr. and 1980 champion Mike Gustafson, came back occasionally, while racing at Petaluma some as well. Street Stock graduates L.C. Green, Tom Leopold and Frank Blasquez joined the class, and 1980 rookies Scott Busby and Keith Shipherd ran some races at Antioch and Petaluma. We also saw the occasional visit of veterans Henry Lentz, Jerry Hentrick and Dean Cline.

It was a bittersweet time for me and other Sportsman fans. Car count, as I said, was generally in the 8-10 car range. Mello, Johnson, Houston, Garner, 1980 Street Stock champion Joey Rodriguez and Nordstrom generally made every race, and then you saw different drivers. Depending on who showed up, you could see a dozen cars or more.

There really was something special about this class. I can't explain it. It was unique. But, one by one, they all fall down, Hardtops, Super Modifieds, Sportsman and even the Late Model Stock Car division, as we knew it at least. Those old feelings resurfaced in 1993 when we had 8-10 Late Model Stock Car drivers again willing to go down with the ship and a fan base that didn't want to see it go. When I look at Petaluma and John Soares Sr. deciding that 6-8 Late Model Stock Cars was still worth fighting for, I can't help but smile. He never gave up on them.

The thing about John was there was a loyalty. Not that there weren't problems, but he was loyal to his guys and they were loyal to him. At least that's the way it seems to me. Had he still been at Antioch in 1981, I wonder what direction things would have gone. Certainly there would have been more Sportsman divers willing to race weekly. That didn't happen, unfortunately.

We knew it was the end of an era, so we enjoyed it for what it was. Mello came out and drove the season of his career with 7 feature wins. Houston had five and might have been a stronger force had he not elected to miss a couple of races getting a new car ready. Johnson provided the stiffest competition to Mello, but the State champion came up short in the end. Garner had a strong showing in fourth with three wins to his credit.

When I look at it now, it makes me wonder if it could have been saved. I felt the same about the Late Model class, but this one really stuck with me. Maybe as fans we look at that first division we fell in love with with a fondness above all of the others. I wasn't always thrilled with the way things had gone at the track in the early years following the loss of the Sportsman division, and it just seemed to me like the place had lost something when Soares Sr. left. I don't know.

In this day and age, there probably would have been a follow up season to that last season. There is nothing out there really strong right now, or nothing that looks like it's going to get really big, at least not at Antioch. So, why wouldn't it be back? I can just imagine it. Mello would have came back. He had the car, so why not? Rick Bollinger was his crew chief. And making it more interesting would have been Buzz Enea returning to run wheel to wheel with him. Belleci would have been looking at it real hard and may have fielded a car before the end of the season.

Nordstrom would have been back going for his first win, maybe in a new car that he and Ken Gonderman built. Ken would have raced a little as well. The Green brothers would have been back. Auger would have raced a little in a car he would end up selling. Rodriguez would have stepped it up a little more. Garner would have remained a force. There would be new names in the field. Car count would have bumped up slightly, maybe 12-16 cars per week. Not big, but a nice little show to compliment the Street Stocks and the Byrd-Pettit-Willis battle in the Stock Cars.

Stock Cars would have been called the "headline" class, but the purse wouldn't have been all that different. It's just that the Regional points would have gone to the Stock Cars. It would have been a period of adjustment for sure, but fans would have still enjoyed the Sportsman division. The occasional visits of guys like Soares Jr. and Gustafson would have been welcomed as they left the track with the hardware that night.

And who would have won the 1982 Sportsman title? Probably Buzz Enea. Buzz was due, and he was fast. Houston would have probably been his nearest contender. I'd say Johnson, but he ended up going to Sprint Cars. Mello would have won a race, but staying in the top three would have been hard. Top five maybe. Mike Green would have been a factor, and there's probably a name I'm not even thinking of who would have been a factor, but what the heck. It's all just speculation. I'm thinking Enea wins in 1982, Mike Green wins a year later, Houston wins a close battle with Auger a year later.

Then we have a champion I'm not even sure about. It might be John Bellando or Ted Ferre from Street Stocks. Maybe one of the Curl brothers. I'm not sure, but car count gets to the point where there is a B Main again. Maybe a Regional point chaser is put in a Sportsman. Pettit seems a likely candidate at that time. He did win a Figure 8 championship at Watsonville in 1984. Perhaps Willis is back in the familiar #2a car with the flames on the side. Oh well, it never happened. But it sure would have been cool if it had.

From $99 Hardtop Auto Claimer Cars to Limited Sportsman and finally just the Sportsman division, these cars had a heck of a run at Antioch from 1961 to 1981. It was a sad day to see it go, and it's too bad the Sportsman revival of Merced never caught on here. The Hardtops are certainly a neat division, but man, those Sportsman cars were something to see.

The sport is constantly evolving, and it's a vicious little cycle. Racers are always pushing the rules, and the rules get modified to allow more. It becomes more expensive to be competitive on a consistent basis. Drivers end up parking. Once upon a time, the Stock Cars were the Street Stocks, but they evolved just in time to take over for the Sportsman division. The Street Stocks were born, though they are pretty much the Pure Stocks of today. The Super Stocks aren't that much different from the 80's version of the Stock Cars.

By the end of the 70's, the writing was already on the wall for the Sportsman division, but it just didn't get bad at Antioch until 1981. We still had B Mains just a year earlier. It's funny, though, because had the 8-10 car count existed now, it would probably still be here. I don't know why, but it was just a thought that hit me last night, so I thought I'd put it to words. Sometimes, timing is everything I guess.

Antioch Speedway
Final Sportsman Points 1981
1--Len Mello-----------499 (7)
2--Richard Johnson----426 (1)
3--Sam Houston-------409 (5)
4--Jerry Garner-------393 (3)
5--Joey Rodriguez-----313
6--Al Nordstrom-------202
7--Dana Auger---------189 (3)
8--L.C. Green----------159
9--Jerry Hetrick-------133
10-Dean Cline----------117
11-John Soares Jr.-------91 (1)
12-Keith Shipherd-------76
13-Tom Leopold---------70
14-Scott Busby----------68
15-Mike Green----------65
16-Henry Lentz---------57
17-Gene Millard---------47
18-Rom Amerime-------42
19-Mike Gustafson------37
20-Frank Blasquez------35

Back When The Stock Cars Came Back To Antioch In 1981

2011-12-28T12:45:00.000-08:00

It really doesn't surprise me so much that the Late Model Stock Car counts were big enough to generate C Mains at times during the 80's at Watsonville, Merced and San Jose, but not at Antioch. Antioch always was more of a Sportsman track. It's more than that, though. In 1980, the Stock Car division was dropped from the Antioch schedule, while Street Stocks ran for points for the first time.

I'm really not sure what the thinking was. 1978 was Bob Meeker's championship season. It wasn't that long after that when he passed away, and Antioch ran several 100 lap races for him in the 1980's. The Bob Meeker classic was a big deal because it honored one of the greats, and it was a race everybody wanted to win even more than a usual Main Event.

The division ran a limited schedule in 1979. I'm not sure what the thinking was on that. Perhaps they were trying to generate bigger car counts at Petaluma and San Jose? If you're keeping notes, 1979 was the year Dean Cline won the Stock Car title by just two points over Donna Walton.

So, the division lost two years of momentum entering the 1980's, and they were set to become the headline class in 1982. Could they even get a good enough car count? Well, of course they could. Then, there was the matter of the NASCAR Pacific Coast Regional point race that was coming. The local racers were in for a storm of the toughest competition they could handle. The reality of the situation was that there would only be one locally based Stock Car champion during the Regional point era at Antioch.

Who was that guy? Oh, you betcha, it was J.D. Willis. It wasn't easy for one of the greatest drivers in Antioch Speedway history. Nobody won more features at the track than he did, but Willis had to contend with two of the best drivers NASCAR ignored from the West Coast. Of course, I'm talking about Dave Byrd and Jim Pettit II. Both drivers gave a preview by visiting the track in 1981 and scoring feature victories. Pettit was just 16 at that time, and he would do a lot more winning after that.

The battle in 1982 and 1983 went about the same each year. Pettit shot out of the gate as the early point leader, was overtaken by Willis and Byrd and Willis loses close in the end. Byrd won both titles by a total of ten points. This was a great rivalry. I recall Billy Foote carrying a banner in front of the stands on the final night in 1983 declaring Byrd the champion, to the anger of die hard Willis fans. Billy could get pretty loud in his cheers for Byrd. The Willis fans had a pin created by the Nifdee Speedo button people proclaiming, "Today is Thanksgiving, stuff a Byrd."

But, let me get back to 1981. The question of whether there would be a car count was answered with a yes. Pete Paulsen, who had Danny Jones driving his car to a top five season a few years earlier, put local ace Bruce "The Phantom" Curl behind the wheel of his familiar red, white and blue chrome wheeled #66 car. Bruce's brother Bill Curl made his Stock Car debut, along with John "Chad" Chadwick. "Gentle Ben" Gary Ehrlich was a part of the show as well.

Debbie Clymens and Vince "Beep Beep" Mills moved up from Street Stocks, while former champion Willie "The Silver Fox" Myatt returned after racing in the Sportsman division. Newcomers like Larry Rapp, Chris Morgan and Jeff Skaggs, brother of former Sportsman and Stock Car racer Vince Skaggs, joined up, and car owners Buzz Wadsworth and "Vicious" George Viscia fielded a car that would end up being the ride for J.D Willis.

While visitors like Pettit, Byrd and John Keldsen raced and won features, the local racers were the stars of the championship race with Bruce Curl winning seven times on his way to the track title. Runner up Ehrlich had four victories, while Myatt had two. Consistency led to a 3-4 point finish for Bill Curl and Clymens, ahead of Myatt. The division was strong enough to make it, already out drawing the Sportsman class. They even ran some races head to head with them.

With the carrot of Regional points dangling over the head of the division, racers from the San Jose and Watsonville areas pretty much had their way with the show from 1982 to 1993 with Willis the lone exception in the track championship battle. Other locals, like Buzz Enea, Sal Belleci and Bert Elworthy, came within shouting distance of the title during that time. Nobody from the area launched a serious run at the Regional championship in the Stock Car era.

One of the things that hurt the Antioch Stock Car run during the 80's was the lack of new local entries as the decade came to a close. By 1984, it looked like things were picking up, and the track started running B Mains on a regular basis, but rule changes in 1985 put an end to that. Street Stock drivers started retiring rather than moving up and giving this division a try, cost being one of the factors. However, there was enough support coming from out of the county that the races were still good and the fans enjoyed the show.

It really wasn't until the Dirt Modified division debuted in 1990 that the local drivers started getting behind a new division, and several Sportsman drivers returned. But, that's a story for another time.

I'll just point out that the chain of order in divisions works best when drivers can move up without spending an arm and a leg to do it. Speed costs money, but budget should be kept in mind too. If the locals don't get behind it, it's likely it won't work out in the long run. The lure of the NASCAR Regional points drew the competition from out of town and kept it alive. Some might say it was needed, but had it not been there, things may have progressed in another direction with a more wide open and unpredictable outcome.

I recall conversations with people, such as Stock Car and Sportsman racer Ron Brown, who were pushing hard for a Limited Stock Car division in the late 80's. The Street Stocks were drawing huge fields and it was becoming a division of haves and have nots. So, the thought was to create a division that allowed a few things in the Street Stocks, such as bigger tires and creating this Limited Stock class, while still keeping a Street Stock division too. Many of the top drivers of that time were definitely interested.

I think at that time it might have been a good move. We could have seen Limited Stocks as a good middle division and drivers may have been more inspired to move up from this class to the Late Models Stock Car class. Of course, middle divisions have a way of taking over when their car count surpasses the top class. The Dirt Modifieds were the class we added, and they ultimately did just that. If you look at quality of race and total car count, was it the right move?

I'm not going there. What's done is done. Change always comes to racing and always will. Some changes aren't good and some are, but when it's done right, it can be the best thing for a track. And, the Late Model Stock Cars worked into the #1 spot at the track and earned that status. Their return in 1981 was just the signal that changes were coming and this division was ready to take the lead at the track.

Antioch Speedway
Final Stock Car Points 1981
1--Bruce Curl Sr.-------444 (7)
2--Gary Ehrlich--------370 (4)
3--Bill Curl-------------348
4--Debbie Clymens----330
5--Willie Myatt--------270 (2)
6--John Chadwick------236
7--Larry Rapp---------233 (1)
8--Vince Mills----------189
9--Chris Morgan-------150
10-Jim Coleman--------134
11-Jeff Skaggs----------133
12-Buzz Wadsworth----131
13-Jim Booth-----------114
14-Jim Pettit II---------106
15-J.D. Willis-------------98 (1)
16-Joe Garza-------------86
17-Dave Byrd------------79 (1)
18-George Viscia---------79 (1)
19-John Keldsen---------68 (1)
20-Dave Edjecomb-------54

A Few End Of The Season Observations

2011-10-03T19:26:00.001-07:00

I know it's hard to run a race track these days. Heck, it's hard to run a track in any era, but times have changed. There are too many things out there to take the race fan's money before they even have a chance to decide to go to a race. There are too many bills for the race car driver to pay before they even get a chance to decide to build or race that car. Antioch Speedway seems to be in the 50's for the average five division show these days. Go back 25 years, and you'll see they did that with two divisions.

Can you even run a two or three division show in California these days? Well, maybe you can, but it's gonna take lots of effort to get a car count. Plus, what about those divisions you shut out? Do you think those drivers are magically gonna decide to build cars for the divisions the track will run? Not likely. So, basically, you run them all X amount of (not too many) times per season in hopes of getting the best count possible. You do what you can, and it is better than nothing.

I've been watching quietly from the sidelines all season, taking note of some of the things going on. I give ALL of the promoters credit for keeping the tracks open to allow the racers to put on a show. This is not the 50's or 60's, where Midgets, Hardtops or Super Modifieds put on one division shows with huge fields. This is not the 70's or 80's, where two divisions put on those entertaining shows of the day. Nor is it the declining, but still solid, car counts of the 90's that still entertained.

It dwindled gradually in the last decade to a point where most tracks are lucky to have one B Main where drivers earn Main Event starts not just by showing up, but by racing. It's a good bet that with all the divisions tracks are running there are divisions the fans really don't care for, but they put up with them for the cars they do want to see.

What is the Next Big Thing in racing. Hardtops and Supers were king in the 60's. Supers, Sportsmans and Stock Cars ruled in the 70's. Don't want to forget Sprint Cars. The Sportsmans gave way to Late Models in the 80's while Street Stocks were added to the mix. Sprint Cars took over for Supers. In the 90's, as Late Models became a tour, Dirt Modifieds were added to the mix. This was perhaps the last "big thing" in racing, but at the risk of offending some, the racing sucked pretty bad at times. There were good drivers in the mix, but this was not Late Models.

Still cars showed up in droves, and fans and promoters want to see that. Thank you Mr. Soares for having he foresight to bring this to California. It took NASCAR three years to get on board with this and IMCA came to California two years after the Petaluma debut. A lot of people swear by IMCA, 25 years after John Soares Sr. brought the class to the state, IMCA still promotes here. John's son Jim will crown the track's 25th Dirt Modified champion next season if he keeps the class there, as I'm guessing he will. Word is Jim will add Sport Mods next season, which I'll get into later.

For those wondering where I've been hiding, I'm here, just being quiet. I never left. I actually wrote something a week before Antioch started the season, but I opted not to post it. I didn't want to rope myself into a weekly thing. Too much effort for no money. This column is supposed to be a fun thing. I was greatly relieved to see Mike take over publicity. He was needed. Still hoping to see the track get coverage in The Times, but it will take work.

I'm also happy to see John Meyers announcing. He has become part of the tradition, and I know he loves what he's doing. I respect that about him. He's also able to distance himself from the politics and enjoy himself. I take that stress home with me and it eats me up. Now, announcing, writing, doing a web page and restarting Racing Wheels were all tempting, but even if I had said yes, I don't think I could have done it long term. And there are reasons I won't get into here why I couldn't come back. I'm not the same person I was.

John did one thing I was skeptical of this year. He started Super Hobby Stocks. How about a name change to Street Stocks next season? The reason I had my doubts was Hobbys were only getting 10-12 cars per race down the stretch last year. It worked out though. Drivers moved up, new drivers came in and car count grew in the Hobbys. The Super Hobbys have a shot at double digits next year. The other thing I liked was several drivers moved up from Four Bangers, yet that car count grew. This was a positive step, and perhaps Four Bangers could be a 20 plus car show next year.

If there was a Next Big Thing of the last 15 years, it may be Wingless Spec Sprints. Car count has gone into the 20's this year, but was generally low to mid teens. This is a division I would have liked to see John book a big race for, but the Dirt Mods get all the love. Not that they don't deserve it, but the Spec Sprints could have had a big show somewhere and produced car counts. Either that or getting into the Hunt Series would have been nice.

But, come on. If you think I'm gonna get down on John for the few things I'm not thrilled with, forget it. He booked three big money Modified races at Antioch, the biggie in August hitting into the 50's, brought the Late Models back and continued to support the King Of The West Series. Oh, I'm almost forgetting something. He brought in the World Of Outlaws. The freaken Outlaws. At Merced too. John did that. Last year I said I'd probably give the Top Promoter award to John Prentice, but this year it's John Soares Jr. Maybe things aren't perfect, but damn, he did some good things this year.

John is taking the risk at two tracks this season. Lots of little things being done too. An Antioch racer will benefit some for the UMP Modified sanctioning. Things like that. If it fails, he loses money on the risk. I don't know if anybody is looking these days, but tracks are still being threatened. Watsonville is the latest under attack, but they'd love to close them all. This is why I say it's better to have something than nothing. The WoO thing still blows me away. I doubt the previous management would have done that.

Now, John started 2011 with Kenny Shepherd at Chowchilla supporting UMP at his track too. I think I posted that Chow should join IMCA, not that I'm a big IMCA supporter. The reason I said that is because that area has IMCA supporters and Merced has left that building. It would have been the perfect opportunity. I know Johnnie Baptista would echo that sentiment. What disappointed me was Chowchilla didn't give UMP a full season. I'm sure the situation was pretty dire, but you weren't going to see an increase in cars that quickly.

By the way, Johnnie likes to say another thing that I don't always agree with, but it makes sense at one track I noticed. He claims that tracks go to IMCA to get a car count and then drop them when they do. When Watsonville went IMCA, car count was low. By last season, B Mains were the norm. They dropped IMCA and then what happened? What was the reasoning again? Why do promoters mess with divisions with car counts? More often than not, they lose cars when they do. If a driver starts claiming to want more if they are going to race, tell them to go race elsewhere. When you have a car count, just open the gates and run the race. You don't need to tweak it.

The "Evil" Chuck Griffin had a good IMCA Mod count not too many years ago. Generally in the high teens and even needing B Mains. But, he saw the need to try and get older cars out there and budget racers. So, he added Sport Mods. I didn't think it was needed, and I know I was not alone in that. But, he'd been around long enough to see the cycle of divisions play out. He was one of the last Sportsman drivers at Merced when Jim Soares dropped that class due to low car count in favor of Late Models. This is probably why Chuck eventually brought the Sportsman class back to Merced.

By the way, look at the numbers at Merced a couple years before Chuck held up the checkered flag on his promotional effect. It wasn't that bad. What did him in was loss of big sponsorship due to poor economy. Merced Speedway up until that time had some of the best sponsors you would find anywhere in the state. A bank, a car dealership and a grocery store chain, all gone. If not for that, the man might have still retired, but his hand picked successor would have been there, which I know is what he was hoping to accomplish. That's not a shot at Anybody, because I think John is dong a heck of a job at Merced now.

When Kenny came to Chowchilla, he got on Merced's Sport Mod bandwagon as well as the Sportsman division. In that area, you have to take your cars where you can get them. Now, for a few years, Merced and Chowchilla seemed to be wasting their time. Last year, the roster grew to double digits. Victorville had a slightly bigger count. Suddenly, people were looking at this new Modified class. I saw comparisons to Spec Sprints. Well, yes and no. Everything in Sprint Cars in Nor Cal to the point where Don and I came in were winged and injected. We really created a new class that even Stock Car people could get into.

But, the fact is there are lots of old cars out there. What concerns me is that people think this is a real low dollar alternative to get away from the "big boys" and the fact is that this can divide the Modified count. That may be happening in the Merced-Chowchilla area now. Bakersfield was next to get on board with this class, and I've already seen some rumblings from people about cars being brought by some of the front runners. This is where it starts folks. If you've been around the sport for a while and you have a brain, you know this.

If you keep a tight grip on the rules and don't pay too much, decent starting money and not too much to win, you might have a chance. Now, other tracks are at least looking and IMCA may even get a sanction on one of them. I'm hearing Petaluma, Watsonville and Hanford are looking. My concern is car count being divided. I've noticed a few names at Chowchilla who ran regular Mods within the last couple years. Chowchilla has in fact given up on the full Modifieds and Merced can't seem to get over ten on a regular night.

That may cause some people to wonder why John insisted on a ten car minimum for a Sport Mod show he wanted to run Sunday. But, I can see the argument on one front. It is effecting the Modifieds, so if you want dates, you'd better have a bigger car count. As far as the thought that Merced would be stealing Chowchilla's cars. I reject that notion as whole heartedly as I did when people accused Chowchilla of stealing Merced's cars when Chowchilla opened. They are the driver's cars, and it's up to promoters to make the drivers want to race there.

John has a vested interest in Modifieds right now. He's running big races for the class at both tracks, and it's important to let the racers know they have a home. But, the economy may dictate he get into Sport Mods, at least at Merced. I've no doubt there are a few racers already wanting this class at Antioch, but with 15-20 cars showing up in Modifieds, I can see where he wouldn't want to go there. With Spec Sprints and Four Bangers, John has already been at the front of some trends, so he doesn't have to be a leader in the Sport Mod movement.

However, Jim Soares is looking. Jim took a huge risk last week with a Sport Mod show for $750 to win. First, other than Ford Cook, there are no cars in the area for this class. Second, Chowchilla was booked for a race. Four cars showed up, which seems to be the norm for many new divisions not named Spec Sprints, and Jim did something real crazy. He paid as advertised. Combining the three classes that night, he may have had 20 total cars, so this one hurt. I can see why Jim would look at Sport Mods, given the low Dirt Mod counts. Promoters have to do things like this when there is a car count concern. I also hear IMCA could be sanctioning this. May not be a bad idea to put the sanction on the full Mods too if they return.

Now, if Sport Mods take off at Petaluma, I won't be a bit surprised to see Antioch join in. What I'd really like to see is the brothers working together the way I've no doubt Pops would have wanted. There's plenty of opportunity and it should happen. More importantly, there should be a big race remembering John Soares Sr. So, which one of the brothers wants to book it first?

And Now For Something Completely Different

Now, I'm going to throw something radical out there. You may know that last year I was offered a job at Antioch as announcer, publicity, web master, reviving Racing Wheels. A lot of things. I was unclear on what it would have been worth financially for all the work, but I don't know that I could have gone back again anyway. However, It was nice to be remembered.

I am happy that an Antioch Speedway icon, and yes I said icon, John Myers, returned to announce. The man loves that race track, and I respect his dedication to the sport. We have different styles, but so what? Keep on rocking John, and feeling the need for speed.

I'm also pleased Mike is doing publicity both tracks now. I believe John still announcing at Merced too. It's a lot of effort working at two tracks, and it can be very stressful. That Mike is giving the same effort at both tracks is awesome in my book.

One of the radical ideas I had was to make more use of the internet in selling the track. For one thing, there should be a store selling Antioch Speedway merchandise, extensive history, a track history book and that sort of stuff. An archive for people to look back on. Anywhere that is willing to print information on the track should be sent information. Local community forums would be joined as a way to get information out there.

Another thing I'd use the internet for is video and audio. Having watched the Texas Dirt Network and Ventura Raceway on the internet, I have to say it would be very cool to have that for Antioch. The problem is that it takes money to do this, and the other outlets do it for free. I enjoy the Ventura broadcast. It's pretty amazing to see a California track broadcasting, and I have a lot of respect for Jim Naylor in the way he promotes that track. Now, Jim did attempt to charge one week for video before going back to free. My guess is people didn't really want to pay. It was $20 for the broadcast, so I can understand that.

I'd set it at $10 to start with. Some money is better than none. Ventura has over 200 people watching the main event most weeks. There's profit to be had. What I would consider is showing heats for free to start with and charging for the Main Events. Another possibility would be a monthly fee and access to archives. This way racers have videos to watch when they get home.

With a live broadcast, you can attract viewers from all over the world, family members of racers who can't be there and other fans. It's a whole new audience. With this being a somewhat new idea, I'm not sure where it fits into the deal at the fairgrounds, which could be a good thing. This could put another couple hundred fans in the stands, or more. This means more money to work with. It doesn't have to end here. You can do a weekly show with interviews and that sort of stuff too.

It's a crazy idea, I know, but I think there is potential. You need a good camera and cameraman to work it, a line to the PA for clear audio and a good internet connection and computer to run it. Another thing to consider in this day and age is the NASCAR TV broadcasts at night where fans just stay home. With the new TV's and everything, you can hook it up to your TV and there you go, Antioch Speedway on your TV. I also think that as people see this on TV, the people close enough to the track will show up and watch. It's an idea anyway.

I could ramble on some more, but I'm gonna end it here. Until next time.

82 Years Old? Are You Serious?

2011-09-26T20:07:00.001-07:00

Has there ever been a track champion in the United States older than 82 years old? How about an 82 year old who won two track championships in one season? Well, we have one in California. He's Larry Damitz. Larry won the Limited Late Model championships at both Antioch and Merced this season.

My first thought is that this is what is right with racing on the short track. Drivers who have been doing it for years. If you leave the track and come back a few years later, you still have that driver to cheer on. Honestly, I wouldn't know most of the drivers at Antioch if I did show up to watch, but I would know Larry.

But, it's more than that. He's 82 years old, and he still races. And he wins. 82 years old. Larry is a hero of mine. When you hit your 60's, some might say you start to slow down. But, age doesn't mean what it once did. Larry gives hope to all of us that we can do the things that we love to do when we are in our 80's. It's hard to imagine anybody booing that man. If they do, they are morons, and their opinion doesn't count.

As a young fan going to Antioch late in the Sportsman era, my dad told me stories of Vallejo and Pacheco in the 50's and 60's. He'd name the names, and Larry was one of them. He was on the top ten of point earners at Vallejo in the decade of the 60's and a track champion. Yes, he had to pay his dues in the 50's, but it wasn't long before he was winning. As time went on, he won championships at Vallejo, Petaluma and Chico. This was before he came to Antioch in 1984.

He was a feature winner in 1984. In 1986, he dominated the scene as far as wins. A back injury sidelined him as his nephew Milt McGinnis took over for a couple years and won championships at Petaluma. But, Larry wouldn't quit. He continued winning races and championships at Petaluma. Shoot, in his late 70's, he was racing competitively in full Late Models. I believe his decision to go back to Limited Late Models was based in part on the idea that he would be racing with Chevy McGinnis. He continues to be a force in the division.

It's amazing to contemplate the fact that he's been racing since the 50's. There have been breaks, but not long breaks. I think racing is part of what keeps him young. It's true of all the guys from his era who raced, such as Roland Lokmor, Del Quinn and Phil Pedlar, who raced for years. Roland and Del have since passed away, but it's hard to imagine there'd still be an NCMA without their contributions.

I can imagine what it felt like for Larry to jump back into a Hardtop again this year and win races. He won the last one this year at Antioch. It's like coming full circle to the division that started it all. I know car count is nothing compared to what it was, but still, it's Hardtops.

And the championships? Knowing Larry, though I'm sure he's proud of them, that's not what drives him. It's more than that. It's the camaraderie of the team. It's the friendships made at the track. It's the excitement of being out there competing. It's the memories made. It's all of that and more.

I don't know how long he plans to continue. I've said before that people should appreciate what they are seeing with him out there racing, because it's one of those things you will miss when he's gone. For my part, I wish him continued good health so that he can continue to do what he loves. If he's 90 and he can still do this competitively and he wants to, I hope he does.

Thanks for all the great memories Larry, and I hope you can continue to do what you love for years to come. You truly are an inspiration to everybody.

Random Thoughts

2010-10-06T23:59:00.000-07:00

Okay, I'm going to try and limit my rambling here, because I know I can get going very easily on different subjects. At the top of the list, should the Spec Sprints have been booked for a special at Antioch, are open shows effecting the regular point season at tracks, what is next for Chowchilla and other stuff if I don't ramble too long.

Ten Dirt Modifieds showed for $1,000 to win at Antioch last week. I understand Tulare ran a big show that night, though that doesn't account for all of the absences. I'm not blaming the local racers. It was a long season, cars were wrecked and people needed a break. The fact is it's also open season and some drivers want to race at places they don't get to run now that point season is over. I hope for the best at Antioch, but I'm not expecting car count to hit the 20's in this class. It may not even get that close.

Fact is, this division was given two very big paying races at Antioch this season, and they produced strong car counts both times. Up until that fateful night in July, this class has been clutch, even on regular point nights. I understand John booking them now, but I believe the Spec Sprints would probably have produced at least into the high 20's or low 30's if booked right. Look at what Petaluma just did. This wasn't in Antioch's plans and that's fine, but I can't help thinking they missed an opportunity.

All things considered, I don't think John isn't too unhappy with the stretch run he just had at the track, and that's the main thing. For him to be running two tracks and basically getting Merced Speedway up again on such short notice is a good thing. As long as the tracks are running, things have a chance to get bigger and better at both places.

I do wonder if the open show is killing or at least hurting the point show at some of these tracks, particularly with Dirt Modifieds. More promoters are booking money races during the season, and there are some good racers who used to chase points who now chase the money. It makes it hard to have a show on a point night that even gets near a B Main car count at some places. IMCA has had some moments.

Which leads me to Chowchilla. I don't know what Hanford will be doing, but Tulare has went to an IMCA sanction for its Modifieds in 2010. Having read some of the things that have gone down at that track in recent years, I bet this is a proud moment for Paul and IMCA. However, this puts a damper on the cooperation Hanford, Tulare and Chowchilla had with the Modifieds that allowed each track to have shows not booked on top of the other ones.

As I see it, Kenny has some choices to make going forward at Chowchilla if he wants to run a regular season. UMP is one option. He can jump on the bandwagon with John and link up with Antioch and Merced. I know Antioch and Chowchilla are Saturday tracks, but Antioch does not run Modifieds every week. This would;d be doable with a minimum of double booking. That's one option, and it definitely solidifies UMP's presence in California. If, and I say IF, they do this, I'd love to see Hobbys and Super Stocks added to the sanctioning as UMP keeps Regional and National points there too.

I still have my doubts about UMP, but I want to be fair here since I have my doubts about the crazy thing I'm about to type next. Some "old schoolers" may love it though.

Kenny could bring NASCAR to Chowchilla. The money may not be there for such a move, but it's a thought. I don't even know what NASCAR offers the short track anymore, other than a state point race. This is a longshot, and the only reason I bring this up is Kenny's history racing with NASCAR. Plus, as I said, he needs to make a move.

The Valley's resident IMCA booster, Johnnie Baptista, has proposed IMCA sanctioning for Modifieds, Sport Mods and Four Bangers. Yeah, I know, stop the presses, Johnnie is talking IMCA again, but this may not be so crazy. First of all, this track has worked well with Watsonville in the past, and Watsonville has IMCA Modifieds. Suddenly, California is back at the table competing for IMCA Regional honors.

Chowchilla has a growing Sport Mod class. Ten cars this year, and eight last week. Kenny is even considering a big race for them at the end of October in hopes of enticing cars from Victorville. This class is slowly growing, and double digit counts in 2011 seems doable. It should be pointed out, in fairness, that the track has gotten to this point without sanctioning, but they definitely need to realize that they may have something here.

Four Bangers are coming either way, but sanctioning wouldn't hurt. What if Watsonville sanctioned their class too? I don't see that happening, but what if?

Here's the kicker. Merced was a big base for many years for IMCA Modifieds, and Chuck's Four Banger class at that time carried IMCA sanctioning as well. The question is, how many drivers in the area are looking for the IMCA option in Modifieds? Would it hurt for Chowchilla to hold a meeting for driver input? You can certainly make a case that IMCA saved the Modifieds at Merced and allowed the class to grow to the point of B Mains being needed.

Its an interesting thought. At this point, it seems to me Chowchilla needs to make some changes going forward. Things may be bleak there, but it's salvageable. What Kenny does next will be important, but may be that some driver input can help things along.

I think I will end this here. I was going to comment on Orland Speedway, but if you've been reading, you know my thoughts. Orland is doing good to open the gates these past two years and do some racing, but they do need to step things up in year three. I hope for the best.

For those wondering, I'm not planning to close this blog. It may not be a place that covers things weekly. I may not cover the 50th Anniversary Season at Antioch Speedway (1961-2011), but the blog will be here and posts will be made.

Damitz Collects Fourth Win of 2010 Season, Machado Champion

2010-10-06T13:31:00.000-07:00

Wasn't planning to do a story, but since JonKPest had his videos up and I said I would cover the point season, I did one. I do hope the track makes a better effort to get the word out next year, but we shall see. Congratulations to all of the drivers who helped give this track it's 50th consecutive point season. Technically, next year is the 50th Anniversary of the track, so we'll see how that's handled too. Anyway, results are unofficial and if I misspelled a name, I'm sorry. There were some new cars this week.

Four divisions competed Saturday night as Antioch Speedway wrapped up it's 50th consecutive season of point racing. Ageless veteran Larry Damitz did all that he could do in scoring his fourth Super Stock feature win of the season, but Mitch Machado used his top five finish to grab a well earned championship. Having been disqualified from a win earlier in the season, Jim Freethy finally earned his first Hobby Stock feature win of the season in the Team #99 car that he has shared with Jack Jonker this season. Meanwhile, Brad Myers used his top three finish to give the Team #33 car he shares with Melissa Hansen the division championship. With no points, but $1,000 on the line, Mike Salazar dominated in winning the Dirt Modified Main Event. With their race being run in reverse, Justin Silveira continued his strong late season effort with his second Four Banger feature win, while Patty Ryland won her second straight division title.

With 12 cars on hand, the Super Stocks ran two heat races. Damitz got his night started off right with a heat win ahead of Mikey Slaney. Lori Brown held off Machado to win her heat race, but Machado came back to win the Trophy Dash ahead of Damitz.

While Machado started deep in the pack, Damitz had a front row start for the feature and raced into the lead at the drop of the green flag ahead of Slaney and Brown. Fred Ryland and Machado were battling for fifth when they tangled in Turn 2 for a yellow flag. Damitz chose the outside for the restart and continued to lead as Mike Gustafson rode the high side around Slaney for second. Eric Berendsen had his hands full with Machado battling him for fifth as Brown was fourth. On lap 18, Berendsen, Daniel Mendes and Ryland crashed in Turn 4 for a caution flag. Damitz didn't let that stop him as he led the restart and cruised to victory ahead of Gustafson, Slaney, Brown, Machado, Jon Haney, the #8 car (Alan Beasy?), Berendsen, Mendes and Ryland.

There were 11 Hobby Stocks, and Wes Bentley won the first heat race ahead of Phillip Gibber. Myers won the second heat race ahead of previous feature winner Dave Lincoln. The division also got a Trophy Dash with Gibber collecting the win ahead of Lincoln. Randy Mentzler scratched after the heat races.

The top point earning driver in the Hobby Stocks this season, Chris Sorensen shared the front row of the Main Event with Freethy, but it was Freethy charging into the lead at the start ahead of Megan Ponciano and Myers. An outside move on the back stretch gained Lincoln third on lap two. A yellow flag flew on lap six when Gibber's strong night came to an abrupt end. Freethy remained in the lead on the restart, but a yellow flag flew a lap later as Bentley and Lincoln crashed in Turn 2. Bentley and Lincoln retired, and Freethy led Ponciano and Myers on the restart. With Sorensen running fourth, the lead four cars ran closely the rest of the way, and Freethy collected a well earned victory ahead of Ponciano, Myers, Sorensen, Chuck Templeman, Pat Gooding, Aaron Biels, Lincoln, Bentley and Gibber.

With Tulare also running a money race for Dirt Modifieds, ten cars showed for the $1,000 to win at Antioch. Petaluma champ Michael Paul Jr. won the first heat ahead of Chester Kniss. After Dan Gonderman and Troy Foulger crashed running 1-2, Salazar won the second heat with Foulger bouncing back for second.

Salazar had a front row start for the Dirt Modified feature and was not to be denied as he charged into the lead at the green flag ahead of Paul and Foulger. By lap five, Salazar was a straightaway in front and lapping slower cars. Foulger slowed in Turn 4 for a lap eight caution flag. Salazar maintained the lead on the restart as Derek Colvin slipped past Paul for second. Colvin was doing a great job of holding down second, but problems in traffic on lap 16 dropped him out of the top three as Paul and Gonderman raced past. Salazar had a huge lead at that point and cruised to a popular victory ahead of Paul, Gonderman, Colvin and Gene Haney.

Eight cars competed in the Four Banger division, and Ryland's point lead was not insurmountable until she won the heat race by a straightaway ahead of Dayna Andreesen. Track officials elected to run the Main Event in reverse to shake things up a bit, and newcomer Humberto Orezzo set the early pace ahead of Silveira and Ken Radabaugh. A back stretch pass on lap four gained Silveira the lead. Radabaugh was second by lap ten, but Silveira was not to be denied the victory as possibly the hottest driver in this division in the last four or five races. Radabaugh settled for second and will be the runnerup in points for the second straight season. Orezzo held off Ryland to finish third. Lynn Wilkerson was fifth as Andreesen, Mike Felt and Laura Crabtree completed the finishing order.

With point racing done, the season closes at Antioch Speedway with an open show for Dirt Modifieds, Super Stocks and Hobby Stocks this Saturday night.

Antioch Point Race Comes To A Close With Four Division Show

2010-09-24T12:42:00.001-07:00

We enter the final point race of the season at Antioch with not much expected to change in the standings. The most potential appears to be in the Winged 360 Sprint Cars and Four Bangers, but I wouldn't count on it. However, if there is a chance, anything can happen. It has been a chore at times to get results from the races, and I feel good about having a place here where people can look back on the 2010 season at Antioch. As I get ready to step away from this, it is my hope that the track will hire somebody to do the job of handling the track's publicity.

The Over/Under number for this race is 42. Though they could have over 50 cars for this four division show, I wouldn't count on it.

Winged 360 Sprint Cars (10), Super Stocks (12), Hobby Stocks (12), Four Bangers (8).

First of all, the audit has been completed for the Wingless Spec Sprint point race, and your champion is Tommy LaLiberte by ten points over David Press, according to the track's web site. At the end of last week's race, it appeared as if Press has won by two points. I typed a blog that wasn't posted that cautioned that this could be the case. I also wanted to point out that this was a mistake in point calculating, and nothing devious, in my opinion. There have been mistakes from time to time in other classes that I have noticed just from a glance, and I've been told the track hasn't had a problem correcting things as they are pointed out. It might be a good idea to audit things at the top in the other classes, just in case. I'm not suggesting anything is wrong here, but as i said, honest mistakes happen. It also might be a good idea to examine how things are being done with the points, and make a change. There are plenty of options out there.

Even with three wins in five races, Craig Smith still holds just an 18 point lead over rookie Ryan Rusconi in the Winged 360 Sprint Car race. This may be because Rusconi is still winning heat races and made an impressive charge to finish second last time out. Risconi and Smith both started in the back of the ten car field last time, and with only a red flag at the start, they had to hustle their way trough the pack.

Past champion Art McCarthy was third in the previous race, leaving him just 24 points behind Rusconi for second. After Jeremy Burt's victory last time out, he is 20 points behind McCarthy for third. Though it isn't likely to happen, there could still be a change in the top five of the standings. The bigger picture is Antioch's attempt to establish it's own 360 Sprint Car division. The track has a desire to be a player on the Sprint Car scene, and with 8-10 cars showing up so far, it won't be a surprise to see the division on the schedule next season.

When a season high 13 cars showed up last time, it showed that drivers are still interested in supporting the Super Stock division. Throughout the first half of the season, just six or seven cars were showing up, leaving many to wonder what happened to this division. The more cars that show for this division, the better the racing will be. Despite the car count issues, Mitch Machado and Larry Damitz have had a nice battle for the championship.

Last time out, Machado scored the victory to maintain his status as the winner of the most features in this division this season. Damitz did make a charge into the top three, but the point damage has been done. Most likely, all Machado will need to do is start this feature to win this championship. Machado has not made it a big goal of his to win championships in his impressive racing career, though he has track titles at Petaluma and Sacramento, but he wanted this one.

The added bonus of competing against a legend like Damitz had to make it special. In fact, Machado's Street Stock title at Petaluma came the same year as one of Damitz's Late Model titles. At 81 years old, it's amazing to see Damitz racing, let alone doing it as well as he still does. I'm not sure how much fans realize how special this is. Damitz got his start racing in the 1950's at tracks like Contra Costa Speedway in Pacheco and Vallejo Speedway, tracks that no longer exist. Whether or not this is it for Larry, I certainly want to thank him for all the memories and for doing it with the class and style that he always has.

Fred Ryland won two features this season, but the rookie stumbled just slightly to fall out of the hunt. As of now, the likely "Rookie Of The Year" holds a 22 point lead over the steady Eric Berendsen for third. As a double digit car count is expected, something could happen here. The same can be said for fifth, where three time Antioch champion Mike Gustafson, a three time winner this year, now has a nine point lead over Lloyd Cline. Cline tried his best to hold him off as Gustafson gained a little every week, but he will need to bring something special to reclaim the position from a veteran like Gustafson.

With a second last time out, two time Street Stock champion Michael Newman would have to be considered a threat to win the finale if he shows. Other drivers to look for include two time track champion Melissa Hansen, Jon Haney, Lori Brown and Mike Calhoun. Last time out, 2009 champion Danny Mendes and Mikey Slaney made their season debuts, showing further proof that interest is growing in this division as the season comes to a close. Another season high car count is possible this week.

With Hansen anticipated in the Super Stocks this week, it could mean rookie Brad Myers will get to finish the season in the Hobby Stocks for the Team 33 car. Myers made a rare mistake last time out when he spun taking early in the race, but he did manage to recover for a top three finish. That put him 36 points ahead of Chris Sorensen going into this race. He will likely only need to start this feature to claim the championship. The idea of a car owner champion and a driving champion still sounds appealing to this writer.

In the case of a driver champion, or second in points, it would be a battle between Sorensen and past champion Dan McCown, who picked up a top three finish last time out. Sorensen is 15 points ahead of McCown in a close battle. This one could get interesting as both drivers are feature winners this season and capable of doing it again. At this stage in the game, the Team 99 car of Jack Jonker and Jim Freethy and the #98 of Joe Cancilla appear to have a good hold on fourth and fifth.

Wes Bentley's top five finish last time out allowed him to take a four point lead over Pat Gooding in the battle for sixth. Gooding finished in the top ten in the 14 car field as he continues a strong late season run. Speaking of strong runs, after his second place finish two races ago, Dave Lincoln kicked it up a notch with a win last time out, to push him into 14th in points after a late start. As with the Super Stocks, this should be a good show that could possibly field one of the best car counts for the division this season.

Ken Radabaugh did what he could last week in the Four Bangers, but luck simply was not on his side. 2009 champion Patty Ryland won the heat and the Main Event to continue her charge. Radabaugh, the 2009 point runner up, was second in the heat, had problems and came back to finish third. He was second early in the feature, but he ended up in the pits and finished the race laps down. The bottom line was the two were tied going into the night, and Ryland now leads by 16 points.

Though it's still close, Ryland is clearly the class of the field, and short of a DNF in the Main Event or some other problem, she will be champion again. Radabaugh can't worry about what Patty does. He needs to get out there and win his first feature of the season and let the points fall where they may. With another strong top three run, Justin Silveira is a solid fourth in points, but he won't catch third ranked Dayna Andreesen, who looked good out there last week. However, as mentioned last week, Justin is making a good case for himself as driver to beat in 2011.

Another driver looking good after a late start is Mike Felt. Mike had a top three run to move into sixth in the standings, but he won't catch Dominique Myers. Myers holds fifth in points despite a DNF last week. Another Myers in the field was Brad Myers, who enjoyed a top five finish in his first start, basically just making laps. There were eight cars last week, and if a few more drivers show up, it could increase the possibility of a change at the top of the point list.

Plenty Of Excitement And Drama At Antioch Speedway

2010-09-22T19:47:00.000-07:00

The official results aren't up, so finishes here are unofficial. Just trying to put something out to spread the word a little. Once again, JonKPest has come through with some nice videos of the action from what looks like another good night of racing. Jon has done a great job with the videos and helping spread the word of the good racing going on out there.

Points are not posted as there is an audit being done on the Wingless Spec Sprints. This is standard procedure when you have a close race like that. It could change, or it may not. As long as the points are as accurate as possible, I don't care. It's a sign of a good point race when you have a battle go down to the final race, and they had two last week.

There was plenty of excitement and drama on tap at Antioch Speedway Saturday night as three point races concluded for the season with two of them going down to the last checkered flag. Tommy LaLiberte seemed to be on his way to the front again in wingless Spec Sprints, but when mechanical problems sent him pit side, the point lead appeared to shift in favor of David Press. Points are being audited as of this writing to confirm a champion. Meanwhile, Nick Squatritto was locked in a battle with Ricardo Rivera in the Dwarf Car feature before a flat tire sent him to the pits. The result of Squatritto's misfortune was Jerry Doty winning the championship. Feature wins for the night went to Chico competitor Braedon Enos (Wingless Spec Sprints), Ricardo Rivera (Dwarf Cars), Travis Dutra (Mini Trucks) and Patty Ryland (Four Bangers).

With 14 Spec Sprints in action, two heats were staged. Nick Larsen won the first heat ahead of Dan Gonderman as incoming point leader Tommy LaLiberte claimed third place points. David Press gained some ground on the lead by holding off Jim Perry Jr. to win the second heat, but no Trophy Dash was held to offer further point gain opportunity heading into to the feature.

Jeff Lee had a front row start for the Main Event and raced into the early lead ahead of Gary Nelson and Trevor Press. A lap two caution flag flew for Gonderman, and LaLiberte settled into fourth on the restart. LaLiberte made a move for third in Turn 2 of the sixth lap, resulting in slight contact as both continued. Working lap nine, LaLiberte and Nelson made contact in the battle for second. Both continued with LaLiberte in second and pressuring Lee. Moments later, the final caution flag fell for a two car tangle in Turn 4. LaLiberte headed to the pits for repairs and did not return. Lee led Nelson and Chuck Bradshaw on the restart. Very quickly, Braedon Enos, Perry and D. Press made this a close six car battle up front that went on for several laps until Enos made his move. Working lap 14, a high move in Turn 2 gained Enos third from Bradshaw. A lap later, Enos passed Nelson on the outside in Turn 2 and made a high pass in Turn 4 of the same late to take the lead from Lee. As Enos pulled away, Perry made his move. A low pass in Turn 4 of the 16th lap put Perry into third, and he made a high move in Turn 2 of the 17th lap to take second from Lee. The close battle continued for third, with Nelson taking over that spot on lap 20. Enos held a comfortable lead all the way to the checkered flag with Perry never threatened in picking up yet another runner up finish. Nelson was a season best third, and D. Press may have gained enough points in fourth to win the championship by a slim margin. Gonderman was fifth, followed by Lee, Bradshaw, T. Press, Roy Fisher and Larsen, all unofficial as official results were not available.

With 19 cars, the Dwarf Cars ran three heat races. Incoming point leader Nick Squatritto started his night off right with a heat win ahead of Michael Crommie. The second heat win went to rookie Tom Brown ahead of Tony Carmignani. Five time champion Ricardo Rivera was back in prime form with a heat win ahead of the persistent Jerry Doty. Though not as flashy as Rivera and Squatritto, Doty has been consistent all season long, and that would pay off in the end.

The feature started off well for Squatritto, who set the early pace ahead of Brown and Rivera. As Squatritto had nearly a straightaway advantage, Rivera made a low pass in Turn 4 of the seventh lap to take second from Brown. Squatritto caught traffic by lap ten, allowing Rivera to close the gap quickly. A back stretch pass on lap 12 gained Rivera the lead, and moments later, Squatritto slowed with a flat tire. A caution flag flew for a crash, and Squatritto retired to the pits. Rivera led Brown and Johnny Tevis on the restart. Tony Carmignani made his move into third place on lap 18, and at the checkered flag, it was Rivera with an impressive win, followed by Brown, Carmignani, Russ Sieber and Curt Jordan. Doty took the checkered flag in sixth to clinch the championship as the top ten was unofficially rounded out by Nick Davis, Chuck Connover, Sam Westhorpe and John Davis.

For the first time since early in the season, there were ten Mini Trucks, and they had two heat races. Having already clinched the championship two races ago, Travis Dutra won his heat race ahead of Dean Cline. Second ranked Dan Wagner won the other heat ahead of last week's feature winner Mike Harmon.

While Pete Paulsen and 2009 champion Gene Haney shared the front row for the feature, Dutra and Harmon were in the last row. Paulsen led the early goings ahead of Greg Williams and Wagner. A high move in Turn 2 of the third lap gained Williams the lead, and Wagner and hard charging Dutra both got past a sideways Paulsen on lap 4. A low move in Turn 4 of the seventh lap moved Dutra into second, and he made a back stretch pass on Williams for the lead on lap nine. However, a surprising mistake by Dutra saw him get out of shape exiting Turn 4 to complete the 11th lap. Both Williams and Wagner raced past him in Turn 1 for first and second in a good battle up front. A yellow flag flew moments later, and Dutra raced back into the lead on the restart. Williams pitted to move Wagner into second, but Dutra would hold a straightaway lead by lap 16. Paulsen gained second on lap 17 as a yellow flag flew for Wagner. The restart saw Harmon take over second, but there was no stopping the hard charging Dutra from claiming the victory. Paulsen settled for third ahead of Haney and Ron Mayberry.

The eight Four Bangers ran one heat race, and the night started with 2009 champ Patty Ryland and 2009 point runner up Ken Radabaugh in a tie for the point lead. Ryland emerged with the lead going into the feature after her heat win ahead of Justin Silveira and Radabaugh.

As luck would have it, Ryland started on the front row of the Main Event and led every lap. Hoping to keep the point damage to a minimum, Radabaugh raced into second ahead of Dayna Andreesen, but Andreesen made a back stretch pass on lap five to take over second. A low move in Turn 4 of the ninth lap moved Silveira into third, and moments later, Radabaugh received a j mechanical black flag. As Andreesen faded late, Silveira and Mike Felt found themselves in second and third, and Ryland would cruise to the victory. Brad Myers finished fourth ahead of Andreesen.

The final point race of the season this Saturday night will feature Winged 360 Sprint Cars, Super Stocks, Hobby Stocks and Four Bangers.

Random Thoughts

2010-09-19T12:41:00.000-07:00

Still waiting for information on Antioch Speedway's results, but I noticed a few interesting things out there I thought I'd comment on.

Over at the Dirt Stars forum, Mike Meazell reported in the Late Model section that Jim Soares announced that he has Petaluma Speedway for another five years. I've made no secret of the fact that I think Jim should continue to be the promoter over there and have mentioned that here a few times this year. I had heard that others were looking, and I think recent developments may have changed that. Since that's not important now, I won't get into it any further.

What is important is that Jim can continue to promote a track that has been in his family for decades, and he can continue to offer the variety of fan favorite divisions that he does. I know that the purses on some of these classes are not cheap, and he continues to do it. That you can go to a track that on some nights has Late Models, 360 Sprints, Wingless Spec Sprints and Dirt Modifieds is very rare these days, but Petaluma does it on occasion.

When Jim took over, only two of the classes were performing anywhere close to where you want them to, and he came in and turned it around. While the last couple of years have been trying at times, his Sprint Car program and Late Models are in double digits, as are the Dwarf Cars and Street Stocks. Everything isn't perfect, but what track is? There are things that need work, but Jim will turn it around. In the case of the Dirt Modifieds, he can only offer the races and the $100 to start purse. The racers have to get on board.

I would anticipate more Civil War 360 Sprint Car races at Petaluma in 2011, hopefully the Hunt Series for the Spec Sprints, some sort of 410 Sprint Car race, more Late Model racing and the usual divisions fans have come to expect from the All Pro Series at Petaluma. Congratulations Jim and best of luck to you for the next five years.

With that said, we now know who is running Petaluma, Antioch, Watsonville and Merced for the next few years. I'm just putting that out there. It's up to the powers that be what happens next, but a little cooperation would make things so much better for all.

Also at the Dirt Stars forum, Sam Kennedy asks an interesting question in the general section about 1st Amendment rights at the race track. Well, in this country, we still have them, at least for now, but a race track is a different animal. I know Sam isn't a fan of current management at Watsonville and has attended fair board meetings in opposition of that management. That is totally within his rights. Basically, the track is a dictatorship, and some places will go so far as to post a sign at the front stating they have a right to refuse admittance to anybody. Antioch Speedway, for instance, does that.

You can cheer and boo, but you don't have a right to get profane and disrupt people's enjoyment of the races. You don't have the right to distribute literature at the track or circulate petitions or that sort of thing without consent of the management. In fact, if they want to, they can bar cameras and video recorders. You don't have the right to organize anything at the track that the track deems negative or against its interest. Now, you can attend fair board meetings, you can use the internet to organize against management, you can stand on public property outside the track to protest if you have the necessary permissions, if you are so inclined.

You don't have a right to use track resources against them. They are within their rights to remove you from the premises if they feel you are being disruptive.

When I started my magazine years ago, I was selling them at the track. Bert Moreland even confiscated them one night on the grounds that a "might" have something negative against the track. This was the Jim Pettit II issue I was so proud of at the time. Bert later apologized for doing that, but he was within his rights. For the next couple of seasons, I went head to head with track management at times and had my press privileges revoked on more than one occasion. I felt I was in the right, but again, it's their ball park. If you are gonna fight the fight, you'd better be ready to pay the price.

Finally, I made the magazine a subscription and mail deal, so I would be free to handle my business on my own time. I still sold a copy or two at the track from that ti,me until about 1995, but the base of the business was mail. What was interesting to me is that I had people come to my face and talk about how they loved the magazine and getting it during the week, and a couple of those hypocrites went straight to track management and complained to them, AFTER telling me how good I was doing. I'd get in trouble again, but these magazines were sold off property during the week. I finally dropped those subscribers. I don't mind if you don't like it, but be honest with me.

Jackie did come on board for a few years and sold the magazine at the track, and though at times I was controversial, there was never a problem.

The last time I was kicked out in 2001, I didn't even sell a copy at the track. It was all mailed out. I was a ticket buying customer and a simple spectator, and I still got tossed out because my editorial pissed off track management. I wasn't doing anything on the premises and I could have fought it and won. but, at that point I didn't care. As I was walking away, past the pits, some of the racers thought it was funny, but I bet they aren't laughing now.

So, anyway, you don't have a right speak out against the track on their property. If you want to get creative and fight the good fight, there are ways to make it happen, but you aren't going to do it on the track's time. Whenever I was critical, I tried to make a point of offering solutions and would jump in if I got the chance. Simply being a jerk and being negative for the sake of being negative is not a good thing to do. If you love the sport, be a part of the solution. Otherwise, just shut up and go away. Why waste you're time if you hate it so much? No use spreading the misery.

Marshall Weaver brought up an interesting post on the Late Model Racer forum. He posted an some old photos from the Sportsman division at Merced from several years ago, and this is some pretty cool stuff. This prompted some cool responses about the history of our sport, and as usual, Ken Bonnema gets it. He knows the history of this sport matters, and how it can be a part of promoting the current sport. I've been saying this for years. Ken points out John Soares Jr. has a chance to start a Hall Of Fame at Merced and Antioch and what an opportunity it would be. He's right.

Going into the season, John had mentioned this time me, and I think it would be a good thing to do at both tracks. I still like the BCRA idea of a picnic before the races, and then everybody can come watch the races, maybe even a special extra distance race that night. If booked right, it would be a winner.

Four Divisions In Action This Saturday At Antioch

2010-09-17T02:20:00.000-07:00

If I didn't know any better, I'd say John was doing a rain dance this week in the hopes of canceling this one due to weather. A big part of this show was to be the West Coast Enduro, but that race has been dropped due to lack of interest. I believe John put this one in the hands of the WCE people to drum up support, and I'm not sure how much effort was made on either front to get cars. Reportedly, seven drivers signed up for this race, and that just won't due.

Two divisions, the Wingless Spec Sprints and Dwarf Cars, will be under pressure to have big nights, because the other two classes, Four Bangers and Mini Trucks, aren't likely to break into double digits based on what they've done so far this year. I guess it's too late to add a class, but perhaps a division will get time trials or maybe all four classes get Trophy Dashes to help round out the show a little better. We'll see.

The Over/Under Number for this is 46.

It's worth noting the past couple point races have been above our projected number, which is always good to see. The track appears to be ending the 2010 season on a high note.

Wingless Spec Sprints (16), Dwarf Cars (16), Four Bangers (7), Mini Trucks (7).

The Wingless Spec Sprints, Dwarf Car and Four Bangers still have championships to decide, while the other one appears to be over. Actually, the Mini Trucks were over a long time ago.

In 12 seasons of Wingless Spec Sprint racing at Antioch Speedway, only one driver has won the championship more than once. That would be open wheel racing veteran Darrel Hanestad, who won back to back championships in 2002-03. Two drivers, Tommy LaLiberte and David Press, have just 20 points separating them in favor of LaLiberte. It is likely that a Trophy Dash will also be part of the preliminaries, which means there could be as big as a 12 point swing in either direction entering the final Main Event.

This is amazing when you consider how much winning LaLiberte has been doing this season. It's a good bet that both drivers would like to have the previous race back. In that race, won by Petaluma racer Geoff Ensign, Press was eliminated early, while LaLiberte took a hard hit into the Turn 4 wall late in the race going for the lead. Actually, the past month or so of racing for LaLiberte has made him thankful that the rest of the season went as well as it did for him. For Press, consistency has kept him in the game, which is no surprise considering the championships he's won at other tracks.

Actually, the last race saw Petaluma racers Ensign, Zach Lynsky and Scott Dupont grab first, second and fourth, respectively. It was a particularly nice comeback for Lynsky, who had spun out earlier in the race. With his third place finish, Nick Larsen moved to within six points of Rick Sharp for tenth. Though not a Petaluma regular, Chuck Bradshaw ranks top ten there as well as at Ocean Speedway. The rookie Bradshaw finished fifth in the most recent race to stay 14 points ahead of Trevor Press, who has been coming on strong of late. Trevor was eight in the most recent feature.

After back to back disappointing nights, it looks as if third is the best that five time champion Ricardo Rivera can do in the Dwarf Car championship chase. It's likely he wasn't too worried about it after missing a race this year, but he still came oh so close. With that being the case, Nick Squatrito holds an eight point lead over Jerry Doty. It was just a few races ago when Rivera had taken over the point lead, putting the pressure on the other two drivers to step up. A week later, Doty responded with a feature win of his own to claim the point lead, but he was trumped by a feature win for Squatritto a week later that regained him the lead.

Seeing these two drivers come up big has made this perhaps the most exciting battle at the track. Most fans would have provably expected Rivera to take over as he has so many times before, but it's moments like these when stars are born. Last week, both Squatritto and Doty were second in their respective heat races before Squatritto finished second in front of Doty in the Main Event. All Squatritto was able to gain on the persistent Doty was a mere two points. It will be interesting to see what happens in the finale.

Tony Carmignani has been there before, only to lose to Rivera by a slim margin. With the pressure off, Tony continues to run impressively in recent races. Coming into the previous race with two seconds and a third in his last three starts, Tony may be the hottest driver in the division at the moment in his green #11 car. In last week's race, he took it up a notch to collect the victory. Tony is 11 points behind Charlie Correia for seventh. The other battle to watch is for fifth in points. With a 32 point advantage over Mike Corsaro for fourth, the steady Clayton Dortzback may be safe, but Corsaro is just two points ahead of Dan Liston for fifth.

The Four Banger battle will probably not end after this race, but momentum seems to be in Patty Ryland's favor at the moment. Despite missing a race for vacation, the 2009 champion Ryland leads the class in feature wins and has moved into a tie with Ken Radabaugh after her second place finish last time out. The Ryland's recently won the Four Banger portion of the Tri Holiday Series at Chowchilla with Fred Ryland behind the wheel, and the 2010 Antioch championship trophy is starting to look very appealing to Patty.

All indicators are that she will win this championship again. Sure, it's a tie for the lead, but Radabaugh has not given any indication that he can step up and beat her for it. Ken is still searching for his first feature win of the season, though he has finished as high as second, and his last outing had to be a miserable experience for him. Still, anything is possible, and this is the time of the season when champions step up to claim their prize. With this race and next week left, it's anybody's title to win.

Dayna Andreesen's July slump dropped her from first to third in the race, but it looks like she should be able to hold on to third as long as she starts the last two races. She will need to do that, because 52 points behind her and closing in is the most recent winner, Justin Silveira. The way Justin has been running lately, he may be the early favorite to win the 2011 championship if he returns. As is, he will be a threat to win these last two races and he has a good hold on fourth in the standings.

Travis Dutra has simply dominated the Mini Truck division this season, so it is no surprise to see that he will take it up from second in points last season to the 2010 championship. He has earned it. What was a bit of a surprise was that he didn't win a race last week, getting beat by Dean Cline in the heat race and first time winner Mike Harmon in the Main Event. As it appears he may be headed for Dwarf Cars next season, Travis will likely be out to make a big statement with one more win before he leaves.

This could open the door for the steady Dan Wagner to be the early favorite in 2011, but the season isn't over. After his disappointing DNF last week, Wagner will be out to try and get one more win himself. First and second are not up for grabs at this point, but this week's winner's plaque would still look nice on the wall for Wagner.

With Ray Bunn out of the picture, a fourth place finish moved Ron Mayberry into third in points, six ahead of Bunn. Unless Bunn returns, Mayberry will end up with a top three season. Not bad for somebody who wasn't even top five ranked a few races ago. Meanwhile, Dean Cline will end up fifth in the standings thanks to winning his first heat race of the season and stating the most recent feature. It's nice to see the ageless veteran still ranked among the track's top drivers after all these years.

Five New Winners Highlight Racing Action At Antioch

2010-09-17T00:43:00.001-07:00

Honestly, when weeks like this come up, I have a hard time being motivated to put a story out. The track has apparently again decided that people don't need to know the results of the races or the points. JonKPest once again put some videos out there, though the Dwarf Car feature was unfortunately missing. It's a shame, because this class has been enjoyable lately with a good point battle.

I notice John wasn't announcing, and his absence only highlights how much he's missed when he's not there. Say what you want about him, but at least he knows the names and can call a race. I think I know who replaced him, and I don't want to be a jerk. I'll just say that I hope he enjoyed the nap he took while the racing was going on. I'm sure John didn't have a lot of choices for the last minute.

Anyway, I hate to be negative. Looked like a good night for the track and a strong season ending continues. Momentum leading towards the next season is always a good thing, especially if the powers that be can capitalize on it, which I hope they do. Two point races left, and I'm done. I may have something to say after that, and maybe not. At this point, I don't know if I even care. I again had to talk myself into typing this. Statistics are unofficial. Just an attempt to put the word out.

Roughly 75 cars appeared for the six division show Saturday night at Antioch Speedway. The night's action produced five new winners for 2010 and one familiar face in the Winner's Circle as Mitch Machado seems to have the Super Stock championship in hand after his most recent victory. Other winners included Jeff Thomas (Dirt Modified), Jeremy Burt (360 Sprint Cars), Dave Lincoln (Hobby Stocks), Tony Carmignani (Dwarf Cars) and Mike Harmon (Mini Trucks).

For the first time this season, the Super Stocks had more than ten cars, and the 13 car field ran two heat races with Michael Newman holding off Larry Damitz to win the first heat. Mitch Machado held off Mike Gustafson to win the second heat. In the Main Event, Fred Ryland set the early pace from the front row with Machado quickly settling into second. Machado grabbed the lead from Ryland on a lap seven restart, and Newman slipped into second a lap later. Machado would bring it home to victory with Newman a season best second. Damitz made a late charge for third ahead of Gustafson.

The 16 Dirt Modifieds ran three heat races with wins going to Scott Busby, Rick Karnes and Dan Gonderman. They also ran a Trophy Dash with Mike Salazar collecting the win. Salazar seemed poised to win in Main Event as well as he raced into the lead at the start. Busby steadily worked his way into second. As the lead duo came up on a slow car in Turn 3 of the 12 lap, things got dicey. Salazar passed the car just before that car spun in front of Busby and collected him for a yellow flag. Salazar's run up front ended moments later with problems in Turn 2 of the 13th lap. This moved Gonderman into the lead over second ranked Jeff Thomas. A spin in Turn 3 forced a lap 16 caution flag, and Thomas raced past Gonderman to collect the lead he would take to his first victory of the season. Gonderman settled for second as Busby managed to get back up to third. Sean O'Gara and Gene Haney rounded out the top five.

The Winged 360 Sprint Cars produced a ten car field, and rookie Ryan Rusconi scored his third straight heat race win. Second generation racer and past Sprint Car champion at other tracks Brent Dothage won his heat race. The feature started with about ten minutes on the clock before curfew and didn't look good after Burt Foland Jr. ran over the wheel of another car at the end of the front stretch and flipped. However, no yellow flag flew after that. Jeremy Burt, a past Marysville champion and two time feature winner at Antioch last season, charged into the lead and would go all the way for an impressive victory. Past champion Art McCarthy and Petaluma racer Roberto Kirby ran 2-3 early in the race, while Rusconi was mounting a charge from deep in the pack. Rusconi took over third on lap eight and made a low pass in Turn 3 on the 19th lap to take second from McCarthy. At the finish, it was Burt with the impressive win ahead of an equally impressive Rusconi, McCarthy, incoming point leader Craig Smith and Kirby.

The 14 Hobby Stocks ran two heat races, and despite trouble with a slower car in Turn 4 of the final lap that nearly saw him spin, Dan McCown won his heat race ahead of Jim Ftreethy. Chris Sorensen won the other heat race ahead of Brad Myers. The Main Event start was an ugly affair that requred four starts to get it right. Despite not having a front row start originally, various spins by others allowed Dave Lincoln to lead the pack to the single file restart that finally put a lap into the books. Collected in one of the early incidents, McCown gained second from Pat Gooding on lap two. Lincoln ran a smooth race and was rewarded with victory as McCown again settled for second. Myers came back from a first lap spin to finish third ahead of Wes Bentley, Gooding and Mike Rydman.

The Dwarf Cars fielded 16 cars, and Ricardo Rivera won his heat race ahead of point leader Nick Squatrito. Meanwhile, Chuck Golden held off title hopeful Jerry Doty to win his first heat race. With some impressive Main Event efforts in recent races, Tony Carmignani has been coming closer and closer to victory, and he finally picked one up with two of the track's top drivers in hot pursuit. Not much will change heading into the season finale as point leader Squatritto was second ahead of third ranked Doty.

The seven Mini Trucks ran one heat race, and Dean Cline cruised to victory ahead of new champion Travis Dutra. Jerry Carpanello scratched from the feature, and Cline spun without a yellow early in the race. Mike Harmon raced into the lead at the start ahead of Dan Wagner. Dutra made a low pass in Turn 1 of the tenth lap to take second from Wagner. However, Harmon was not to be denied as he sped to victory ahead of Dutra, Gene Haney and Ron Mayberry.

Just two point races remain, and this Saturday night's event is headlined by the season finale for Wingless Spec Sprints, Dwarf Cars and Mini Trucks with the Four Bangers running their second to last race as part of a four duivision program./

Antioch Point Race Enters Final Month

2010-09-10T12:14:00.002-07:00

Wasn't planning on doing anything. Walking away sounds pretty good at this point. Not sure I'll be in a rush to try and do a story for Saturday if results are hard to come by. Also, there are no plans for me to do this full time again next season, but rather a more relaxed pace as I had done previously. I have no plans to end the blog. Anyway, I'm going to try to be brief here.

There's not much fanfare at this point, but the championship battles are coming down to the end at Antioch Speedway. This six division show is the first of three races in September that will help decide who the eight track champions will be. Some championships appear to be decided, leaving the battles for second on back, but there are still some interesting things to note heading into the off season.

The Over/Under for this race is 67, but I'm hoping to see this go well into the 70's. It should be there, but you know how it goes.

UMP Dirt Modifieds (14), 360 Sprints (8), Super Stocks (10), Dwarf Cars (16), Pure Stocks (12) and Mini Trucks (7).

The Winged 360 Sprint Cars continue their audition for bigger status in the future, and nights like this are important. With not much else happening for this class in the area, car count should really be in the mid to high teens. It's known that promoter John Soares Jr. wants to be a part of the Civil War Series and that he would like to have a bigger presence in Sprint Car racing. Having a strong showing on his regular point races goes a long way towards that goal.

Also, it has been reported that the new USAC Western Classic series of Wingless 410 Sprint Cars and Midgets has been tentatively booked at Antioch next year. I'm assuming there's also still at least one GSC Sprint Car race in the 2011 plans. The USAC thing might seem like a risk, but I can see it being worth it. If it fails, it fails, but if it is a success, the tracks that get on board with it from the start will figure more prominently in the future.

Initially, this series was being proposed as a return of NARC, but that appears to have changed. I'm glad. What is being proposed is not what NARC was, and using it's name would be wrong, in my opinion. I've seen it billed as a "Salute To NARC" which I have no problem with. Paying homage to the once great 410 Sprint Car Series is fine with me.

My concern with this USAC thing is I have heard some things that I can't and won't get into here that make me concerned about what could be in the future for the Wingless Spec Sprints. Let me just say, NO MAJOR CHANGES are needed for the WSS class here in California. It's just fine as it is. Virtually every time a division gets going, some idiot thinks they need to come in and change the rules to "make it better" for everybody. The road is littered with divisions that have been ruined by this thought process, and it only hurts racing.

The only thing that needs to be dome when you have a good division is PROMOTE THE DIVISION and get fans and racers excited about it.

Back to the 360 Sprints at Antioch, I'm not sure the points are listed right at this point, and I believe "Cowbody" Craig Smith is leading the charge on the strength of three wins. With one win and a couple heat race victories, 2008 Delta Sprint Mini Sprint champion Ryan Rusconi is second and the leading rookie.

I would anticipate past champion and third ranked driver Art McCarthy, past Marysville champion Jeremy Burt and 2009 Antioch WSS champion Billy Aton will be among the field, and it will be interesting to see who has anything for Smith. Actually, Adam McCarthy seemed to have the field covered before mechanical problems ended his run last time out.

In the Super Stock division, I notice we have had 15 cars compete this season, which means we should be able to finally get over the ten car mark for the first time this year. Mitch Machado, Larry Damitz, Fred Ryland and Mike Gustafson are the only feature winners this season. It seems no matter what Damitz does lately, he's not gaining on Machado, who leads by 28 points after Damitz won his third feature last time out ahead of Machado.

What was interesting about that race was who led those two for seven laps before a flat tire sent him pitside. It was Eric Berendsen, who is running his third motor after some bad motor luck this season. Eric and the two veterans had a half lap lead on fourth place, and he had more incentive for wanting to get what could have been his first ever win in the class. After wnning his heat that night, Fred Ryland scratched from the feature. Had Eric won the race, he would have gained even more ground in the standings. As is, he trails the likely "Rookie Of The Year" by 18 points.

The reason the UMP Dirt Modifieds are getting the big shows this year is the 48 car turnout last time, won by Bobby Hogge IV ahead of Scott Busby and Kenny Neu. All three are past Antioch champions. Antioch point leader Troy Foulger managed a top five finish at Merced the next night. Though his luck in recent weeks is less than stellar, Troy leads Jeff Thomas by 48 points in the Antioch championship race.

Thomas would seem to be on his way to second in the final rundown, while Norm Boeck is in close pursuit of third. For both former Petaluma regulars, these would be career highs in this division. Boeck is 28 points behind Thomas and 16 ahead of Rick Karnes. Rapidly improving Sean O'Gara is 24 points behind Boeck, so positions can still change.

A pat on the back should go out to the rapidly improving O'Gara. After a season best second place finish in the most recent point race, Sean started 18th in the big money race and finished tenth. Though absences of other drivers have helped Sean make it into the top five, he's not there merely by showing up.

With recent top three success, top ten ranked Dan Gonderman could be another driver to watch this week, as could the most recent point race winner, Bill Wallace. Car count for regular point races has been down in recent weeks from where it started this season, so it will be interesting to see who shows this week.

Points on the track's page are a bit messy in the Dwarf Car division, but they should show Nick Squatrito with a slim advantage over Jerry Doty as Ricardo Rivera fell back a bit, though still in the hunt. The last show attracted 23 cars, and Squatritto's performance served notice that he's not just fading away after leading the points for much of the season. Just a race prior, it was Doty winning to take the point lead, so Squatritto's win put him back in front. However, it's still too close for comfort.

Rivera's DNF dropped him back a bit, but if the other two slip up, he could move by both for the lead. It's worth noting that the reason the five time champion isn't leading now is that he missed a race. Meanwhile, Clayton Dortzbach sits comfortably in fourth, while Dan Liston holds a slim two point lead over Mike Corsaro for fifth. In recent races, the Dwarf Car count his been strong, including appearances by Tony Carmignani, who is coming off of back to back top three finishes, and Sam Westhorpe, who finished a season best fourth last time out.

As far as this writer is concerned, the Hobby Stock division is on it's way to crowing two champions. The hard work and excellent driving of both Melissa Hansen and rookie Brad Myers has the Team #33 car leading the standings as the track went to a points for the car system this season. Team #33 leads Chris Sorensen by 30 points going into this race. Sorensen, meanwhile, has racked up all of the points for the #00 car himself. What would be nice to see if it remains this way after the final race is a crowning of car owner and driver champions, though I wouldn't place bets on that happening.

Regardless, it's been a good season for Sorensen, who like Myers and Hansen, is a multi time winner this season. Just 25 points behind Sorensen is another of this season's feature winners, past Pure Stock champion Dan McCown. If not for a DNS at the season opener, Dan would probably be in second now. The top five is filled out by the Team #99 of feature winner Jack Jonker and Jim Freethy and the #98 of Joe Cancilla, who has finished as high as third this season.

With a career best second not that long ago and third a week later, Wes Bentley has moved into sixth in the standings, two ahead of rookie Pat Gooding. It's been a learning experience, but after all of those challenges, Gooding was rewarded with a fourth place finish last time out. A couple of pats on the back go out to Dave Lincoln and Mike Rydman. Lincoln enjoyed a career best second last time out. Rydman, who had been top five ranked before missing some races, made his first appearance at Orland last week and won his first Trophy Dash before finishing third in the feature. Mike reports that he had fun and is looking forward to going back.

Perhaps Orland can send some Mini Truck's Antioch's way. While ORland is getting double digits in this class, Antioch is around 6-8 per race. Travis Dutra continues to dominate in what is looking like it could be his final season before a move up to Dwarf Cars. Travis has been very patient and smooth out there and it's not a surprise to see him winning as much as he does. Also doing well this season is another feature winner, Dan Wagner. Dan looked good in holding off Dutra for a heat win last time out. Wagner may not be able to catch Dutra, but second seems to be a lock at this point. This has been aided by the recent departure of Ray Bunn, who had been in second before leaving.

Finishing as high as second this season, Ron Mayberry is now ranked fourth with his sights set on third place Bunn. Ron is 38 points behind Bunn, and he'd be more than happy to claim the final podium position after his up and down season. Meanwhile, veteran Dean "The Blinker" Cline is 21 points ahead of Wagner's teammate Greg Williams in the battle for fifth. Seeing as how Dutra has been so fast this season, 2009 champion Gene Haney returned last time out and finished second in a good battle. Haney does have a win this season in the championship truck he is trying to sell.

Davis, Skidmore Prevail At Orland Speedway

2010-09-10T12:14:00.001-07:00

Didn't get working on this until the last minute as I was hoping to find out who the driver was in the #8 Wingless Spec Sprints. I'm not a fan of writing stories where you don't know the name of the drive who won, but I wrote one anyway. I have to admit it was pretty nice to see Mike Rydman go up there and win a Trophy Dash and hear that his decision to race there was influenced by reading this blog. Good job Mike. By the way, check out YouTube for video clips of this and other races there.

Racing resumed at Orland Speedway with a five division program on the one-fifth mile dirt oval track Saturday night. Among the winners of the five division program were Jim Davis (Mini Trucks), Jesse Skidmore (Hobby Stocks), Sean Perry (Mini Stocks) and Dan Williams (Nor Cal Hardtops). The Wingless Spec Sprints also competed with an unidentified driver in the #8 car collecting the win.

As the track's website only posts the names given to them by the track and just numbers if that is all they get, the driver of the #8 car was unidentified. It could be that a racer from Antioch came, though Dan Gonderman has been driving the #99 car of Sam Davies in recent weeks. The other #8 from Antioch is Jeff Lee. Bob Newberry has also driven that car at Antioch and Petaluma. Another possibility is a past top 3 driver in this class at Orland, Rob Worthington. Rob is one of the originals in this class from 2001. If I get a clarification, I will post it here.

The five Spec Sprints ran one heat race with J.D. Hopkins getting the win ahead of the #8 car. The Trophy Dash win went to one of this season's top competitors and four time champion Josh Jacobo, but that was the high point of the night for Jacobo, who finished last in the feature. As pointed out on the Spec Sprint Web Page Forum, a minimum five car field gets $250 to win, and it was the #8 car collecting that money in his first appearance of the season. Hopkins would finished second ahead of Pat Bisio and Brian Kirby.

The truck count slipped a bit this week, but there were still 11 Mini Trucks in action for this event. On a bit of a roll lately, Richard Gale won the first heat race ahead of Jeremy Langenderfer. Clint Croman collected what may have been his first heat race win of the season with Jim Davis settling for his only second of the evening. Davis came back to win the Trophy Dash and added what was at least his second feature win of the season to wrap up an impressive effort. Coming off of a third the last time out, Pebley finished second this time. After a disappointing last place finish in the 15 truck field last time, Ross Vige rebounded in third, while Langenderfer earned his second straight fourth place finish. Tony Billotti finished fifth as the finishing order was completed by Gale, John Blevins, #48, Zach Webster, Clint Cromman and Steven Woods.

By far, the hottest driver in the Hobby Stock field lately is Jesse Skidmore. With six cars in action, Skidmore won the heat race ahead of Raul Castaneda. Encouraged to come to Orland from reading this blog, top ten Antioch Hobby Stock driver Mike Rydman made his first visit and brought home the trophy with his Trophy Dash victory. Rydman tried to make a run of it early in the feature, but Skidmore proved too tough to beat as he collected at least his third straight victory. It may be four straight as he was running up front late in the race before that, but that finish was not made available on the track's website. Following the hard charging Skidmore at the finish line was Brian Compton with a solid second place finish. Rydman held off the challenges of Marysville racer Castaneda to finish third as Richard Jones and John Dragoo completed the finishing order.

There were five Mini Stocks in action this week, but heat winner Derick Grezier scratched before the feature. Eric Hammond chased Grezier across the line in second, but it was Sean Perry winning the Trophy Dash. Perry followed it up with another feature win. Don Runkle returned with another car and finished second ahead of another one of this season's top racer's, Hammond. Jacob Leniham completed the finishing order.

The Nor Cal Hardtops returned for their final appearance of the season and brought four cars. Having hot lapped his car a week earlier at Orland, Chuck Sanford used that extra track time to get a heat race win ahead of Linda Pease, who was driving the Jack Low #92 car. Dan Williams took over from there. Coming off of a victory at Antioch at the last race there, Williams would win the Trophy Dash on this night and follow it up by charging to a Main Event victory, making him the only double feature winner with the Nor Cal Hardtops on dirt this season. Pease was second ahead of Sanford and John Fineren, who was driving the #2 car of Conrad Cavallero.

After a week off, racing resumes with all of the regular divisions in action on September 18th. A week later, all divisions return along with the popular Powder Puff Races.

These are NOT official points for Orland Speedway. To my knowledge, they are not keeping points this season. Using Antioch Speedway's Main Event point system (50, 48 46...), I took the Main Event finishes I had (a few are missing), just to get an idea how drivers might rank this season. Here's a look at the top five, but remember, they are not official.

Wingless Spec Sprints (10 Races) *

69-Josh Jacobo 460
7x-Brian Kirby 314
74-Josh Tucker 278
4xl-Pat Bisio 264
5-John Hopkins 224

* At least 1 race missing

Mini Trucks (13 Races)*

23-Richard Gale 552
62-Dan Webster 540
97-Ross Vige 536
00t-Tyler Pebley 422
5-Jim Davis 416

*1 race missing

Mini Stocks (13 Races)*

86-Eric Hammond 426
23-Don Runkle 398
46-Sean Perry 334
93-Ken Johnson 316
82x-Olin Crain 214

* 1 race missing

Hobby Stocks (10 Races)*

12-Rich Hood 366
18-Brian Compton 234
4-Richard Jones 220
07-Jesse Skidmore 196
22-Earl Adams 192

* At least 1 race missing

After Further Review, It Was A Draw

2010-09-05T20:41:00.000-07:00

In The Valley, everybody had an opinion on the Tom Sagmiller-Chuck Griffin feud and who was right and who was wrong. Why am I going there? Joe's picture got me thinking about it. "Hey look, it's Tom at Merced."

No need to rehash things. What happened that fateful night in 1997 changed the course of racing in the area. Actually, it was a series of things that year that built up to that moment. Was Tom right? Maybe, maybe not. Can you blame him for being upset? Not me. I understand. I also understand the other side. Not picking a side here. What's the point?

A year earlier, Tom might be considered the "Golden Boy" at the track. He was champion in the Street Stocks that year. He did things to help promote the track. The Street Stock division had a claim rule. A track sponsor who raced there attempted to claim Tom's motor. Track officials stepped in and overruled the claim. For the record, Tom told me he didn't care. The driver who made the claim left the track and raced at Antioch for a couple seasons.

In 1997, Tom was on his way once again, but things started happening. I can only say I understand the feelings. When it gets to be too much, bad things can happen. I was tossed out on my butt more than once for taking a stand and supporting the racers, so I know. Maybe I had it coming too, but I stand by what I did. In that, I felt a sort of kinship with Tom.

I had a crazy thought. Had 1997 gone differently, could Tom have been appointed by Chuck as his successor? It's an interesting thought, and one that I had to think about as I looked at that picture of Tom on the tractor. It's all water under the bridge, but I wonder. Up to that point, Tom had done things to help the cause for Merced Speedway and he had a desire to do what he could. Who knows?

But 1997 was the fork in the road. A whole new course. Tom would be tested in his resolve and how much he wanted to be involved in the sport. Chuck's dedication to run Merced the way he always had remained intact, and the feelings were never resolved. I believe it was Tom's desire to get Merced Speedway at that time and run it the way he felt a race track should be run. That didn't happen. He wanted to promote a race and raise funds for a community group when the season was done. Chuck blocked that. Considering how many racers were ready to come, it may have been preventative action.

Whatever the case, it was in 1999 when Charlie Ruth and Tom discussed the crazy idea of Chowchilla Speedway. In 2000, with investors on board, it because a reality. What the promoters up in Reno must have thought of the upstart promoter in 1999 would be interesting to hear, but Tom was determined to make this happen. He was determined to be a part of things and to make it better for the racers. He understood what it was like to be on the reviving end of questionable calls.

Chuck, meanwhile, stayed the course. To him, this Chowchilla thing had to be a fluke and an attempt to hurt Merced. At first, there was some truth to that, but at that point, Tom became a promoter. Running a race track became more important than any rivalry or feud. That had to take a back seat. Fact was, I witnessed Tom encouraging drivers to support Merced too, he allowed Merced to be mentioned on the PA to the fans and he even changed his schedule at a cost to him in order to help a race at Merced. So much for the feud, at least as far as Tom was concerned.

Tom would tell people he was ready to work with Merced for the good of both tracks and he was interested in getting IMCA sanctioning at Chowchilla for the good of the racers. Chuck stated the only way to get anywhere close to that point was to pay a fine for what went down in 1997 and offer an apology. Nothing Tom did to work with Meced since opening Chowchilla in 2000, including being a Friday night track, mattered. Now, I'm not here to judge. I understand both sides. I see where Chuck was coming from, and he's not as bad as some would make him out to be. I see Tom's point of view at that time too.

I walked the fence in 2001, and there were three of us doing that. Joe Martinez, Doug Laidlaw and myself worked at BOTH tracks, and Joe and I spent many, many hours talking about this unity thing and how we could make it happen. Could we? Obviously not, but we wanted to. Doug stayed out of the politics, which made him smarter than me. I always liked that man, and he was a good flagman.

I was getting frustrated though. There was pressure coming in to pick a side, and I just didn't want that. Screw sides. I want what's best for racing, and a unified Chowchilla and Merced would have been, in my opinion. But Chuck had taken his stance and wouldn't budge. Tom did everything but what Chuck wanted to make it happen, and that didn't matter either. IMCA refused to get involved for the racers and chose a side, which is one reason I'm not a fan of that particular association.

I'll tell you where I was with it. I heard what Paul said in Reno in 2001 about what needed to be done to bring Chowchilla into IMCA. Pay the fine. Tom was not ready to do that. As I heard from one of Tom's closest advisers, not Tom, "That would mean Chuck won."

$#!+!!!!

Well, I was disappointed to hear that, but I had an answer. I was ready to pay the fine for Tom, and at that time, I could have. I'm not a rich person, but this needed to happen. I could give Tom the money and all he'd have to do is give it to Chuck. It wouldn't cost him a penny, and at this point, why not? Let's move on from 1997, for crying out loud, and do what's best for racing. I was serious. Thing was, there was rain coming, and Don wanted to get a jump on the storm, so we were leaving early. Probably for the best. Had I seen Tom before I left, I was prepared to do this.

You know the rest, because nothing changed. Eventually, Chowchilla moved to Saturday nights, and I absolutely hated that move. I felt Tom was getting the wrong advice, and the move was a hit and miss proposition. I understand why he did it, but to Chuck, it was another slap in the face. I chose to work with Chuck, because through all of that, I still respected the man and wanted to see Merced Speedway and it's great tradition come out okay.

Chuck did what he's always done though any crisis at the track. Open the gates, run the show and let everybody know that the track will pull through and deliver as promised. Merced started having a bit of a comeback in 2001 when I was announcing full time, and this continued and peaked around 2005. Times were good when Chuck made his next move. He would go after Chowchilla. The time was right.

To be honest, I had heard mention a time or two in 2003 that people wanted Chuck to make a move then, but he also talked about finally retiring and grooming his replacement at Merced. After the final straw for me, missing the Merced Speedway Awards Banquet that I had looked forward to attending in 2003, I was ready to retire, but the feud continued. Some people never learn to let go. I understand the why, but there are times to rise above the hate for the greater good too.

Chowchilla had always had it's rough patches. Honestly, we are lucky Tom and Cindy made it last as long as they did. Tom had figured out a system, and there were always certain nights when it was so good that it offset the losses from the bad nights. 2007 would be no different had it been allowed to play out as it had in the past. But, the deal was done, and Tom was pushed out through what seemed like a back door deal. But hey, it's business.

I'm sure the fact that 2005 and 2006 were pretty good years at Merced factored into Chuck's decision to come in and take over. And, who knows, had a few other things been in place, it might have had a chance. Chuck brought IMCA to Chowchilla, but by then, nobody cared. Fact is, these two tracks were entirely different animals. The promoters had different styles, and those worked well for them at their respective places. Chuck didn't make it through the 2008 season at Chowchilla. That could have been the end of that track.

Meanwhile, if anybody wondered if Tom cared about the sport, wasn't it obvious? He did everything he could to keep the big races he'd had at Chowchilla going at other tracks. He eventually landed a nice track prep deal at Watsonville and has earned rave reviews for it. But, he no longer runs Chowchilla Speedway. Victory was Chuck's, or so it would seem.

Unfortunately, 2009 was a terrible year for Merced. The track had endured it's weak moments from time to time, and I'm sure they thought they'd pull through again. They always had before. But, this time was different. Several key sponsors had left Merced Speedway. By the end of July, it got very ugly. At the last race, Chuck announced that he was retiring after over 20 years as promoter. He tried to find a successor during the off season, but it was not to be.

Did the move to take over Chowchilla help bring about the end of Chuck's run? Maybe. Who knows and who really cares at this point? That would add a certain degree of irony to it. The fact is that these two tracks could have been huge together, and both had something to offer to a two track series. At 16 miles apart, it would have been perfect. Had somebody else opened Chowchilla, maybe Chuck would have been receptive, but then, would it have ever opened without Tom? No. Not a chance.

And, that's the kicker. There was no winner in this feud. We got a new track, which was nice. The track continues, but without the man who started it all leading the way, it's just not the same. Chuck didn't get to continue CCMR with a hand picked successor. His run at Merced ended the way critics said it would, but over a decade later. So to say he didn't know what he was doing would be wrong. There were some good races and seasons at Merced during Chuck's run, but a disappointing ending.

Technically, it was a draw. Neither man is the promoter at either track, though I know Tom is important to both Merced and Watsonville. He should be running Chowchilla now, and had that deal been struck between Merced and Chowchilla ten years ago, who might be running these tracks now and what would the shows be like? Perhaps it was meant to end this way, and maybe part of Tom's legacy, the existence of Chowchilla Speedway itself, will be next. That would be a shame.

I loved seeing the picture of Tom on the tractor at Merced, and I know how proud he is of that track now and being a part of it. The fact that he's there is a victory in itself. His racing career could have ended that night in 1997, but it didn't. He has learned and grown from there, and he's definitely done his part to make things a little better for the racers.

I like Tom and Chuck. They both have done good things for the sport. We all have our strengths and weaknesses and none of us are perfect. At times, we get pushed to our limits, but it's what we learn and how we deal with those moments that makes us who we are. Maybe that day was just too much to overcome, and it just had to end the way it did. So be it. I've thought about it a lot through the years. It doesn't matter now. It is what it is. But, if you are keeping score, it was ultimately a draw.

The good news is that both tracks are still up and running, and Tom is still involved in a lesser, but still important role. Where the two tracks go from here will be up to John Soares Jr. and Kenny Shepherd to decide. I wish nothing but the best for all involved.

Gale Gets Third Win In Four Weeks, Skidmore Wins Again At Orland

2010-08-30T21:05:00.000-07:00

Some information was made available on what was probably the best night of the season at Orland Speedway with over 40 cars in action among four divisions. All statistics are unofficial.

The best car count of the season competed in the four division show Saturday night at Orland Speedway as the track continues to gain momentum down the stretch run of the season. Winning features in the track's regular classes were Richard Gale (Mini Trucks), Jason Clayton (Mini Stocks) and Jesse Skidmore (Hobby Stocks). The Pro 4 Sprints paid their first visit to the speedway this season, and Brandon Ternora won the their Main Event. The track also ran Powder Puff Races for the regular divisions.

The Mini Truck division has always had one of the strongest car counts at the track through the years, and it grew to a season high 15 trucks for this event. Double division racer Jake Van Tol, a feature winner earlier in the season, returned to action and won the first heat race ahead of Jeremy Langendater and Ross Vige. Unfortunately for Vige, he ended up last in the feature. The second heat race went to another of this season's feature winners, Tyler Pebley, ahead of Dan Webster and Tony Billotti.

Trophy Dashes weren't run on this night, but one of the nice things about Orland Speedway is they actually hand out trophies, rather than plaques, to those winners. With all the cars and races on this night, it was decided to skip the dashes. All 15 trucks started the Mini Truck feature, which was marred by a late race crash that saw one of the top competitors of this season, Webster, flip his truck and get hit. Fortunately, he was not injured, but his truck took severe damage and may be destroyed at this point.

The hottest driver in the Mini Truck division lately has been Richard Gale, and he continued to impress by winning the Main Event. If not for the second place finish he took behind Webster three races ago, this would be Gale's fourth straight win. Van Tol's bid for another win came up just short as he finished second. Pebley grabbed the third podium position as Langendater and Clinton Earl rounded out the top five. Webster was still scored sixth after the race ending crash as Blevins, Jim Davis, Don McClain and Wendy Miller made up the remainder of the top ten.

The Mini Stocks again had a season high turnout with 11 cars in action. Marysville regulars again ran at the front as fifth ranked Marysville driver Will Robertson won the first heat in front of past Orland Modified Mini Stock champion "Rollin" Olin Crane and Don Runkle. Third ranked Marysville competitor Jason Clayton started a great night off right with a heat race win of his own in front of Eric Hammond and Chris Van Dyke. It was a Marysville 1-2 finish again this week in the Main Event as Clayton scored the win in his first Orland appearance of the season ahead of Robertson and one of Orland's top competitors and a 2010 feature winner, Hammond. Van Dyle and Barbara Brunner were top five finishers as the #33 car of Joe Kniep, the #95 car, Crane, Cheree Smith and Runkle completed the top ten.

There were ten Hobby Stocks, and they ran one heat race with Tony Hobbs picking up the win ahead of Richard Jones and top five ranked Marysville competitor Paul Castaneda. Picking up where he left off last week, Jesse Skidmore collected another feature victory with Kevin Kampschmidt a season best second. A feature winner earlier this season, Jake Van Tol returned with his Hobby Stock and finished third ahead Jones and Karl Brummit. One of this season's top competitors, Rich Hood ended up a disappointing sixth ahead of Hobbs, Castaneda, Steven Joseph and the #66b car.

Partial information appeared from the August 7th Hobby Stock race. Newcomer Anthony Ramirez debuted a new car with a heat win ahead of Brian Compton, but Ramirez missed the dash putting in a new radiator that fellow competitors provided for him to keep him racing. Skidmore may have won the other heat, but that is unofficial. In the Main Event, Earl Adams was leading Skidmore in a good battle through traffic on lap 14. Kampschmidt, Clay Rawls and Compton were top five at that moment as Ramirez pitted his overheating car from fifth on lap 13. Steve Ema was lapped at that point and running sixth, while Jones fell out during the first ten laps. This is all unofficial, but no results were posted for the eight car Hobby Stock field that night.

Eight Pro 4 Sprint Cars made their first Orland appearance of the season. This division has it's origins tracing back to Baylands in 1982 and SORA from 1989 through most of the last decade. Some rules have been changed to allow racers to be able to swap out motors and compete in the 360 Sprint Car class. Two heat races were held with point leader and two time winner P.J. Petersen winning the first heat ahead of John Cardoni. Chad Thompson won the second heat ahead of Mat Beardslee. In the Main Event, it was Brandon Ternora picking up a first win of 2010 ahead of Thompson and Petersen. Cardoni finished fourth ahead of Beardslee, second ranked Pro 4 and Marysville Mini Stock racer Misty Castleberry and veteran Jim Phifer. Third ranked point competitor Gary Eckman was a feature scratch.

They ran two Powder Puff Races, one for Hobby Stocks and one that combined the Mini Trucks and Mini Stocks. Dee Jones won the Hobby Stock Powder Puff Race ahead of Tammy Thurber, Kelly Kampschimdt, Diana Baker and Kim Cook. The Mini Truck/Mini Stock event had ten starters with Joleen Van Tol winning ahead of Megan Tanner, Jennifer Drewry, Kristina Runkle and Lielian Gray.

Pat Bisio and J.D. Hopkins had Wingless Spec Sprints at the track, and there was also a #3 Hardtop making hot laps. Hardtops are scheduled for next Saturday night along with the track's regular divisions in what is shaping up to be another good show on the one fifth mile dirt oval.

Wingless Spec Sprints (9 Races) *

69-Josh Jacobo 418
74-Josh Tucker 278
7x-Brian Kirby 270
4xl-Pat Bisio 218
5-John Hopkins 176

* At least 1 race missing

Mini Trucks (12 Races)*

62-Dan Webster 540
23-Richard Gale 512
97-Ross Vige 490
00t-Tyler Pebley 374
5-Jim Davis 346

*1 race missing

Mini Stocks (12 Races)*

86-Eric Hammond 380
23-Don Runkle 350
93-Ken Johnson 316
46-Sean Perry 284
82x-Olin Crain 214

* 1 race missing

Hobby Stocks (9 Races)*

12-Rich Hood 366
22-Earl Adams 192
2-Jake Van Tol 188
18-Brian Compton 186
4-Richard Jones 178

* At least 1 race missing

A Few Thoughts On Merced's Big Show Last Sunday

2010-08-30T19:27:00.000-07:00

Packed grandstands at Merced Speedway for a Sunday night race. The occasion was the $3,5000 to win race that attracted 35 racers to the quarter-mile clay oval. All in all, it was a good night for racing in Merced and it only served to illustrate how big this track can get. The best is yet to come, and kudos should go to John Soares Jr. and his crew for making it happen.
Photo By L&J Photography - please check out the site and support the cause.

Tom Sagmiller is winning rave reviews for his track prep work at Watsonville and now Merced. This is Tom at Merced. I'll let others discuss the significance of this and all the water under the bridge. Fact is, it's a good thing that Tom is involved. He's not well respected by the racers for nothing.

Photo By L&J Photography - please check out the site and support the cause.

Success at Merced Speedway

The show went on as scheduled Sunday night at Merced. I'd been reading updates on the forums and the got a call from my friend Joe Martinez, which was nice. He was thrilled by the turnout of fans for that race. By all accounts a success. I understand they advertised heavily, PLUS, they have Mike Adaskaveg writing and getting published in the Merced Sun-Star every week, and THAT helps tremendously. I'm not going to attempt a story, because Mike already wrote one. The Merced Speedway site already has one written by Mike. Just for the record as this stuff seems to disappear from the web, there were 35 cars. The Top 10 was:

Bobby Hogge IV ($3,500 winner - $8,000 for both nights), Robbie Sawyer, Paul Stone (in brother Steve's car), Troy Foulger, Jimmy Ray (from the back), Alex Stanford (From the back after a wreck), Scott Busby, Chris Shannon, Aaron Barnell, Mitch Enos.

Notes

Bobby Hogge IV won both nights, collecting $3,500 each and then the $1,000 bonus for an $8,000 weekend. It's only going to go back into their racing program, and Bobby plans an active open comp season in the weeks ahead. I doubt this is his last big win of the year, but what was nice for him on this occasion was his grandfather Joe Bailey was celebrating his birthday by doing what he usually does on race night, crewing for Bobby. This is truly a family racing effort with three generations represented most nights.

I know they missed 2002's high of 39 cars for the 9/11 Memorial race, but 35 was not bad at all. With the crowd that was there and the racing that took place, it was a good night. I just hope the locals racers realize that when they support shows like this, they are supporting racing and helping make the track bigger. They complained for years about the place, but now things are changing.

The buzz has been huge at this track all season long, and with exception of the second race, car count has been good. Attendance is doing okay, and the track is off to a good start. There is potential for so many good things to happen and a promoter willing to make things happen, so hopefully people get on board with him. I also hope the promoter stays focused and doesn't let a few bad apples ruin it for everybody. I remember when that happened before at the other track.

Merced Speedway is worth the effort. If I didn't believe that, I never would have gone there as much as I did, and now more things are being done. I'm just hoping this vibe continues. I know how good things felt at the other track back in 1998 and how good things got the next couple of years. It can happen again. People want to race and have fun and fans want to see a good show.

I salute the racers who came. Robby Sawyer with a strong second. Looks like Paul Stone is getting his car ready for Iowa, but Steve's car is pretty fast too as that third place finish would indicate. Nice to see Antioch point leader Troy Foulger come out and represent Contra Costa County with a fourth. Jimmy Ray showed why he is a champion in Texas and New Mexico with a drive from the back to fifth. That allowed him to salvage something out of the weekend and probably made the trip back home a little better.

I'm happy Mike is writing so much down there and spreading it around to the other classes. He's doing a great job for just jumping in there, and he will learn about the track's heritage and the names as he goes along. Unfortunately, nobody really keeps records of these tracks anymore, so even things that happened a few seasons ago get forgotten rather quickly, but Merced Speedway now has somebody writing good stories and getting them out there for people to read.

I understand the Merced Modifieds got to "ride into the danger zone" as John Meyers is announcing out there. Doesn't surprise me as many of the people from Antioch are working at Merced to get this thing going. I know John doesn't get recognized along with some of the greats in the game, but he truly loves what he does, and a can respect him for putting so many years into trying to help make it fun for the fans. Plus, I still remember most of his sayings, and let me just say, "I feel the need, the need for speed."

Tom Sagmiller has done a lot for racing, and it still pisses me off the way Chowchilla ended for him. It didn't surprise me that he ended up doing the track prep at Watsonville, because the man loves what he does and cares about the sport. It also didn't surprise me that John brought him into Merced, because having Tom involved only helps this thing get going faster. As I said, people respect Tom. He has built a much deserved reputation for his good track prep work.

Merced Speedway is lucky to have a guy like Tom involved with it, and I know he's happy to be doing his part to make things better there. I know that's all he really ever wanted for that track to begin with.

Hogge Beats Old Rival Busby For $3,500 Antioch Victory

2010-08-29T12:45:00.000-07:00

Got enough information to put something together now. I may update as I get more information. Looks like a good show and a pretty good crowd for this one.

Forty-eight drivers competed in the opening night of the two night, two track UMP West Coast Nationals Saturday night at Antioch Speedway. Though drivers came from all over the state and even out of the state, it was three drivers who know the track well who would collect the top three finishing positions as two time champion Bobby Hogge IV (1995-96) beat four time champion Scott Busby (1991-92-93 & 1997) and two time champion Kenny Neu (2007-09) for a $3,500 payday. Hogge is now eligible for a $1,000 bonus Sunday at Merced if he wins that $3,500 Main Event, which would give him an $8,000 payoff for two nights of racing if he can pull it off.

The Hogge-Busby battle the fans witnessed Saturday night will bring to mind the many great races the two had against each other at Antioch in the 1990's when both were competing for track and NASCAR Regional honors, and Hogge would follow in his legendary father's footsteps by winning a Regional championship, which he actually did twice (1996-97).

Promoter John Soares Jr. was hoping to make a few statements with the big money weekend at both tracks. He is hoping to make Antioch and Merced big players on the UMP Modified scene both Regionally and Nationally, and it is his desire to make both tracks a destination point for the fans and drivers. In the Main Event alone, Soares will pay $12,000 for each race, and this is the second huge purse paid for the Modifieds at Antioch this season. Soares paid a $20,000 purse back in June for a big race, and New Mexico long tow Stormy Scott won the $5,000 first prize on that occasion.

The 48 drivers each ran two heat races and a system of heat race and passing points was used to determine who would fill the first ten starting spots for the 19 car feature. The first set of heat races was won by Hogge, Busby, Chester Kniss, past Antioch champion Kellen Chadwick, Andy Angelo and three time Petaluma Speedway champion Michael Paul Sr. Neu, past Chico champion Duane Cleveland, Merced point leader Alex Stanford, Chris Sieweke, Chris Shannon and past Chico champion Richard Papenhausen were the winners of the second round of heat races as there were no repeat winners.

After points were tallied, Neu and Busby had earned the front row for the big money race, Chadwick and Hogge were in the second row, Randy McDaniel and Shannon were in the next row, 1993 Antioch Street Stock champion Mickey Hill and Austin Burke were in the fourth row and the fifth row start was earned by Nick Collins and Papenhausen. McDaniel, Hill, Burke and Collins made it without winning a heat race as six heat winners still had to work their way through one of the three B Mains.

There was plenty of talent spread through all of the B Mains, and the first B Main was won by Paul ahead of El Paso and New Mexico star Jimmy Ray and past Hanford champion Brian Cass. In an exciting race, Bakerfield star Robby Sawyer held off top five ranked UMP National racer Stormy Scott and Antioch regular Sean O'Gara to win the second B Main. Sawyer was said to have run a lap faster than the track record. Stanford came back to win the final B Main ahead of past Chowchilla-Antioch series champion Keith Brown Sr. and Cleveland.

With the 19 positions filled, it was time to race for the big bucks, and much of the race was a battle between Hogge and Busby that went back and forth. Hogge would eventually get the lead and go on to score the big victory. Busby settled for second ahead of Neu. Shannon picked up a fourth place finish, while Paul came from 12th starting to finish fifth. Chadwick was sixth ahead of 17th starter Cass, Scott, McDaniel and 18th starter O'Gara.

Random Thoughts

2010-08-26T20:43:00.000-07:00

I again contemplated not writing this, but I decide to do it anyway. The big weekend at Merced and Antioch is upon us, and that is a big part of this week's post, along with a few other things. Also, Dennis Daniel offered his preview on the big event. Might as well jump in.

Merced Speedway Ready For Big Show

Well, the West Coast Nationals is set for this Saturday at Antioch and Sunday at Merced. When the race was announced, it was said that they expected 80 cars to be at Merced, but let's be honest here. If they get 40, it's a success. This is not a shot at Merced. I'd love 80 cars to show for this race. As near as I can tell, the record turnout for a Dirt Modified show at Merced is 39 for the 9-11 Memorial race in 2002. With IMCA, they want all the IMCA tracks to be dark so the racers will go to Boone, Iowa for the Nationals. That is a big deal, but again, let's be honest. There is only a small group of drivers towing there from California, and even less from Merced.

As I recall, Rich Firato came to Chuck Griffin with this idea for a $3,500 to win race for Modifieds and $3,500 to win for Street Stocks that year. I believe he had considered Chowchilla at the time, but he went to Merced. Chuck booked it, and the man everybody loved to hate even gave the grandstands for free that night. They already did that for the July 4th races, which attracts a huge crowd for the fireworks show, but then to offer something like this for free too? Hate on Chuck all you want, but sometimes that man did some pretty cool things. And, the 9-11 Memorial Race attracted 39 Modifieds and 49 Street Stocks the first year. I remember how good it felt to see that many racers at Merced.

So, even if 80 cars don't come for the first West Coast Nationals event at Merced, if they hit 40, that may be a track record going back to when they started the class in 1990. This is an example of John Soares Jr. rolling the dice and trying to do something big. He says he wants to put Merced Speedway back on the map and make it a place for big shows. This will do it. I do advise caution, however. Don't read too much into the numbers if they aren't as big as you'd like to see. It may take time. From what I have been hearing, though, things are going well there so far. I give credit to John and the entire team there. The enthusiasm I am seeing there hearkens back to Antioch Speedway in 1998 when John took over there. People are on board and rallying for the cause. Hopefully, the lessons were learned that will help this place sustain that momentum.

Just who is coming and how many cars, I don't know. I hear Top 5 ranked UMP National racer Stormy Scott, who won the $5,000 at Antioch earlier this year, is coming. I hear Jimmy Ray is coming in from New Mexico as well. The usual money chasers, Randy & Ryan McDaniel, Duane Cleveland, Kellen Chadwick, Scott Busby and Bobby Hogge IV are said to be coming. Haven't heard Jim Pettit II mentioned, but he may have a tour race. The key for Merced getting into the 40's is the local support. At least 20 or 25 cars from the area need to be there. The cars are out there, so I hope they come. Certainly, local favorite Alex Stanford, Ryan Porter, Paul Stone and Bob Williamson are anticipated, for starters, and any of the four are capable of winning the big bucks.

This is a big deal for Merced racing, and that can't be overstated. Merced once mattered in the hierarchy of dirt tracks. It was part of the old NASCAR State deal and some of it's drivers won state titles, including legends like Ted Stofle and George Steitz. It was the M in the WAM Series in the late 1980's. With Soares' recent announcement that Merced is joining Antioch as part of the UMP Modified family, Merced drivers again have a shot at Regional and National glory. I know it's not the IMCA that some want and what worked well for Merced for years, but this can work too. Having two tracks not too far apart from each other to earn points from makes good things possible too.

It all starts this weekend. What a statement it would be for a local driver to bag the $3,500 first prize. It could happen. In fact, an Antioch and Merced win by that driver could be possible as well, and it would earn that driver an additional $1,000. Has a Merced area driver ever earned $8.000 for one weekend of racing? The competition should be tough, and whoever does win will have earned it. Sunday will be a big step for the new Merced Speedway, and lots of people will be watching to see how this goes. Events like this can help launch bigger and better success.

And The Winners Were

The first two runnings of the 9-11 Memorial race paid the same purse, though car count dropped in the second year. They ran this race four years with the purse dropping in the third year. It was unfortunate that the drivers didn't stay on board with this race. Having announced the first two races, I can tell you it was a good show.

What I recall from the first year's 50 lapper in the Dirt Modified class was not who won, but who finished second. No disrespect to Scott Busby, because the $3,500 first prize may have been his biggest payday ever for a win in this division, and he led all 50 laps. However, IMCA State champion Johnnie Baptista, about as low buck a racer as they come, managed to hold off Southwest Tour champion Jim Pettit II for the $1,500 runner up prize. Pettit won $1,000 for third as Steven Williams and Steve Pemberton rounded out the top five. Williams had to come through the C Main, which he won, and the B Main, won by Bobby Hogge IV.

What else was cool about this show was the $3,500 first prize for the Street Stocks. I don't know if even George's shows at that point paid the division that much, and 49 cars competed. In the end, it was three time Merced champion Darren Thomas who would score the biggest win of his career. Future Chowchilla champion Mike Shepherd won $1,500 for second with veteran Tim Ragsdale a $1,000 third as Chowchilla Hobby Stock champion Red Williams and Watsonville Street Stock champion Doug Hagio II made up the rest of the top five.

When people talk about the previous management at Merced, events like this should also be remembered.

And The Pure Stocks Got Paid Too

It was the policy at Merced that the entry level, non Camaro Pure Stocks not be paid, or they were considered "professional" and forced to move up from this class. This rule ultimately ended the class. The track eventually followed suit with Chowchilla due to drivers asking Merced for the opportunity by adding the Hobby Stocks. But, in 2002, Hobby Stocks and Pure Stocks both were part of the show. In 2003, some drivers in the Pure Stocks ran Hobby Stocks on off nights for their class and were forced to move up since Hobby Stocks got paid. This, in my opinion, was a mistake as those drivers were not that competitive and only wanted to race. The intent of the rule was to keep the "ringers" out, but Chuck generally was an law and order type of guy when it came to rules. By early 2004, the division didn't have enough eligible drivers.

I maintain that the Pure Stocks and Hobby Stocks were two distinct and different classes, and it was disappointing to see them go. Watching them race was a highlight to my visits there as drivers like Raul "Showtime" Rodriquez, "Rockin" Robin Fast, "Mighty" Mike Hamilton, Aaron Widick, Lester Beavers and "Crazy" Deak Sherrell were some of the stars.

It was another star who shined brightly on practice night the Friday before the 9-11 Memorial Race that first year. With $300 being sponsored to the winner, Dan "The Man" Holcomb collected the win over "Cruising" Chris Shelton and Speedy Davis. Watching drivers like Shelton and Joaquin Miranda, the heat winner that night, get their first wins was another highlight for me. As for Holcomb, well, Dan went on to win the Pure Stock championship in 2003.

These days, the Four Bangers fill the void left by the absence of the Pure Stocks, and car count is up in the class this season.

Back At Antioch

The challenge this weekend will be getting through Saturday night in one piece to race at Merced. That $3,500 first prize is enticing, and though car count has dropped off slightly in recent weeks, I can see Antioch getting past the 40 car mark. With $5,000 on the line in June, the track went past the 50 car barrier, and I can see that happening again this week. Antioch has had somewhere between 25-30 "track regulars" compete this season, and I would expect most of them to race. The last driver to win was "Mild" Bill Wallace, and a win by him would be huge. One driver who has been running strong lately is Dan Gonderman. The double division racer has enjoyed back to back top three finishes and was a winner not that long ago. I don't know if Nick DeCarlo and Bobby Motts Jr. will be there to help kick off California's "open show" season, but they would be welcome additions.

Fact is, a list of pre signees hasn't been released, though the names of Hogge, McDaniel, Cleveland, Chadwick, Busby, Scott, Stanford, Porter and DeBeneditti are anticipated for both shows. Odds are pretty good that the winner will come from that list, but that's why they run the races. No matter how fast they are, you never really know who is going to win until the checkered flag flies.

And After The Break...

Following the break on September 4th, three are three more point races to run at Antioch and some close championship battles to decide. Ken Radabaugh and Patty Ryland are in dead heat in the Four Banger race, Nick Squatritto holds a slim lead over Jerry Doty with Ricardo Rivera not too far behind in the Dwarf Cars and the Hobby Stocks and Super Stocks are not that far apart at the top of the point list. In the Wingless Spec Sprints, Tommy LaLiberte added points to his lead over Merced title contender David Press last week, but frankly, I was a little disturbed to see people standing up and cheering on the video when LaLiberte hit the wall head on in Turn 4 trying to take the lead. It's part of what I was talking about as far as people being desensitized to the crashing and how dangerous it can be. Tommy wasn't uninjured, but still...

Anyway, the show will continue at Antioch Speedway, and I'm betting John had to feel pretty good about last week with one of his better car counts and fan turnouts. Maybe not so coincidentally, there was a front page story about the track on the cover of the times the week leading up to the race, and I wonder how many of those fans were in attendance for the first time or the first time this year. It certainly helps to put the word out.

John mentions in that story he has the track for the next three years and he's not planning to go anywhere. Merced has gotten much of the attention this season, and it did need it to give it a fighting chance to get going. I'm sure there are those wondering what John will have in store at Antioch for 2011 on several levels. The only thing I can tell you is he's opened the gates at the track and run 13 consecutive seasons, and the show continues to go on. The fact that the man is still doing this at two tracks at a time in his life when others might slow down a bit shows the passion he still has for the sport. What happens next year will depend on how he wants to do it, but I'm hoping some of that "1998-1999" spirit returns in 2011. It's working wonders for Merced Speedway so far.

Merced Spec Sprints

The two Wingless Spec Sprint races at Merced Speedway have had six and eight cars, beating any point night the class had down the road at Chowchilla Speedway this season. After only David Press was motivated enough by that track's promoting of the class to show up for the second round of the Tri Holiday Classic series, the division was dropped from the schedule. This is where Soares comes in with a four race season at Merced that is asking the area drivers who wants to come race at Merced and keep the division's presence in the area.

After David Pres recovered from a flip in his heat race to win the feature last time out, he chased 2001 Chowchilla Winged Spec Sprint champion Steven Williams across the line last week for a second place finish. Williams was in the car his father, 1982 NASCAR Regional champion Doug Williams, ran in the first race. Dan Gonderman was third ahead of many time NCMA champion Scott Holloway and top Antioch rookie Trevor Press. Last year's Chowchilla champion Kris Koontz, Bill Didion and Doug Gandy were also there to represent the class.

From what I can gather, Holloway won the heat race, which may be the first win this year for the man who has won many races with the NCMA in his career. Holloway is not in the points battle, but Press holds a two point advantage over Gonderman and 16 points over Koontz. Gonderman is driving the #99 entry of Sam Davies, who hails from Tracy these days. It's nice to see people supporting the Spec Sprints at Merced, and hopefully this continues.

Chico Spec Sprints

Actually, the regular show returns Friday night at Chico with Gold Cup Week just around the corner. Jimmy "The Jet" Pettit, Terry Schank Jr. and Jay Youngman only have four points separating them in a close battle, while Randy McDaniel leads Darin Ruley by 12 points in Dirt Modifieds and Heather Bartlet leads Scott Rogers by 19 points in the Street Stocks. Jason York's lead over Brett Miller is the biggest in 410 Sprints at 25, and the top Chico drivers will be joined by Tim Kaeding this a week, which will make that show even more interesting.

A week earlier, the Spec Sprints completed their first Hunt Magneto Series season at Chico with another good turnout. The series ended at 11 races at the August 21st racing program had been canceled at Marysville after the tragic death or Merle Shepherd. Terry Schank Jr. is the first Hunt Series champion by 12 points ahead of Taylor Simas. It would have to be considered a successful first season as only one race failed to generate enough of a car count for a B Main. The Hunt Series will still have a race during the Gold Cup in September for the top 30 drivers who have raced in half of the races, and another special event is scheduled at Petaluma on the 25th of September.

The last two regular Chico shows produced season highs of 19 and 20 cars, showing that the interest has been peaking at the right time. The division has been a nice addition for Chico in recent years and has produced some great non winged Sprint Car racing for a crowd that enjoys this type of racing. I'm still wondering if some sort of series could be worked out between Chico and Orland in the future. The tracks are close enough that it could be a winner, and Orland has had over a dozen cars of their own this season. Plus, the two tracks have worked together with other classes in the past.

In Fact

It was rumored on line that Mini Stocks would be at Chico this week, which is not true. The track's regular four divisions are booked for "Championship Night" and there wouldn't be much room. In past seasons, Chico and Orland had a Street Stock series with a two track championship. Orland even had it's Mini Trucks racing at Chico once or twice a year for a few seasons. In 2003, the last visit of the class, Brad Ray won ahead or Richard Dozier and Ed Dearing.

When you think of it, a Mini Truck class makes sense at Chico in that it has a unique look to it, and they generally produced double digit counts when they appeared there. 410's in a two track series at Orland might not be possible, but Mini Trucks, Street Stocks and Spec Sprints would be a possibility. Who knows at this point. Orland is reestablishing it's program and rumors are beginning to circulate about what the future holds for Chico. However, working together would be win win for both tracks if done right.

Orland Powder Puff On Saturday

Last weekend, Orland Speedway had it's best car count of the season with some Marysville visitors in the Mini Stocks lifting the count in that class to 10 cars. The Mini Trucks had 13. Not originally on the schedule for that night, Wingless Spec Sprints still produced seven cars. The Street Stocks had seven with some new drivers in the field, and all four rosters are well into the double digits this season. It's not easy trying to make a race track run these days, and in some places it's more difficult than others. I'm happy they are making it work in Orland, and from the looks of the finishes, lots of different drivers are winning in all classes. Nobody is dominating this thing. That makes it more interesting as well.

Last season at around this time, the track ran a a Powder Puff Race for the Street Stocks and one that combined Mini Stocks and Mini Trucks. If you are keeping track, it was Anne Ladtka winning the Street Stock race ahead of Shelly Martin and Susan Bailey. Meanwhile, Tracy Barbo won the Mini Truck/Stock race in a Mini Truck ahead of the Mini Stocks of Barbara Crain and Brenna Johnson. It's events like these that make it a family affair. Last week, they held a bike race for the kids. The week before, they raced vans.

The Show Will Go On At Marysville

Paul Hawes wanted to meet with all track personnel and the widow of Merle Shepherd before deciding on the future of Marysville Raceway Park. It was decided to run a race for the track's regular divisions on September 18th and one in October, both point races. They will crown champions at the awards banquet as scheduled and they will plan for the 2011 season. The show will go on. Somehow, I think Merle will be looking down on the track and smiling when he sees the racing taking place at the track he loved. And, that's the way to honor the man's memory.

Parting Shots

It's time for the 50th running of the Johnny Key Classic. This race started on the paved San Jose Speedway before moving to the dirt of San Jose Speedway located at the fairgrounds. The race was brought back at Watsonville in the last few years and has become the biggest race at Ocean Speedway. The drivers already locked in for Saturday's race include Tommy Tarlton, Kyle Larson, Tim Kaeding, Ronnie Day, Brent Kaeding and Peter Murphy. Prior to the feature, a six-lap dash for cash will also be held with those six drivers battling it out to decide how they will start the first three rows of the main event...Speaking of Sprint Cars, Kyle Larson won the King Of California Series Championship after his fourth place finish at Placerville last Saturday. Kyle managed to beat his car owner and 13 time series champion Brent Kaeding...Two time Petaluma champion Alissa Geving should end up with the GSC Rookie Of The Year title as the fourth ranked driver this season...It is likely that we will hear the plans for the GSC Tour for next year soon and it sounds like it will be just what the 410 Sprint Car series needs. Dan Simpson will reportedly be the new owner of the series...The rumored revival of the NARC Sprint Car Series appears to be off, but that may be a good thing. Meanwhile, the proposed series of USAC will go by the name Western Classic and have eight races each on dirt and asphalt. I, for one, like it better that day. Let this series make it's own name for itself.

Michael Paul Jr. went into the record books as Petaluma Speedway's first driver to win four consecutive titles. Paul wrapped up #4 in style by beating a season high 18 car field for a $1,000 Dirt Modified feature win. What's next for this division at the track that actually brought the class to California back in 1987 is anybody's guess, but hopefully it continues. It's been a tough year for this division at Petaluma, but it can get better...After hearing the talk about Dirt Late Models running on pavement, Madera Speedway promoter Kenny Shepherd has offered drivers a chance to come test the viability of running the cars there. This comes after a discussion on the Late Model Racer forum. It will be interesting to see what comes of this...Late Model drivers have been told that the purse will be cut slightly at Victorville as track management thought it best to let them know ahead of time to avoid any problems. Speculation is that at least ten drivers may still be ready to race there this Saturday...Chowchilla Speedway returns to action Saturday night with Dirt Modifieds as part of the card along with the Sports Mods, Valley Sportsman, Hobby Stocks and Four Bangers. Interestingly enough, the money show at Antioch may draw point leader Ryan Porter and third ranked Alex Stanford away as was the case back in June. Past Merced Hobby Stock champion Andrew Krumm would seemed poised to take the lead should that be the case.

Increased Car Count For Orland Races Saturday Night

2010-08-23T01:26:00.000-07:00

Thought I'd throw something together for Orland Speedway. Looks like another good night for the track.

With the tragedy of Merle Shepherd's death in a big rig race at Marysville and the temporary closing of that track, racers were invited to Orland Speedway Saturday night. Before the start of the show, drivers parked their cars on the front stretch and paid tribute to Shepherd. Four divisions competed on the one-fifth mile dirt oval, and feature wins went to Josh Tucker (Wingless Spec Sprints), Richard Gale (Mini Trucks), Jimmy Ford (Mini Stocks) and Jesse Skidmore (Hobby Stocks). Another highlight for the evening was kids bike races in which free bikes were awarded to the winners.

Seven Wingless Spec Sprints competed, and top ten ranked Chico competitor Braedon Enos won the heat race ahead of four time Orland champion Josh Jacobo. Enos also won the Trophy Dash. Josh Tucker is a feature winner this season, but it's been a while since his last win. The increased field was Tucker's chance to shine, and he collected the win ahead of veteran Dave Ellis, in one of his best finishes in this division. Brian Kirby was back in action and finished third ahead of Enos, Jacobo, J.D. Hopkins and Pat Bisio.

With a season high 13 trucks in action, two heat races were held. Early season feature winner Tyler Pebley returned and won his heat race ahead of Ross Vige. Dan Webster continues to run strong and held off Richard Gale in his heat to prevent a Gale clean sweep., Gale won the Trophy Dash and returned to the Main Event winner's circle by out running another 2010 Main Event winner, Jim Davis. Orland newcomer Clint Coman impressed with a third place finish ahead of Vige and Webster. Steven Woods finished sixth and Mini Stock ace Don Runkle was seventh as John Blevins, Tony Billotti and Dan McClain completed the top ten.

For the first time this season, Marysville Mini Stocks were allowed to race with the Orland Mini Stocks, rather than the Modified 4 Cylinder class. Will Robertson has won races with the other 4 Cylinder class this season in his visits, but he won the first Mini Stock heat race ahead of Kyle Cheney. With ten cars in action, the division ran two heat races with the second heat race win going to Howard Law ahead of Jimmy Ford. Law was the third ranked driver in 2009 points at Marysville, and Ford currently ranks second there this season. Like Robertson, Ford has visited Orland this season and raced with the Modified 4 Cylinder class. Ford would win the Trophy Dash and follow it up with an impressive Main Event victory ahead of Law and Robertson for the Marysville 1-2-3 sweep. Last week's winner, Sean Perry, earned a fourth place finish ahead of Marysville racer Jacob Davis. Chad Arnold returned to action and finished sixth, and a flat tire derailed Olin Crain's bid for a top three finish as he ended up seventh ahead of Derick Grezier, Ken Johnson and Kyle Cheney.

Six Hobby Stocks competed, and Jesse Skidmore started his night off right with a heat race win ahead of Michael Adams in the Earl Adams #22 car. The top diver in the class this season, Rich Hood won the Trophy Dash. Only recently making their season debuts at Orland, Skidmore became the latest new feature winner ahead of newcomer Richard Jones. Hood settled for third as Steven Joseph made his season debut in fourth. Adams and John Dragon completed the finishing order.

All four divisions return to action along with the popular Powder Puff Races next Saturday night. Also, the Pro 4 Sprint Cars, a group that has raced mainly at Marysville this season, has been added to the program for the night.

Wingless Spec Sprints (9 Races) *

69-Josh Jacobo 418
74-Josh Tucker 278
7x-Brian Kirby 270
4xl-Pat Bisio 218
5-John Hopkins 176

* At least 1 race missing

Mini Trucks (11 Races)*

62-Dan Webster 500
97-Ross Vige 468
23-Richard Gale 462
00t-Tyler Pebley 328
5-Jim Davis 310

*1 race missing

Mini Stocks (11 Races)*

86-Eric Hammond 334
23-Don Runkle 318
93-Ken Johnson 316
46-Sean Perry 284
82-Chad Arnold 210

* 1 race missing

Hobby Stocks (8 Races)*

12-Rich Hood 326
22-Earl Adams 192
18-Brian Compton 186
2-Jake Van Tol 142
44-Jimmy O'Reilly 136

* At least 1 race missing

Damitz, Smith, Ensign Antioch Winners

2010-08-22T16:33:00.000-07:00

Again, Jon has come through with some videos from Saturday's races. Thanks for making the effort to spread the word about the track Jon. Looks like a good night for the track. As always, all statistics are unofficial. Just wanted to get the word out.

Racing continued Saturday night at Antioch Speedway with an action packed five division program on John Soares Jr's three-eighth mile clay oval. Holding off the serious challenges of point leader Mitch Machado, Larry Damitz won his third Super Stock feature of the season. Taking advantage of late race mechanical woes for Adam McCarthy, point leader Craig Smith won the Winged 360 Sprint Car Main Event. Petaluma racer Geoff Ensign made a rare Antioch visit and won a brutal Main Event in his first Antioch appearance of the season. Nick Squatritto gave his title hopes a much needed boost with his third Dwarf Car feature win. Making a late move into the lead, runaway point leader Travis Dutra captured his seventh Mini Truck feature win of the season. A good crowd witnessed one of the better car counts of the year for a regular point season event as nearly 70 cars were in action.

With Fred Ryland scratching after the heat races, nine Super Stocks started their Main Event. Looking to gain ground on Ryland for third in points, Eric Berendsen had the pole with Larry Damitz outside the second row and point leader Mitch Machado outside third row. Berendsen charged into the early lead ahead of Mike Calhoun, but Damitz and Machado shuffled Calhoun out of the top three on lap two. Lloyd Cline and Kelly Dauksch both pitted very early. The lead three quickly pulled away from the rest of the pack and had a half-lap lead over fourth by lap five. Berendsen had a tire going down, and it gave up on him and ended his impressive run in the lead on lap seven as Damitz and Machado charged by on the back stretch. Lori Brown was now third ahead of Mike Gustafson and Melissa Hansen. While Damitz and Machado dueled for the lead, Gustafson made a low pass in Turn 4 of the 12th lap for third, but by then he was over a half-lap behind the rapid pace of the leaders. Sixth place Calhoun was lapped by Damitz and Machado, who soon caught Brown and Hansen. Damitz caught Brown in the wrong place exciting Turn 4 of the 16th lap, and Machado raced past for the lead. Moments later, Brown made contact with Damitz and spun on the front stretch for the only caution flag of the race. Damitz was on the outside for this restart and would regain the lead entering Turn 1. From there, Damitz drove to a well earned victory with Machado right behind him in second. Gustafson was third ahead of Hansen and Calhoun. Machado started his night off right by out running Damitz to win his heat race. Ryland won his heat race ahead of Lori Brown.

Adam McCarthy and Mike Monahan shared the front row of the eight car 360 Sprint Car feature, and Adam McCarthy raced into the lead ahead of 2007 Marysville champion Jeremy Burt and Monahan. A caution flag flew with one lap in the books as Art McCarthy spun in Turn 4 and collected Colby Wiesz, eliminating both drivers from the race. Adam McCarthy led Burt and 2009 Antioch Wingless Spec Sprint champion Billy Aton on the restart. A low move in Turn 4 of the third lap gained Aton second from Burt. A lap later, Burt spun in Turn 3 for a caution flag. McCarthy led Aton and Monahan on the restart with point leader Craig Smith now fourth. Aton spun from second in Turn 4 of the sixth lap, and McCarthy continued to lead Monahan and Smith on the restart. McCarthy had a straightaway advantage by lap ten before Ryan Rusconi spun in Turn 3 for a caution flag. A low move in Turn 2 of the 12th lap gained Smith second from Monahan, and Aton spun for the second time to end his race on lap 13. Burt moved past Monahan for third on lap 16. Adam McCarthy's impressive run up front ended when he slowed with mechanical problems on lap 18. Smith went on to score the victory ahead of Burt and Monahan. Rusconi was fourth as Adam McCarthy rounded out the top five. Rusconi impressed with his second straight heat race win ahead of Art McCarthy.

There were 16 drivers in the Wingless Spec Sprint feature, and they endured one of their ugliest races of the season. Zach Lynsky led the pack to the green flag, but when Tommy LaLiberte made contact with Geoff Ensign in Turn 4 trying to complete the lap, he stalled for a yellow flag. The restart saw David Press and Watsonville point leader Ryan Bernal get together and spin on the front stretch. A third restart attempt saw Lynsky spin in Turn 4, resulting in a big crash behind him. The fourth restart saw Ensign lead ahead of Jim Perry Jr. and Roy Fisher. A lap three caution flag flew when Fisher spun in Turn 4, and in his effort to get going, he collected Lynsky and Press. Ensign continued to lead LaLiberte and Chuck Bradshaw on the restart. A low move in Turn 4 of the seventh lap gained Lynsky third from Bradshaw. Bradshaw nearly spun in Turn 3 a lap later, but Perry did spin for a yellow flag. Ensign led LaLiberte, Lynsky and Nick Larsen when the green flag waved again. The leaders caught slower traffic with seven laps to go, but Ensign maintained his lead just ahead of LaLiberte. With five to go, LaLiberte was trying to find a line around Ensign when something went wrong in Turn 4 and he hit the wall hard. The race was over at that point with Ensign winning ahead of Lynsky, Larsen, Scott Dupont and Bradshaw. Two heat races were run with Bernal out dueling LaLiberte to win the first heat. Jim Perry Jr. held off a late charge by David Press to claim the second heat.

Dan Liston had the pole for the 19 car Dwarf Car Main Event with Nick Squatritto and Ricardo Rivera in the third row and Jerry Doty starting back in 11th. Liston paced the opening lap ahead of Ed Johnson and Tony Carmignani. Liston got out of shape exiting Turn 2 of the second lap, and Carmignani made an outside pass to move from third to first ahead of Johnson. A series of three yellow flags slowed the pace. On two of the restarts, Johnson made inside passes to take the lead, only to have the passes negated. Carmignani finally led the single file restart. Squatritto and Rivera moved into second and third moments before Johnson spun in Turn 4. An inside move on the front stretch on lap six gained Squatritto the lead from Carmignani. Doty had settled into fourth by then. Squatritto led through another caution flag, and Rivera made a front stretch pass on Cargminani on lap 12. A caution flag flew moments later, and Rivera pitted from second. Squatritto led Carmignani and Doty on the restart, and the lead trio ran in that order to the checkered flag. Sam Westhorpe finished fourth ahead of Bob Accardo, Sonny Calkins, Alan Heeney, Mike Corsaro, Jim Davis and Chuck Golden. There were actually 23 cars in action, and Carmignani won the first heat ahead of Petaluma racer Sonny Calkins. Ricardo Rivera ran away with the second heat ahead of Ed Johnson. The third heat race went to Carmignani ahead of Liston.

Eight trucks started an exciting Mini Truck feature with 2009 champion Gene Haney setting the early pace ahead of Dan Wagner and Ron Mayberry. A lap two caution flag flew for a tangle between Dean Cline and Mike Harmon in Turn 3. Haney picked the outside and continued to lead Wagner on the restart as Pete Paulsen and Travis Dutra both got past Mayberry for third and fourth. Cline fell out, and a low move in Turn 3 of the sixth lap gained Dutra third. Harmon spun in Turn 4 for a lap nine caution flag. Haney maintained the lead over Wagner and Dutra on the restart, and Mayberry and Greg Williams took a wild ride through the infield off the front stretch. There was no caution flag, and both drivers got back on the track. Working traffic, Dutra made a high pass in Turn 2 of the 13th lap to move from third to first. From there, Dutra went on to post the victory ahead of Haney, Wagner, Paulsen and Williams. Wagner won the heat race with Dutra charging from the back of the pack to finish second.

Four Dirt Modifieds ran some hot laps in a tuneup for Next Saturday's big show that will pay $3,500 to win. A huge field of drivers is anticipated for the event that will pay a minimum of $300 to start the Main Event.

Random Thoughts

2010-08-20T00:14:00.000-07:00

It's late, and I'm not sure how much I'll write this week. I can see the finish line for my efforts to put the word out on the current scene. That will be soon. The funny thing with me is once I start getting focused on things, I want to see it to the end. I guess that's why I haven't walked away yet. I started the season and I guess I've been trying to see it through. Not planning on doing that again.

It's kind of funny, as miserable as I was at the end of 2003, I had to finish the season. I needed to get away, and I couldn't let myself because I still had work to finish that wouldn't get done otherwise. Don O'Keefe Jr. had to drag me out of here to go to Disneyland and Universal that year. Yes, he had to drag me out of here, but I'm glad he did. I needed the break. What's funny was I still had them fax me the finishes from Antioch and I sent stories to the publications I wrote for and published the magazine that week. Go figure.

The other thing I notice as I've been doing this blog this year is I keep saying I can do this or that in an hour or so, no problem. It takes longer than that and I put hours into doing what I do here. I still don't know why. I guess it's a way to use my creativity, but I don't know. I know people are reading, and I appreciate the comments I've been getting. I'm not bong paid here, so it does make a difference knowing people like it.

Buy anyway...

How About That Publicity Guy At Merced

I'm really starting to wonder if Mike Adaskaveg might be the guy to help John Soares Jr. fire up Racing Wheels Magazine again. What he's doing for Merced Speedway is just awesome with the stories and photos, and the Merced Sun-Star is totally on board with this. What I really like about Mike's style is that he's covering ALL divisions at the track and spreading it around. That, in my opinion, is how you do it. I know names are being misspelled, but as Mike gets comfortable and more familiar with the racers, that will improve. Hopefully, people are being nice about it when they offer corrections, and knowing the people down there, I'm guessing they are.

While Soares is planning big Modified races, reopening Merced, bringing in UMP to sanction the show and all that other stuff that probably has him asking himself what he's gotten himself into, eventually the attention may turn to Racing Wheels and making it happen again. I believe even in this day and age, a racing newspaper will work if it's done properly and on a reasonable, but not too expensive budget. Back to basics. Why? Even with the internet, hard copy matters. That paper had ads for big races, classifieds and, of course, the news from all of the various tracks with results and pictures. You didn't have to sit at a computer and click this and that. Turn the page, it's all there.

I believe you keep the same style of paper, the folded newspaper. Black and white, no color pictures as it's more expensive for no good reason. If you must, do a color cover once in a great while, but it's not needed. John spoke of biweekly during the season. The thing with me is I like continuity. I want the news to be there without skipping weeks. Years from now, some of us fools like to go back and check the record books, and Wheels is probably the best source out there. So these are archives. Even on the net, things get wiped from the memory, so it's not always a good source. Now, if Wheels married the printed and internet world together, which I believe they could, that's all the better.

I know Mike has some experience writing for racing publications and he has the skills to help John pull this off if he wants to. At this point, I don't even know if John will bring it back, but I do believe it can be done. I also think Mike could be the one to help him make it happen. Then, John will have a racing publication and two race tracks, and who knows what is next.

The Show Should Go On

Merle Shepherd's death at Marysville Raceway was a tragedy. Running that exhibition race with big rigs may have been a mistake and perhaps this could have been avoided, but it happened. Merle died doing something he loved to do, and I don't believe for a second he would want his death to be the end of that race track. If Paul Hawes is indeed done with this track, I can't say I blame him. I understand his decision to leave and respect it. This is something he will be living with for the rest of his life, because it happened on his watch and Merle was a good friend of his.

That not withstanding, we need to grieve and begin the healing process and move on with racing. I am in favor of skipping a race or two, because a man just died there. I know some places where a death occurs and the race goes on the next week. That always bothered me, because it's not going to hurt to take a week and remember that person. However, make no mistake, the show must go on. I would like to see the season finished if legally possible, and if Paul is truly done with it and would prefer not to finish the season before he walks away, hopefully, somebody can come in and finish the season for him. If not, get it going again next year, because in my opinion, the show should go on.

Drew Williams Wins One For His Dad

I was saddened to hear of the passing of Cecil Williams, the father of Drew Williams, after his battle with Cancer. I know he knew the day was coming, but it had to be a difficult day for Drew and his family. As I understand it, Drew spent those last days taking care of his ailing father. When race day came along, he wanted to honor his father by racing in his memory. It was one of the more touching moments at Ocean Speedway last Friday when Drew won his second Four Banger feature of the season and dedicated it to his dad. The out pouring of support from the community towards Drew and his family was nice to see. It's one of the nice things about the racing community, it's all one big family.

Orland Welcomes Marysville Cars

With the news of Marysville Raceway's closure, Orland Speedway management extended an invitation to the track's drivers to come race there. This invitation now allows for Marysville Mini Stocks to race with the Orland Mini Stocks, rather than the Modified 4 Cylinder class. The Stock Car drivers and Wingless Spec Sprints are welcome to race as well. It would be interesting to see if any Pacific 360 Sprints would show up and how well those cars would run there, though it's not likely to happen. As Orland is trying to build car count up, this could be win-win if done right. Orland could see more cars in action, and Marysville racers will have a place to go while they await word on the future of their home track. It will be interesting to see what happens.

Merced-Antioch Go UMP

It was announced on the Merced Speedway Home Page on Thursday that Merced will be UMP sanctioned for their Modified class in 2011, officially joining Antioch under that banner. Currently, Antioch point leader Troy Foulger ranks 12th in the Region, though this is not a widely known fact. Troy has run half the races of the leader. With two tracks within striking distance on different nights in 2011, drivers will have a chance to compete for Regional and National honors. It will be interesting to see if there are any takers and how well they do. Not known at this time is whether the Hobby Stocks or any other division will get UMP sanctioning as well.

Promoter John Soares Jr. said he is hoping to see other tracks follow suit. At this point, the compatible tracks to keep an eye on might be Hanford, Chowchilla and Chico. We'll see what may happen in the future. Skeptics and critics will say that the UMP Modified is more expensive to run than the IMCA Modified. That may be true, but it's worth noting that the only non IMCA track in Califoirnia to run a B Main on a point night this season was Antioch.

One track I don't anticipate joining UMP will be Antioch and Merced's old dancing partner Ocean Speedway. The Watsonville track draws one of the best car counts in the state with IMCA. Whether you are a fan of IMCA or not, the numbers they draw at Watsonville, Santa Maria and Ventura will make you think.

Speaking Of Merced And Antioch

With the BCRA Hall Of Fame in the books, I have given some consideration to who might be on the first Hall Of Fame ballot at both Merced and Antioch. I would think that 6-8 would be a good number of inductees the first year, and I would tend to want to start pre 1980's for the first one, though a couple names from the 80's are there. It's important to remember that there are many worthy drivers, and this would be an ongoing yearly thing. The ones deserving would make it in.

At Merced, the ballot list would include champions from the 1950's, Charlie Brown, Tommy Ashlock and Vern Willhoite as well as Jack Oldenhage, Dennis Moomjean, Rod Poor, George Steitz, Ted Stofle, George Lefler, Doug Williams, Ray Morgan, Duane Noe and Dwayne Blundt. I had a few others listed, but can't find the list at the moment. A non competitor I'd like to see inducted for his years of service to the track is Johnny Sass.

At Antioch, John Soares Sr. would be inducted immediately. He's in as far as I'm concerned. On the first ballot would be Jimmy Stewart, Dave Logan, Gary Pacheco, Bill Brown, Gene Dothage, Ken Gonderman, Richard Johnson, Dean Cline, J.D. Willis, Dennis Furia, John Soares Jr., Buzz Enea, Tom Abreu and Snork Wilson.

Just thinking out loud at this point. I had planned to get the DCRR California Racing Hall Of Fame up, but the current stuff has taken much of my time. I do have Hall Of Fame pages for Watsonville and San Jose I need to put up. Both of these are based on the official inductees at both tracks, and I think it would be nice to acknowledge that.

16 Sport Mods At Victorville

While Chowchilla, Merced and Perris all try to get a Sport Mod division up and running, it's already gaining attention at Victorville. On August 7th, Victorville produced a 16 car field, which has to be the record at this point. If you are keeping track, J.D. Wilson won the race ahead of Vince Porter and point leader Danny Quinn. Quinn had mentioned earlier that he and some of the drivers were interested in coming to Chowchilla and Merced on September 25-26. The sticking point may be starting money as these drivers face a long tow from Victorville to race. At this point, I'm not even sure if it's going to happen, but I know what I'd be doing if I were a driver in the area wanting to make a statement.

I'll say it again that somebody should have stepped up and taken the bull by the horns at Merced or Chowchilla and taken a spokesman role. The focus should have been on that weekend and getting the best car count possible. Help make it possible for the Victorville cars to come, encourage any Bay Area support out there and get as many of the ten drivers who have raced at Chowchilla so far this season to race. If that weekend saw 12 cars race both tracks, good things could come from it, but that's up to the drivers.

The Merced schedule has Sport Mods on the card this week, so we'll see what happens. If all there's going to be is talk about this class, there's no point in even wasting the time and resources on it if you are a promoter. However, I do applaud Victorville and what they are doing. It shows what can happen if effort is made.

Changes On The Horizon For Winged 410 Sprints In California

The Golden State Challenge Series Sprint Cars head to Placerville Saturday, and either way, Brent Kaeding will be a winner. The 13 time King Of California owns the first place car of Kyle Larson and is second in points himself. Less than ten points separate both drivers, and this despite the fact that BK has yet to win a Main Event this season. Is the veteran saving the best for last? It should be a good show, and it's nice to see drivers like Larson, Evan Suggs and fourth ranked third generation star Alissa Geving giving the fans new stars to cheer for.

It has been announced that GSC competitor Dan Simpson is buying the series and has big things planned for it that could even include TV. Handy Promotions took over the series after John Padjen retired. Even after selling the series, Handy is expected to continue running a 410 Sprint series at Chico as well as booking GSC races at his tracks. The idea is that new ownership can bring new life and begin rebuilding the series in California. Getting car counts back into the high 20's will undoubtedly be a priority.

Meanwhile, it was mentioned earlier this year that USAC was looking to revive NARC into a 410 Sprint Series running both dirt and pavement. It's an interesting concept, but I'm not so sure they can pull this off. NASC was more than just the puppet of a bigger organization. Now, if the real NARC were brought back... I just think maybe the ship has sailed on that, but we'll see. The main thing is that racing fans still love the winged and injected 410 Sprint Cars, and they want to see it done right.

Something For BCRA To Think About

ASCS Midgets will be in Chico for the seventh time this week as they attempt to help revive the dirt track Midget effort in California. I see this as a good thing, but I also believe the Bay Cities Racing Association (BCRA) must cover their butts here. I was told ASCS even has a presence on the BCRA Board, and this is a group that booked a race at Chico the night BCRA was racing at Shasta. I'm not jumping on ASCS, because if they can make it happen, more power to them. I just think BCRA needs to go back to the drawing board and work on producing the kind of Midget shows they are capable of.

They are better than a sub ten car show. If the drivers aren't supporting and still have cars, they need to find out why before a third group pops up and starts booking dates themselves. Don't think for a minute it can't happen if those drivers want it to. But, it should happen under the BCRA banner with leadership that takes the driver's concerns into consideration. Chico and Placerville two weeks ago were huge and showed how big this thing can still be. Petaluma, though in double digits, should have been better. There's a reason ASCS has a presence here in California now, and it's not because they are 100% confident in BCRA, even if an alliance has been formed.

So, I'm just hoping people in power start looking at what is happening out there before it gets out of hand. There may be an alliance now, but ASCS is working towards their own goal. What will happen when they start to out draw BCRA consistently? Don't think it can't happen, because it can and will if ASCS makes the right moves. I want a continued presence for Midget racing in Northern California, but I'd like to see BCRA at the head of the table. They have all the tools, all the history and all of the potential. They should be doing better than they are now. Not trying to upset anybody. Just an observation. I wish the best to both groups.

Why Ken And Not Brynda

While I was happy to see the article in The Times this week about Antioch Speedway, I'm somewhat disappointed to see they went to Ken Clapp instead of the woman who ran the day to day at Antioch for ten years before Soares took over. If she didn't want to talk to the paper, I understand, but as far as the weekly racing for those ten years, the lady knew what she was doing, regardless of any disagreements I may have had with her. I'm not a fan of Clapp, and probably never will be. Now Barkhimer, on the other hand, knew what he was doing.

It's not a big deal, I suppose. I mean, the track got front page coverage, and THAT is what should matter. Plus, I'm wondering if archival quotes were used for Clapp's comments, considering his Altamont quotes. I read something similar in an article a year or two earlier. If he did bring it up again, I think that's pretty lame. Whatever problems they had at Altamont, they ran weekly racing seasons for over a decade, so it must not have been a complete failure. Otherwise, it would have been over much sooner.

The biggest thing I could say about that track was they should have found a way to cover those grandstands. Then, day time racing would have been more bearable to watch. I think Sunday afternoons worked better for all involved. As for closing the track, had the person in charge not pushed the issue of drifting events, despite the county's objection, things might be a lot different now. Of course, that's just my opinion.

Point Battles Get Closer, 360 Sprints Return To Antioch

2010-08-18T13:30:00.002-07:00

Open wheel fans get two classes of Sprint Cars and the Dwarf Cars as part of the five division program at Antioch Speedway Saturday night. The Dirt Modifieds get a week off to prepare for the big race. Some interesting things happening in the 50th consecutive season of point racing on the three-eighth mile clay oval.

The Over/Under number this week is 54.

Wingless Spec Sprints (14), Dwarf Cars (16), 360 Sprint Cars (8), Super Stocks (10) and Mini Trucks (6).

Keeping Those Dirt Modifieds Together

There has been enough carnage in the Dirt Modifieds this season that promoter John Soares Jr. was faced with two options. He could let it continue and watch the car count fall below ten, or he could try to do something about it. The high, or low, point, came a little over a month ago when crashing got so bad that two cars were destroyed and one driver was injured and will be out for the rest of the season. Unconfirmed reports are that two drivers were in fact suspended that night.

One of the problems was a track rule where no more than three double file restarts occur in the Main Event after yellow flags was not enforced. The Dirt Modifieds had several caution flags and just continued with double file restarts until the end. The fault in that instance lies with track officials for not enforcing this rule. Three of the reasons Soares even brought this rule to the track with all divisions was to prevent crashing right after restarts on particularly rough nights, protect the cars and speed up the race. Sometime conditions simply call for single file restarts.

Well, going into this race, Soares implemented a single file restart rule on all restarts for the Dirt Modifieds. In my opinion, this is a good idea. I know that when I was at Merced in the early part of last decade, they ran single file restarts in all classes, and it actually made the racing better. The fact is, Antioch's Dirt Modified races have had a history of being brutal. It used to amaze me in the mid 90's, during the Regional point era, when there would be 30 plus cars every race, and they almost always had ten or more yellow flags in the Main Event. But, the racers always came back for more. They can do better, and they have to do better before nobody can afford to race. Hence, Soares took action.

The "one and done" rule was also added to get racers to be a little more respectful out there. There were still several yellows last week, and six of 14 starters finished, but some drivers earned a trip to the pits after one yellow flag. The danger of this rule is that it can be applied unevenly. If a drivers spins somebody out, does the driver who spins or the one who contacted that driver get the black flag? Do you try to gauge intent of the contact? Inevitably, it will cause some to complain about the fairness, but if it cleans things up, it can be a good thing.

Respect and unselfishness are a key too, and both are up to the drivers. Is it wise to be overly aggressive for a position early in a race? Is it better to take a third, or crash going for second? The other thing that made me think was Tommy LaLiberte in the Wingless Spec Sprints. He had a problem on the back stretch and started to slow, losing the lead. What a lot of racers will do is park for a yellow, or if they get a flat tire and park, rather than exit safely. When it's safe to leave, it's probably a good idea. A good many racers will not do this. They want the yellow for the chance to fix things.

What irritates me about that is how many times I have seen a driver going for their first win or a rare win, only to get a yellow flag because somebody was selfish. I know you can't always get out of the way, but some can. And why does it matter about getting back out there? Look at the point standings and tell me there are a bunch of people racing hard core for points they way they did 10-15 years ago. These days, it's more about the racing that night than the points. But, I'm drifting here.

The idea of trying to clean up the racing is a good one. I wonder if just the Dirt Modified drivers have been taken aside for a meeting of their owm with track officials to discuss the situation. They can talk about what they are seeing out there and those types of things, and maybe that would help. Crashing will happen regardless, but racing can be better. It's ultimately in the driver's hands.

I'll end this part by recalling a wacky idea Don O'Keefe Jr. had that he was told wouldn't work. When we started Wingless Spec Sprints for John in 1999, most of the drivers in the class pitted together, and it promoted a community within the division, Don was pretty much the "unofficial" official and helped keep things peaceful. The racing was good out there, and the drivers were respectful of each others equipment for the most part.

Don suggested the other divisions should do the same thing and pit together, and he was told it couldn't happen. Eventually, even the Spec Sprint division stopped doing that. Seems to me, Don had it right, but what did he know? Maybe, if you have the guys parking together like that, they think twice about doing something stupid and wrecking somebody they park with? Nah, what the heck am I thinking?

Press Not Going Away Quietly In Spec Sprint Race

In the Wingless Spec Sprint division, Tommy LaLiberte had a reason for getting back on the track last week and trying to finish the race two laps down. Despite all of the winning he has done this season, Tommy's lead is only 20 points over David Press. That lead would be less had he not salvaged a seventh place finish to the second Press earned. In fact, he probably gained ten points by doing that. In the win column, LaLliberte leads all drivers in the class with five feature triumphs to two for Press, but the competitive class has seen four different drivers (Press, LaLiberte, Rowdy McClenon and Jeff Kindt) win in the last four races.

With just two point races remaining on the schedule (this week and September 18th), it's clutch time for for the drivers, and there is a reason Press is still in the hunt. He has won championships at Watsonville, Petaluma and the NCMA Select Series. In fact, his 2008 Petaluma title came just two points ahead of past Antioch and Chico-Placerville champion Bob Newberry. There's a reason Press has won these championships. He knows how to make those points ad up through consistency. Now is the time for the driver who wants it the most to step up and claim it. Odds may still be in LaLiberte's favor, but he will need to shake off the mechanical problems that have hit him these past few weeks.

It was another Press who stepped up big last week and claimed his first podium finish of the season in third. Making a late race pass on Jeff Lee, Trevor Press claimed the third spot and is now within 14 points of Chuck Bradshaw for fourth in the standings. Bradshaw had been running up front early in the Main Event before spinning. T. Press also had a second in his heat race, and that also helped keep him 37 points ahead of Jeff Kindt for fifth in the standings. Kindt was impressive in winning his second feature of the season last week.

Jeff Lee enjoyed a good night as well. The 14th ranked driver matched his season best finish in fourth after battling with the likes of David Press and top ten ranked Dan Gonderman early on. Unfortunately for Gonderman, he had mechanical problems in the Sam Davies #99 car, or he likely would have had a double top five night after grabbing a third in the Dirt Modified Main Event. Roy Fisher continues to get more comfortable behind the wheel of his #21 car, and his fifth place finish moved him into the Top 20 in points. Another pat on the back goes to Jeff Bantum. The Top 20 ranked driver took a checkered flag last week with a lead lap sixth place finish.

It's Clutch Time For The Dwarf Cars

While five time champion Ricardo Rivera and Nick Squatritto may have been a little more flashy and have garnered much of the attention in Dwarf Car competition this season, Jerry Doty has been right there with them, quietly earning his points in the green #55 car. While Squatritto has been slumping a bit and Rivera has been finishing well as usual, Doty had been collecting top five finishes. In fact, his most recent effort resulted in his second win of the season ahead of Rivera, putting him into a two point lead over Squatritto. Rivera in only six point out of the lead.

With three races left counting this one, it is time to step up. Rivera has five feature wins this season and over 40 in his career. Both Squatritto and Doty have two each. Rivera has been fast and consistent this season, and if not for skipping a race. he would be leading now. Doty appears to be peaking at the right time, but can he keep up this pace? Squatritto shot out of the gate like a cannon, collecting both of his wins early in the season. It's definitely gut check time for him. He continues to be one of the faster drivers at the track, but he will need to cut back on the mistakes and get it back up to the front if he's to have any shot. Odds favor Rivera, who has been there and done that, but anything can happen.

One driver who knows how tough Rivera can be in the championship race is Tony Carmignani. It was last season when Tony led the battle foe quite a while, but Rivera got hot late and beat him by just 16 points. Tony has missed some races this year, but he still ranks ninth ahead of rookie Tom Brown. Last time out, Tony picked up a third ahead of Robert Meshoh. Mesloh, a feature winner at Antioch this season, ranks 16th in the standings, while also top ten ranked at both Watsonville and Petaluma.

Getting back to Tom Brown, the rookie keeps getting faster and faster in his short time in the class. Tom was third in the Mini Truck points last season and won the first two features in that class this year before moving up and earning a second place feature finish early on. Tom was the Trophy Dash winner last time out. Earning a top ten finish and heat win last time out, Clayton Dortzback continues to rank 50 points ahead of Dan Liston for fourth in points. Liston actually moved past Mike Corasro by four points in the standings on the strength of his fifth place feature finish last time aboard his pink #12 car.

The 360 Sprint Car Audition Continues

It's well known that Soares would like to establish his own Winged 360 Sprint Car program. There are several good reasons to do this, not the least of which is the fact that Sprint Cars are a popular division with many fans and having a good program of his own can help get him a seat at the Civil War Series table. This is something he would love to have, and it starts by building a car count with some drivers willing to travel to other Civil War tracks. Though other things have taken the focus from Soares, such as getting Merced Speedway up and running and putting on the big Dirt Modified shows, the 360 Sprints are still here on the schedule this week and twice next month.

This is an important time for the division, and drivers wanting a presence at Antioch Speedway should be ready to step up now. Last time out, they delivered ten cars, which was their best of three dates this year. At the top of the list is 360 Sprint veteran Craig Smith, who has been a front runner everywhere he's raced. Smith won the most recent Main Event, beating another open wheel veteran Eric Rossi. These two are welcome additions to any Sprint Car roster. However, it is a newcomer challenging Smith for the point lead after three races.

At the moment, Smith leads rookie Ryan Rusconi by 28 points. A champion at Delta Speedway last season, Rusconi's debut in a 360 Sprint Car at Antioch this year was a feature victory, but a week later he flipped to end his race. Last time out, he was a heat race winner, putting him 16 points ahead of past Antioch and Petaluma champion Art McCarthy. Art would be a little closer if not for the crash in the previous race that eliminated him and Keith Collins.

Collins is no stranger to Antioch Speedway. In fact, some of his biggest success occurred at the track. Keith won a Street Stock feature at Antioch and was top 20 ranked before becoming a founding member of the NCMA and the point runner up for the group in 1988. A tear later, he won his first Main Event in that group before moving up to 360 Sprints. A few years later, Keith won his first 360 Sprint Car Main Event at Antioch, so it wasn't too much of a surprise to see him return to action at Antioch.

2009 Wingless Spec Sprint champion Billy Aton and past Marysville Pacific 360 Sprint champion Jeremy Burt are fourth and fifth in points at the moment. Aton has two second place Civil War Series feature finishes at Petauma Speedway this year in his rookie season. Burt won the two Main Events at Antioch last year that led to more dates being added this season. It is known that there are several drivers with cars in the area, and the track is hoping to attract as many of them as possible. If car count can be built into the 15-20 per race area in the future, good things could happen. Bigger Sprint Car events, such as the Civil War Series, are something many people would love to see at Antioch.

Berendsen Trying To Get To End Of Season In Top Five

It's been a challenging season just keeping his #88 Super Stock on the track every week, but second generation racer Eric Berendsen hasn't missed a race. His goal this year is simple, just maintain his top five point status. He's currently fourth, but his most recent effort offered a mixed bag of results with a heat race win using an old pieced together motor, and a Main Event DNF with a blown rear end. Running on a low budget as it is, Eric's motor problems resulted in him running one of his dad's old motors that had been sitting in the shop. It gotten him back to the track, but what it has left in it remains to be seen.

The Berendsen family has been going to the races for years, starting with Eric's father Carl, who is friends with third generation racer Jim Robbins and has been going to the races for some 40 years now. In the 80's, Carl and Jim bought their first Street Stocks, formerly belonging to Chuck and Bobbi Carter. Carl raced for a few years, and when he wasn't racing, he was helping somebody else when he could. As the 90's came to a close, his son Carl Berendsen II started racing, and soon after, Eric joined the ranks.

Carl II had some top three point success for a few years, while Eric was a top five driver and feature winner in Pure Stocks before moving up to Street Stocks. A few years back, Eric seemed headed for a top five season in Street Stocks, but late season bad luck derailed that. He had hoped to be a feature winner this season, but his motor problems seem to have derailed that and caused him to focus more on hanging on to the top five. His brother Carl's car, meanwhile, remains parked for the time being.

As he did beat Mike Gustafson to win that heat race last time out, Eric would seem to be capable of getting the most out of what he has. He was planning to just get a finish in the feature that night, but his competitive spirit got the better of him as he was battling Larry Damitz for a top five finish when the rear end problems occurred. As the moment, Eric is 46 points ahead of Lloyd Cline for fourth and 54 points behind likely "Rookie Of The Year" Fred Ryland for third.

Cline has been running pretty well lately, but when he missed the start of the last feature and tried to rejoin on the restart, he was black flagged. Cline is trying to hold on to his second straight top five season, and after Gustafson won his third feature of the season last time, Cline's advantage is still 54 points. Unless he stumbles badly with three races remaining, he should be able to maintain that. With drivers like two time Street Stock champion Michael Newman, two time Limited Late Model champion Lori Brown, Jon Haney and Mike Calhoun racing in recent weeks, there is more opportunity for point gains.

Larry Damitz will be counting on that. His deficit to Mitch Machado is at 26 points after finishing third behind Machado at the most recent race. Machado has collected five feature victories so far to two for Damitz. Last week, Damitz made a trip to Merced on the off week and impressed with a heat race and Main Event win. He hopes to carry that momentum with him this week. As two time winner Ryland is only 18 points behinf him for second, he'll need to run strong to stay ahead of him.

One question still remains. As the division's 12 Main Events have been divided up between Machado, Damitz, Ryland and Gustafson, will a new winner emerge this week? If there is a new winner, judging by the way they have fibnished in recent races, perhaps Jon Haney, Michael Newman or Lloyd Cline could be leading candidates. We'll find out Saturday night.

The Old Guys Still Racing And Having Fun In Mini Trucks

They've been there, done that and could write a book about it. Two of the track's most respected veteran drivers are in the Mini Truck division, and they both started racing some 50 years ago. They are Pete Paulsen and Dean "The Blinker" Cline. Paulsen's familiar red, while and blue #66 cars and trucks have been a part of the show for years, and may people consider them to be among the nicest looking machines at the track. For a while, Pete fielded two trucks with familiar paint jobs, and both he and Joe Cambra were top three ranked and feature winners.

Pete's "House Of Wheels Special" #66 Stock Car was driven to a championship at Antioch in 1981 by Bruce "The Phantom" Curl. Of course, he started racing Hardtops at Vallejo and Pacheco, and he built a replica car of one of those cars this year. Pete loves cars and promotes custom hot rod car shows. He also promoted Delta Speedway during the "golden age" of that track when Mini Stocks, Modified Mini Stocks, Dwarf Cars and even Figure 8's were run on the 1/8th mile dirt oval. He won a couple Modified Mini Stock titles along the way. That's just some of what the man has done, and he's truly one of the good people of the sport.

The Cline family name has been a part of Antioch Speedway nearly since it opened. Winning well over 40 Main Events in his career, Dean could have several championship trophies on the mantle if that was what he wanted. Fact is, twice he abandoned a point race while leading, because that's not why he does it. He races for the fun of the competition and being out there among friends. If and when Antioch ever has a Hall of Fame, Dean is one person whole belong in it. He's won Main Events in Sportsman, Stock Cars, Street Stocks, Pure Stocks and Mini Trucks and ranked high in all classes and won the only championship he went after in Stock Cars in 1979.

Dean's son Lance followed him into the sport and became one of the most respected car builders in the track's storied history. Many of Lance's cars won races and even championships, and it's people like him who have helped build the track to what it is today. That Dean is still out there racing after all of these years is a testament to his dedication to the sport. Recently, he came within a whisker of winning another Main Event, finishing second. After hitting a tractor tire last time out, he may not be there this week, but there are many people who hope to see Dean out there with his trademark red light lit on the roof of his truck as he charges down the straightaways.

Somebody needs to step up and beat Travis Dutra. With six feature wins this year in his #99 truck, Dutra is well on his way to the championship at this point. The 2009 point runner up leads one time winner Dan Wagner by 94 points. Wagner's hold on second is nearly as strong as Ray Bunn has been a no show the last two races. While Ron Mayberry has come on strong of late to take over fourth, the battle is for fifth. Cline took over the position with his start in the last race, but that lead is only five ahead of hard luck racer Jerry Carpanello. Jerry was unable to start the feature after problems in his heat race.

This Just In

It was just announced on the Merced Speedway web site that both Merced Speedway and Antioch Speedway will be UMP sanctioned in 2011. Antioch is already sanctioned, but Merced will be it's sister track in California as Yreka went from UMP to IMCA in an attempt to boost car count. Currently, Troy Foulger is 12th in this region with half the starts of the leaders. It is hoped that bringing Merced into the fold will increase the presence of the drivers in this area. Promoter John Soares Jr. also indicated in the news release that he hoped other tracks would follow. Prime candidates to follow this move could (and I emphasize could as this is speculation) be Hanford, Chowchilla or Chico. Time will tell.

It also is an indication that Merced may be considering staying with Sunday racing in 2011, though we will let the track make the official announcement when the time comes. This move was made to strengthen the ties between the two tracks and give the drivers national and regional championships to shoot for, and that should be a positive in the long run. I'm sure UMP would love to have more of a California presence, and it will be interesting to see if any other tracks get on board. In the past, Antioch sanctioned the Hobby Stocks with UMP as well, and Fred Ryland ranked second in the nation in feature wins last season. However, nothing was indicated as to whether other division will be involved at this time.

Four Winners At Orland Speedway

2010-08-18T13:30:00.001-07:00

Figured I'd put something up for Orland Speedway. Stats are unofficial and a guess was made on the Mini Stock finish based on pictures at the track's web page, which I will update as I see an official finish. Also, the track has altered the schedule with the Dirt Modifieds now gone. A van race ran in its place at this race and August 28th now shows a Powder Puff Race.

Racing continued Saturday night at Orland Speedway with four divisions of racing on the one-fifth mile dirt oval and a special van race. Picking up victories were Josh Jacobo (Wingless Spec Sprints), Dan Webster (Mini Trucks) Sean Perry (Mini Stocks) and Rich Hood (Hobby Stocks).

There were six Wingless Spec Sprints in action with a driver driving a yellow #69x car collecting the win in the heat race over Josh Jacobo. Dave Emery won the Trophy Dash. The division had three winners on this occasion as four time champion Jacobo bested the unidentified driver in the #69x car. John Hopkins finished third ahead of Emery. Josh Tucker and Brian Kerby both competed, but neither are listed in the finishes.

The Mini Trucks continue to produce the strongest counts at the track with 11 in action Saturday night. Tyler Pebley won the first heat race ahead of Alan Crook in his season debut. One of the track's top competitors this season, Dan Webster won his heat race ahead of Richard Gale. Alan Crook claimed Trophy Dash honors. With two straight second place finishes and a win in the special combined Mini Stock/Mini Truck feature the week before that, Webster has been the hottest driver in the division lately. On this occasion, he collected the feature victory ahead of another of this year's top drivers, Richard Gale. A newcomer in the #49x truck grabbed the third podium position as Bruce Crook and Ross Vige made up the rest of the top five. Steven Woods finished mid pack in the sixth position as Alan Crook, John Blevins, Don McClain and Pebley completed the top ten.

There were five Mini Stocks in action, and Sean Perry won the heat race ahead of Don Runkle, who ran the heat race in the #23 car before turning the wheel over to Barbara Crain. Perry was debuting a new body on his #46 car. Preston Ervin won the Trophy Dash In the Main Event, Ken Johnson ran up front early before Perry and Crain moved in to battle for position. Perry got the lead and Johnson would spin. Perry would go on to win the race ahead of Ervin, Johnson (he is listed second and fourth), Crain and Eric Hammond.

There were five Hobby Stocks, and a new driver in the #07 car won the heat race ahead of Brian Compton. Rich Hood has been the top competitor so far this season, and he continued to run strong with a Trophy Dash win. Hood returned to win another Main Event ahead of Compton, the #07 car and Steve Ema. Earl Adams was in action, but he is not listed in the Main Event finish after a third in the heat race.

The track also had a special van race that including four entries, two of which came from the Pat Bisio and Dan Webster teams. Next week, the Mini Trucks, Mini Stocks, Hobby Stocks and Modified 4 Cylinders are all in action, along with a kids bike race.

Wingless Spec Sprints (8 Races) *

69-Josh Jacobo 376
74-Josh Tucker 228
7x-Brian Kerby 224
4xl-Pat Bisio 180
50-Don Emery 142

* At least 1 race missing

Mini Trucks (10 Races)*

62-Dan Webster 458
97-Ross Vige 424
23-Richard Gale 412
00t-Tyler Pebley 300
5-Jim Davis 262

*1 race missing

Mini Stocks (10 Races)*

86-Eric Hammond 334
23-Don Runkle 318
93-Ken Johnson 282
46-Sean Perry 240
26-Preston Irvin 188

* 1 race missing

Hobby Stocks (7 Races)*
12-Rich Hood 280
22-Earl Adams 192
18-Brian Compton 186
2-Jake Van Tol 142
44-Jimmy O'Reilly 136

* At least 1 race missing

Wallace Collects First Feature, Kindt Wins Second At Antioch

2010-08-15T16:54:00.000-07:00

Once again, I decided to throw something together. Thanks again to Jon, I have some details. As always, these statistics are unofficial and will be adjusted and updated as more information comes in. Also want to sing the praises of Gaspar Photography pictures. Please check out the page, and if you see any pictures you like, order a copy to support the cause and add to your scrap book of racing memories. Some really nice photos there.

Five divisions of racing took to John Soares Jr's three-eighth mile clay oval Saturday night at Antioch Speedway. The event featured plenty of action and a few surprises. In what may be his first ever Dirt Modified feature win, Bill Wallace led from flag to flag. Wallace won some Street Stock features early on in his career and raced Wingless Spec Sprints, and he has had some top five success in Dirt Modifieds in the past. Jeff Kindt battled with point leader Tommy LaLiberte before moving on to win his second Wingless Spec Sprint feature of the season. Chris Sorensen kept his title hopes alive with his third Hobby Stock Main Event win, while runaway point leader Travis Durta won his sixth Mini Truck Main Event. In the exciting finish of the night, Justin Silveira won a drag race to the line in traffic with Patty Ryland for the victory n the Four Banger feature.

A competitor at the track throughout the last 20 years, Bill Wallace shared the front row of the 14 car Dirt Modified feature with Sean O'Gara and raced into the early laad over O'Gara and Steve Noack. Contact between Rick Karnes and Troy Foulger in Turn 2 saw Foulger spin for a lap one caution flag, ending Foulger's race. A high pass in Turn 2 gained Noack second from O'Gara on lap two, and Jeff Thomas crashed into a Turn 1 tractor tire for a lap three caution flag. Wallace led Noack, O'Gara, Dan Dozier and Dan Gonderman on the restart. Scott Busby quickly got around Gonderman and made an inside back stretch pass on Dozier for fourth on lap six. A lap later, contact between Busby and O'Gara sent O'Gara spinning. O'Gara restarted in the back as Wallace continued to lead Noack and Gonderman. Working lap nine, Mike Salazar got out of shape exiting Turn 4 and got into the front wall and rolled for a red flag. Fortunately, he was not hurt. Noack retired from the race, and Wallace led Gonderman and Karnes on the restart. A lap 14 caution flag flew for Norm Boeck on the back stretch, and Wallace maintained the lead working the inside as Gonderman took many looks to the outside. Karnes made an inside pass for second exiting Turn 2 of the 17th lap, but contact sent him spinning on the back stretch for a yellow flag. Wallace led this restart with Gonderman trying hard to make an outside move. On the last lap, Gonderman tried to go high, but Wallace maintained the lead for the victory. O'Gara had the inside line coming to the finish and beat Gonderman to the checkered flag for second. Jeff Kindt, Karnes and Gene Haney completed the order of the cars that took the checkered flag. Boeck was scored seventh ahead of Noack, Salazar and Busby. It was Karnes winning his second straight heat race ahead of Foulger. Busby won the other heat race in front of Jeff Thomas. Foulger came back to win the Trophy Dash.

There were 12 starters for the Wingless Spec Sprint Main Event, and Chuck Bradshaw paced the opening lap ahead of Jim Perry Jr. before spinning into the wall in Turn 4 for a yellow flag. Perry led the restart ahead of Tommy LaLiberte, Jeff Lee and Jeff Kindt. LaLiberte made a high move around Perry for the lead in Turn 2 of the sixth lap, and Perry suffered mechanical problems and stalled in Turn 4 for a caution flag. LaLiberte led the restart as Kindt made an outside pass in Turn 2 to take second from Lee. As Kindt set his sites on LaLiberte, Lee had his hands full fighting off Tyler Henriquez, Dan Gonderman and David Press for third. Gonderman took fourth from Lee. A lap 14 caution flag slowed the pace, and LaLiberte continued to lead Kindt, Lee and Gonderman on the restart. Working lap 16, LaLiberte's car slowed on the back stretch as Kindt gained the lead ahead of Lee, Gonderman and Press. LaLiberte limped to the pits without a caution, but he rejoined the field on the next restart in an effort to pick up a few points. While Kindt held command, Lee, Gonderman and Press waged a close battle for third until Gonderman had mechanical problems and stalled in Turn 2 for a lap 17 caution flag. Kindt led the restart, and Press made a high pass on Lee in Turn 2 for second on lap 19. Working on his best finish of the season, top five ranked rookie Trevor Press took third from Lee with a high pass in Turn 2 of the 23rd lap. Laliberte stalled on the front stretch as the leaders came to take the checkered flag, and Kindt collected his second win of the season ahead of D. Press, T. Press, Lee and Roy Fisher. Jeff Bantum was the final finisher as Laliberte, Bradshaw, Gonderman and Nick Larsen made up the balance of the top ten. Kindt won the first heat ahead of T. Press, while D. Press was the other heat winner.

The Hobby Stocks had 12 cars for this race, and title contender Chris Sorensen shared the front row with Natalie Perry for the Main Event with Jack Jonker and Dan McCown in the second row and Melissa Hansen starting back in tenth. Sorensen charged into the lead at the start ahead of Jonker and McCown. Jonker pitted with a flat tire on lap two, moving McCown and Perry into second and third. Perry had a mechanical problem on lap four and pitted to move Dave Lincoln into third. Wes Bentley and Hansen were fourth and fifth by lap five. Sorensen had a good lead, but traffic enabled McCown to close in on him by lap seven. Problems in traffic saw Lincoln spin out of third in Turn 4 for a lap eight caution flag. Sorensen chose the outside and remained the leader on the restart ahead of McCown and Bentley. Hansen had settled into fourth before a lap ten caution flag flew for debris in Turn 1. Hansen rode the outside around Bentley for third on the restart and challenged McCown for second as Sorensen continued to run impressively up front. Another yellow flag slowed things down on lap 13 when Joe Cancilla and Aaron Biels tangled coming out of Turn 2, and Lincoln used the outside second row spot on the restart to take third from Hansen. One last caution flag waved on lap 18, and McCown pitted from second with a flat tire. Sorensen maintained control on the restart and went on to victory. Lincoln was a season best second ahead of Hansen and Pat Gooding, in his best finish to date. McCown came back to finish fifth as Biels, Jonker, Randy Mentzler, Cancilla and Perry completed the top ten. Lincoln won the first heat ahead of Hansen, and McCown won the second head in front of Perry.

With Jerry Carpanello scratching, six Mini Trucks started the feature, and Dan Wagner set the early pace ahead of Pete Paulsen and Dean Cline. Sixth starter Travis Dutra made an inside pass in Turn 2 of the third lap to take third from Cline. Dutra quickly moved in to challenge Paulsen. Working lap six, contact between Ron Mayberry and Cline sent Cline into a tractor tire on the front stretch for a yellow flag. Wagner chose the outside for the restart, and a three wide battle resulted in Dutra passing both Wagner and Paulsen to take the lead. Paulsen and Mike Harmon tangled in Turn 3 for a lap 13 caution flag. Dutra led the restart and brought it home to another victory ahead of Wagner, Harmon, Paulsen and Cline. Dutra's perfect night included a heat win ahead of Cline.

Six Four Bangers started their Main Event with second row starter Ken Radabaugh leading the opening lap ahead of Mike Felt and Patty Ryland. An inside move on the back stretch of the second lap gained Ryland second, and she beat Radabauigh back to the line a lap later to take the lead. A low move in Turn 2 of the fifth lap gained Justin Silveira second, and Devon DeOdosso hit the front row for a lap six caution flag. Ryland led Silveira and Dayna Andreesen on the restart. Silveira stayed with Ryland in a close battle. Ryland continued to repel his high groove advances until traffic came into play on the final lap. Ryalnd's momentum was slowed with contact from a slower car in Turn 3. With that car in front of the leaders, Ryland went outside and Silveira went inside racing to the line. Silveira beat Ryland by inches to collect the victory. Andreesen took third ahead of Felt and Radabaugh. Ryland won the heat race ahead of Andreesen.

Next Week, five divisions will compete in what is sure to be an action packed show featuring Wingless Spec Sprints, Winged 360 Sprints, Super Stocks, Dwarf Cars and Mini Trucks. After a week off, the Dirt Modifieds will run a big event on August 28th, boasting a purse of $3,500 to win and $300 to start the Main Event. Check out the Antioch Speedway website for more information.

A Few Thoughts Concerning The Tragedy At Marysville

2010-08-15T15:23:00.001-07:00

I just saw the news from Marysville Raceway Park. Merle Allen Shepherd Jr. has died from injuries sustained in a crash in Big Rig race at the track. My condolences go out to his family.

I'm not going to get into the question that I've already seen asked, which is why did the track book such a race. It's obvious they did it for entertainment. I've seen tracks that have held school bus races, Figure 8's and other types of races that buck the norm and are there for entertainment value. They were trying to add more entertainment value to the show at a time when more and more people are choosing other forms of entertainment for their dollar. It's doubtful anybody saw this tragedy coming when it was booked, though now through the benefit of hindsight...

What's worse is the sensationalistic way things have been covered by the media, but in this sport, you have to expect that. The media loves to jump on things like this anyway. Plus, the booking of this race to begin with leaves itself open to that.

I don't claim to be a religious person. I don't go to church and don't have a desire to do so. I do believe in the creator and the creative force that makes it all possible, but the religious theories and dogmas are another thing. I'm not gonna preach, and what you believe is your belief. We all have our own relationship with the creator, and nobody should try to force their beliefs on us.

But, I understood every time a racer strapped into a race car at a track I was at, whatever the division, that could be their last race. I never saw anybody die at a track, though I knew a Figure 8 racer who died later after I had stopped attending races. You just sort of take it for granted when a crash happens that they will just be okay and walk away. I wonder how many people are desensitized at this point to where when they see a particularly hard crash at a track, they just expect everybody to be okay.

This is why when I first started hearing the evocation, the prayer before the races, at Altamont back in the 1990's I was all for it. They do it before the NASCAR races. To me, it's not about a particular religion, but rather just asking for the creator, or protective spirit or energy, to keep the racers safe, and it sets a mood for the night. It lets the racers and fans know that even with all of the safety and everything, bad things can happen, so be respectful out there and pay attention. Tom used to have the evocation at Chowchilla and I even performed it once at Tulare when I announced there.

Bad things can happen, but we love this sport. Drivers know and understand the risks, and they still want to race. In the event of a death, it's highly unlikely that any racer would want that track closed on their account. To hear the comments out there that this track should be closed just misses the point entirely. This attempt to run Big Rigs may not have been as well thought out as it should have been, but the safety record of the general program has been good otherwise during the current management's time at the track.

Now, I understand Paul Hawes has discussed the situation with track owner Richard Sinnott and decided to cancel the rest of the season. Certainly, there could be legal things that I am not privy to, and if that's the case, so be it. I understand Paul and Merle have been friends for years, so he is undoubtedly grieving and dealing with the guilt that a person in his position will feel when something like this happens. If that is the main basis of this decision, I hope that Paul will take the time and realize Merle wouldn't want the track to close this way. He got into that rig and raced because he wanted to, and he accepted the risks.

When moments like this arise, it is best to put it all into perspective, in my opinion. It's the people at these events that matter, not the results of the races or any of that, but the people themselves. I would think that all of the racers and fans should be given a chance to grieve and begin to heal, and one way to start that process is to have a service at the track for our fallen racer. No races that night, a service for all to pay their respects.

Then, if it's not a legal issue, the show should go on a week later. Don't let this be the end of a race track that has meant so much to so many racers and fans, including Merle himself.

I would hope that the fraternity of promoters out there would offer a little moral support to Paul during this time, particularly the ones I know he works with or talks with. This should include encouragement for reopening the track and finishing the season if this is legally possible. I have seen one track trying to use this as an opportunity to get the cars. Business is business, I suppose, and drivers need to race someplace if their track does indeed close, but still...

That this could be the moment that Paul decides he needs to leave the sport or at least promoting, I can definitely understand. This tragedy happened under his watch, but to put ALL the blame on him isn't entirely fair either. This will be something that is likely to stay with him over time. At the race track, the buck stops with the promoter. But it is also important to recognize all of the positives he has brought to the track too. Whatever the final decision, I wish Paul the best.

And again, my condolences go out to Merle's family and my thoughts and prayers go out to them and all of those involved and effected by this tragedy.

Random Thoughts

2010-08-13T00:55:00.000-07:00

Well, I wasn't going to put anything together for this column this week, but I decided to do a little something to comment on a couple of things I've either been thinking about or that have caught my attention.

Expanding The Presence Of The Hunt Wingless Spec Sprint Series

I'm all for this. When Don and I were getting the Spec Sprint deal up and running, we talked about this potential. The biggest reason we didn't just start a new club was we both felt this thing needed to be a division at the track. Clubs hadn't really helped this carbureted Sprint Car deal expand at this point. Now, in 1994, Mike Johnson and I tried to form the Cal Mod Series, but the headaches involved in getting any of these groups to compromise for the sake of the bigger picture made this impossible. It's a shame, because there could have been some big fields even then.

But, getting this class going at Antioch was important. If we could show a good car count there, other tracks would get involved. In a year's time, this class had B Mains, and car count NEVER dropped under 12 cars at Antioch back then. That was a big accomplishment. In 2001, Orland got into the deal, and at season's end, Tom Sagmiller took my crazy idea and booked the date that really put the class on the map. It was the Open Wheel Round Up, and a then record 32 cars came out for that one. By then, we had Chico, Watsonville and Marysville looking to get involved. Actually, before that, the CSRA was formed and booked races at Sacramento Raceway.

The idea of a California Carbureted Revolution Series came to mind. I thought Revolution for a couple reasons. Revolution played on the whole Civil War theme of the Winged 360 Sprints, and in a way, this class was revolutionizing the whole Sprint Car deal. Suddenly, Stock Car, Mini Stock and Modified Midget drivers were going Sprint Car racing. The Spec Sprint brought Sprint Car racing to the working man and woman with a budget. I loved that about this deal. Unfortunately, John wasn't really on board with this Series idea, but I know it was only a matter of time before another John (Padjen) was going to grab a hold of this class and do amazing things with it.

Even the NCMA saw the potential with the Select Series. It was a good attempt, but it lacked the umph that was needed. Padjen's big open shows with the huge fields into the 60's showed just how far this class had truly come. When Alan Handy and Paul Hawes put the Hunt Magneto Series together, I couldn't help but be happy, yet disappointed that Soares hadn't seized the moment. He could have and should have been a leader in this, but then, this isn't Stock Car racing, is it? At least he was there when it all started.

Anyway, I believe it was intended to be four track series at first, but the fourth didn't make it in for whatever reason. However, there is a fourth track offering a date after point racing is done, and that is Petaluma Speedway on September 25th. This is fitting, since Petaluma has more drivers from the outside tracks supporting the 3 track, 12 race series. I believe Petaluma could be the next track added to this deal, and if that happens, it will only make the series better. Drivers love racing on the Jim Soares prepared three-eighth mile adobe clay oval. I see it as win-win. Petaluma would get 3-4 big shows out of the class during racing season, and car count would likely improve at the other tracks for these races too.

Of course, all of this is speculation, but if it goes down next year, there will be more shows in the 30 car area. Having three Sprint Car Series going at the same time in Northern California is good for Sprint Car racing too. Another win-win. I guess we'll just have to wait and see what the powers that be have in mind, but I anticipate good things.

Merced Spec Sprints

John Soares Jr's first Spec Sprint date at Merced produced six cars. This is about where I thought it might begin, which is still one more car than any regular point race they had at Chowchilla this year. I would have liked to have seen another car or two from Chowchilla, in addition to 2009 Chowchilla champion Chris Koontz. Having Steven Williams and Doug Gandy show up was pretty nice, and like I said before, I believe there are a dozen or more cars in the area ready to go now. Hopefully more of them show next time.

Kudos to David Press for the turn around. His night could have ended early with that flip in the heat race, but he got it back together and won the Main Event. Also, Dan Gonderman did a nice job in winning the heat and a second in the main in the Sam Davies car. I was a bit surprised to see Brian Gray, who like Gonderman is a Spec Sprint original at Antioch, but it is nice to see he's racing again. So, basically, this six car show pulled three cars out of the wood works that we haven't seen in a while. That can't help but be a good thing.

Mike Adaskaveg has done a great job of getting the word out for Merced and had a story about this class coming to the track last week. He's been covering all of the divisions, rather than just focussing on one or two, which is another good thing in my book. Dirt Modifieds, Street Stocks, Hobby Stocks, Four Bangers and Valley Sportsman are at the track this Sunday, and according to Mike, Kellen Chadwick is coming with his Dirt Modified. Not only is the second generation racer a winner of some big Dirt Modified races in his career, but he is a past Antioch champion as well. They seem to be coming from everywhere to run the "new" Merced Speedway, and I have to give a pat on the back to Soares and his crew for doing a great job of restarting things at the 60 year old facility.

Mini Stock Rules Debate In Orland

Seems to be some interesting discussion going on about the rules in the Mini Stocks at Orland. At the center of this debate is the fact that the track went to a more "budget minded" rules set this year, making Marysville cars illegal for this division at the track. I see both sides to this debate, actually. You aren't going to gain that many Marysville cars every week as both tracks are Saturday night, though cars will come if/when they can. You need local support to make this happen, but the average is 5-6 cars per week. At this point in the season, I know they thought they'd have more cars than this.

So this has led to debate of whether or not the right move was made. Hindsight being what it is, maybe not. Maybe you start a more bone stock Mini Stock class while also keeping the other class, and see where it goes. However, I still think they should have had a championship point season for all divisions and should have promoted more in this area. Eventually, racers are going to want the racing they do to count in a bigger picture of a point season.

Rodeos? Nah, Bring The Race Cars Back!

Rocky Hill Speedway came back into the forum discussion recently. It was asked if racing will ever come back to the Porterville track again. Many exciting races have taken place on the quarter-mile dirt oval in years gone by. It was speculated that nothing will happen unless the owner sells the place or his kids take over. Such a shame. It seemed like they were close to doing something a few years ago, but then a scheduling conflict ended that. Perhaps with some better planning, something could happen? Who knows? I've always believed that with the right effort, anything is possible.

BCRA, What A Great Tradition!

I wasn't around back in the "Golden Era" of racing when BCRA had Hardtops and Midgets touring all over the state, at tracks like West Capital, Contra Costa Speedway, Vallejo and Oakland, but the stories you hear!

BCRA was sanctioning race tracks in those days. They were here before NASCAR came in, and it was actually a former BCRA racer and Hall Of Famer, Bob Barkhimer, who put it all together for NASCAR in California. In fact, BCRA Hall Of Famers like John Soares Sr., Bert Moreland and Jerry Piper were part of "Barky's" team when he was establishing the NASCAR presence in those days.

From the moment BCRA was founded, they blazed a trail and established a presence in California that is very important. When Hall Of Fame weekend comes around, the old timers show up to talk about the good old days with old friends, and racers show up and put on a great show for the fans. With counts in the high 20's at both Chico and Placerville last week, this was a banner weekend for the Bay Cities Racing Association. Everybody wants to be a part of things, and if nothing else, it reminds us all how much this group still matters some 70 years later.

The whole Hall Of Fame picnic before the races idea is great, if you ask me. Get people together beforehand for good food, friendship and honoring past legends, then go racing. I don't understand why more tracks in the area don't do this. They should. They all should. When I was beginning to put my Antioch Hall Of Fame idea together back in 1999, I wanted to follow the blueprint laid out by BCRA. Unfortunately, it never had a chance to happen. John was talking about this before the season, so maybe in the future?

Anyway, kudos to the BCRA on a great weekend, and congratulation to the Hall Of Fame Class of 2010. This year's gathering in Placerville saw 11 people inducted, and they are:

2010 HALL OF FAME

INDUCTEES

Rod Zanolini ........................ Hardtop Driver

Lou Bernardoni.................... Hardtop Owner

Buck Whitmer...................... Midget Driver

John Randuch ...................... Midget Owner

Jimmy Sills .......................... Midget Driver

Ken Molica .......................... Midget Owner / Driver

Suds Sutherland ................... Midget Lite Owner

Scott Clark ........................... Midget Lite Driver

Greg Dennett........................ Midget Lite Driver

Stan Dean.......................................... Official

Frank Blado ..................................... Official

An Anniversary People Have Forgotten

I was jarred into this by reading some comments on one of the forums the other day. It got me thinking. Did you know this is the Tenth Anniversary Season for Chowchilla Speedway? Where does the time go? Do you remember who won the championships that year? It was in 1999 when Tom Sagmiller and Chrlie Ruth talked about opening a track in Chowchilla, and after going to the fairgrounds and checking the place out, they put this deal together for 2000. The rest, as they say, is history. I agree with the sentiments expressed on the post I read that it's a shame Tom's not still running the place.

It NEVER would have happened without Tom. Still, at least it's open and continuing to hold races with Kenny Shepherd at the helm. They continue to feature Dirt Modifieds, Street Stocks, Hobby Stocks, Four Bangers, Valley Sportsman and Sport Mods. In fact, this week's show will include Winged 360 Sprints, along with Dirt Mods, Street Stocks, Hobby Stocks and Four Bangers. Should be a good show this Saturday night.

I just remember those early days and how crazy it was to have this track pop up in the shadow of the closure of San Jose. The attitude was great. The promoting they did was looked down upon by the establishment at the time, but boy did it work. And the racers loved to race there. And the champions, going from memory, Mike Johnson in a battle with Fred Lind in Dirt Modifeeds, Steve Stone Sr. in a battle with Nathan Corn in Street Stocks and Red Williams in a battle with Jerry O'Hagan in Hobby Stocks.

Almost forgot George Terry's Winged 360-2 championship. This was the class that actually got me down there at first as George, the Greers and Roy Winters had supported the Spec Sprint effort a year earlier. Though I know it altered my path in racing, I'm still glad I went. This track was a breath of fresh air to me, and it made me smile every time I went there. So, Happy 10th Anniversary Chowchilla Speedway. May your journey continue for years to come, creating more happy memories for all involved.

Remembering Buddy Cox

Of course, the man right there with Tom Sagmiller getting Chowchilla started was his good friend Buddy Cox. Buddy was there doing whatever he could to help, and he was very proud of that race track and what it meant for so many people. It was truly a sad day when he passed away, and he's still missed by those who had the pleasure of knowing him.

Back in 2001, Sagmiller added a race suggested by Joe Martinez in the CRO Chat Room. The idea was to give the Hobby Stocks, who raced for nothing at some venues back then, a special money race. The Hobby Stock $500, a 50 lap race for $500 to win, was born. In 2001, over 40 cars came to town, and Sam Kennedy left with the money. Tom was very proud of this race and continued to run it every season. When Buddy passed away, it was renamed the Buddy Cox Memorial Hobby Stock $500.

I have noticed that this race is on the schedule at Merced for Sunday, though things have been pretty low key to this point. I'm hoping it happens as it would be good for the racers and good to remember a man who was a positive force for racing in the area.

Update: It was just announced that this week's Hobby Stock race at Merced is a regular show. I had a feeling that would be the case for a couple of reasons.. They hadn't been hyping this race at all, and you need to do that to get the drivers to show up for what would have been a $500 to win race.

I do hope to see John do some extra money races for other divisions besides just Dirt Mods at Merced and Antioch. Also, it's nice that John keeps a line of communication open on the web for at least one of his tracks. It certainly has helped Merced get off to a pretty good start since reopening in July.

Dirt Modifieds, Spec Sprints Headline Antioch Show

2010-08-11T19:08:00.001-07:00

Antioch Speedway approaches the halfway point of August with another five division program and looks ahead towards the West Coast Nationals $3,500 to win Dirt Modified race on August 28th. As the weather has been unseasonably cool this month, so too has the car count, but the show has gone one. Last week's event produced 50 cars for the five division show, coming in just under the Over/Under number again, but there was still some excitement, particularly in the Dwarf Car and Super Stock classes.

The Over/Under for this race is 52.

Dirt Modifieds (14), Wingless Spec Sprints (14), Hobby Stocks (10), Mini Trucks (7) and Four Bangers (7).

Those numbers are again lower than what these classes can potentially produce, and hopefully all divisions will field bigger car counts. Before looking at the races coming up, we'll take a quick look at some things that people are talking about.

On August 28th, The Big Show Will Go On

The Dirt Modifieds this season have generally fielded the biggest car counts, and promoter John Soares Jr. has gone with this division for the big shows. In June, he held a $5,000 to win event that produced a field of over 40 cars. Having recently reopened Merced Speedway, Soares is going back to the Dirt Modified well once again with two events paying $3,500 to win and $300 to start. The Antioch race will be on August 28th, and Merced's race is August 29th. It is anticipated that fields at least in the 40's will be produced for both races, and if a driver wins both of them, there is a $1,000 bonus. That means somebody could potentially walk away with $8,000 that weekend.

Some of the best racers in the state are anticipated for this big weekend, which will kick off the "Big Money Season" for the drivers willing to do a little traveling.

Getting The Car Count Back Up

I hesitate to get into this too much as I don't want people to think I am being negative or bashing the track, but car count at Antioch Speedway has been on a steady decline over the last four or five years. This was something that I was concerned about during the last couple years I was out there, but when I spoke of it, some people thought I was being negative and bad for racing. The car count wasn't so bad then, so what was I talking about? Well, last week was another five division show at the 50 car mark, and if you think those numbers are great, you simply haven't been around long. In the early 90's, we had a Street Stock class that could have just about produced that number all by themselves.

I'll spare the argument of too many division. If you've been reading my posts, you know my thoughts on the subject. The real problem is that for what you see on the track, there's at least that many cars parked in each division at home, if not more. Some people can't afford it, some people have lost interest and some simply don't want to race at the track. Finding out why these drivers are parked and how to get them back should be a priority. You will never make everybody happy, and it's futile to try, but building a positive general consensus is possible and would be a step in the right direction.

I have commented on this in the past, but then I noticed the guys at Bakersfield Speedway put it into action. They offered free entry to any Hobby Stock or Mini Stock driver who had not raced yet this season last week. Both divisions produced double digit car counts . I believe there were 50 cars between those TWO classes. I'm not sure how many drivers "dug their cars out of mothballs" to go racing as Gary Jacob would say, but I bet they gained a few. They do alright with many of their classes anyway, but promoting like this is key to that success.

You see, the theory is you get that driver who hasn't raced to come out and give it a shot. Sure, you allow a free entry that week (I think Bakersfield offered two entries that night), but there are other crew and family and friends in the grandstands, plus food consumed at the track. If you are running the show right, that driver has fun, and they come back at full price next time. This is something that can be useful towards getting cars out in all classes, particularly the lower divisions, but you have to let the racers know this is happening. That means through your publicity director, the track announcer, the grapevine and any other way.

I understand that we are in tougher economic times these days, but that's not an excuse to accept failure. It's hard times in Watsonvillre, Santa Maria, Balersfield and Roseville too, but they are getting cars. There's more to it than that. I can't comment about race procedure and officiating, because I'm not there. If I'm not seeing it, it's not fair for me to say anything, but I will say that this effects car count too. If a driver feels they aren't being treated fairly, their car gets wrecked at the track too much or whatever their concern, they are more likely to not come back. If you are going to factor in economy, you need to include this too.

Fact is, there are many factors in car counts at a race track, and it's up to those in charge to figure out what is working and what isn't. The more cars you have at the track, the more successful the show. Looking at the Dirt Modifieds in the area, for instance, just imagine the show that could be happening if the racers were inspired to race more often. The roster of names is still very impressive. And, this goes for every division at the track. There are some good cars not racing at the track, and we need to start trying to get them back.

It's obvious why the Dirt Modifieds have been given all the love for the big shows. I think the Wingless Spec Sprints could produce a good field if given the chance, and people will pay to watch them, but nothing is on the schedule this year that I know of. The Dwarf Cars could have a huge show if booked right, but I'm not sure the stands would reflect that, unfortunately. I say unfortunately, because these drivers consistently put on a good show, but they don't rank in the top three for many fans. Hobby Stocks and Super Stocks simply haven't put up a car count to even be considered, but again, I know the cars are out there. Getting them back at the track should be a priority.

But, enough of this. I'm sure the races will still be good this weekend, and the thing to keep in mind is the show still goes on.

The Battle Behind Foulger Continues

A former Sprint Car racer, Troy Foulger has used that experience well in becoming one of the top Dirt Modified drivers at Antioch. Troy's third place finish last week enabled him to stretch his lead over Jeff Thomas. However, this doesn't mean there aren't spots up for grabs in the top five. In fact, Thomas will have to stay on his game, or Norm Boeck will move around him for second. At the moment, Thomas unofficially leads this Battle by 32 points. Thomas is a past point runner up in Street Stocks at Petaluma. One of the former stars of the Pure Stocks at Petaluma, Boeck is working on a second straight top five season at Antioch, and third or second would be his best ranking in the division.

Nick DeCarlo's decision to abandon point racing after the controversy three races ago, and the two week absence of Bobby Motts Jr. has opened the door for others to have a shot at a top five season. Actually, second generation racer Rick Karnes, a heat winner last week, is 26 points behind Boeck for third, while Sean O'Gara was able to leap frog over the absent DeCarlo for fifth. With a season best fourth place finish last week, O'Gara is within eight points of Karnes, meaning some positions could still change hands within the top five before the season is done. Even Gene Haney, the 2009 Mini Truck champion, is within striking distance of fifth now.

One driver just making his way into the top ten is second generation star Dan Gonderman. Dan's most recent point success includes championships in a Wingless Spec Sprint at Antioch in 1999 and a title on the pavement with the NCMA, but he had been a top driver at the track long before jumping into a Sprint Car. Dan was a top five Street Stock racer before getting into a Dirt Modified and ranking second in 1998. Despite a rollover that cost him almost certain victory in the opener, Dan got the car back together and eventually did win a Main Event. Last week, he passed Troy Foulger to finish second, and that moved him into tenth in the standings. Interestingly enough, Dan is also top ten in Spec Sprint points, and last week at Merced, he drove the Sam Davies Spec Sprint to s second in the main after winning the heat race.

Perry Still Looking For First 2010 Spec Sprint Win

Whether or not Gonderman pulls double duty this week remains to be seen, but 2007 Wingless Spec Sprint champion Jim Perry Jr. will be gunning for his first win of the season. Through the last decade, Perry has won his share of Main Events, but with three second place finishes so far this year, the third ranked driver is getting so close to winning he can see it right in front of him. Could that win come this week? At this point, Perry's absence from two races has eliminated him from title contention, but he has a good hold on third at the moment.

It is Tommy LaLiberte leading David Press by 32 points following the most recent event, where only Press was able to reach the Main Event podium. LaLiberte was working on a sweep that night with heat and dash wins before it all went south. With an off week at Antioch last week, both drivers raced elsewhere. LaLiberte was working on a win at Petaluma when more problems struck. For Press, however, it was the opposite. He got the problems out of the way early at Merced when he flipped in his heat race, but come Main Event time, the #41 was was back together, and he picked up the victory.

But, David isn't the only Press in the top five in the standings. Trevor Press has steadily worked his way into fourth and is the top newcomer in the division at this point. Trevor is one of the drivers who has benefited by starting out in the Four Banger class at Antioch, and he was a feature winner there before moving up. His lead over Chuck Bradshaw, however, is not that big at 16 points. Both drivers have earned top five feature finishes this season. Bradshaw does quite a bit of racing around the Bay Area, and the driver of the #63 car is top ten ranked at Watsonville and Petaluma at this point in the season.

It was nice to see Roy Fisher back in action. A perennial top ten point runner in the division, Fisher's career seemed over after his horrendous flip on the front stretch last year, but he has battled back. Showing that he's not intimidated after that crash, Roy even won a heat race last week. The division has seen some tough competitors visit the track recently , including BCRA Midget and Sprint Car ace Scott Nail. Nail has just slipped into the top 20 as the 19th ranked driver after joining the division a few weeks ago. Last time out, in a bit of a surprise, top five Chico competitor Rowdy McClenon paid the track another visit and picked up a surprise victory. In a handful of visits, McClenon has managed to earn enough points to rank 14th at Antioch.

Team Work Is Key To Hobby Stock Point Leaders

The question was asked at the start of the season when Brad Myers jumped behind the wheel of the #33 Hobby Stock. Could the rookie hold up his end of the bargain in a team effort with two time Antioch champion Melissa Hansen? The duo would alternate driving duties, and there was no doubt about what Hansen could do. However, at this point of the season, both drivers have earned two Feature victories, and this has enabled them to carry a 42 point lead over Chris Sorensen into this race.

A two time winner himself, Sorensen has done all the driving of the #00 car to be the top point earning driver by just 19 points over a previous Pure Stock champion and one time feature winner, Dan McCown. McCown missed one Main Event this year after mechanical woes in his heat race, or he would be second in points right now. The Team #99 car of Jack Jonker and Jim Freethy is a comfortable fourth at the moment. They might be in the middle of the second place battle right now if not for Freethy's disqualification after an apparent win earlier this season. Jonker has put the car into the Main Event winner's circle once this year.

While Mike Rydman's recent absence has enabled Joe Cancilla to gain fifth in the standings. Cancilla now has company. The rapidly improving Wes Bentley has closed to within 12 points of Cancilla following second and third place finishes in the most recent features and a heat race win last time out. Bentley is looking more and more like he could be headed for his first feature victory in the #77 car. Rydman, meanwhile, is still within striking distance of a top five point position should he return to action.

The question on some people's minds is where are some of the top drivers from earlier this season? Missing in action in recent weeks are Paul DeLuca, Eric Schantin and Brian Beard. All three were top five ranked before stepping aside. In the early goings this year, DeLucca had two second place finishes and Beard had one, while Schantin was a feature winner. The absence of racers like these three has made it harder for the class to reach double digit cars counts, though the racers who have been showing up are putting on a good show.

Ryland Closing In On Radabaugh

Patty Ryland took a vacation with her husband Fred during the season and missed a Four Banger race. That is the only reason the defending champion is not leading now, The only driver in the division with more than one Main Event win to this point in the season, Patty is now just 12 points behind Ken Radabaugh after winning the heat and Main Event last week. Radabaugh's third place finish helped lessen the point damage. Though Ken has won heat races and finished as high as second in the Main Event, the 2009 point runner up has yet to win one this year in his yellow #12 car.

The last couple races have not been kind to Dayna Andreesen, who entered July as the point leader. In the most recent race, motor problems sidelined her black # 5 car for the heat race, forcing her to merely take the green flag in the feature with a severe smoking problem in an effort to get starting points. This was something she had to do in her effort to protect the third podium position in the standings. With his season best second place finish, the rapidly improving Justin Silveira is 54 points behind her, and he would be much closer had she not started the race.

The track is hoping to see more cars come out as the season is in it's stretch run, and Mike Felt is the newest driver in his black #76 car. Mike already has a top three finish and finished a lead lap fourth last week. Mike is now ninth in the standings, but it appears possible for him to gain a few more positions by season's end if he keeps racing. Meanwhile, it appeared by the paint job as if Fred Radabaugh was celebrating his 50th birthday last week by making his first start. I believe he was in the car Devon DeOdosso was driving, so I'm not sure if Fred owns it now, or what Devon's plans will be if he has sold the car.

There have been at least 15 different cars to compete this season, so a double digit car count is possible this week if some drivers from Watsonville come out. The thing is, those drivers have discovered Merced's Four Banger class on Sundays, so it remains to be seen who will come. And, will somebody step up and beat Ryland this week? Stay tuned.

Dutra Continues To Roll

The same question can be asked of Travis Dutra in the Mini Truck division. Other than Tom Brown, who started the season with back to back wins before moving up to Dwarf Cars, runaway point leader Travis Dutra is the only other driver in the class with more than one win. Dutra leads the class in wins, and his most recent victory last time out gave him a commanding 88 point lead over one time winner Dan Wagner. Wagner, meanwhile, took over second in the standings with the absence of Ray Bunn, who fell to third.

Two other drivers hot on the trail of a victory in this class are Ron Mayberry and veteran Dean Cline. Cline earned his season best second place finish last time out, and the race before that, it was Mayberry picking up a season best second. In fact, Ron continued to run well last time out with a third place finish, which gave him a 48 point lead over Jerry Carpanello for fourth in the standings. Carpanello made his first appearance in the top five in the points after the last race, but it's still close. Just 11 points behind him is Wagner's teammate Greg Williams, while Cline is 30 points behind him. Who will fill out the remainder of the top five in the standings is still anybody's Guess at this point.

As with the Four Bangers, the potential is there for double digit truck counts as over 15 have competed to this point of the season. It will be interesting to see who shows up and if we see any difference trucks this week. It will also be interesting to see if anybody has anything for the #99 truck of Dutra.

From The Archives: Stories From 2006

2010-08-10T21:49:00.000-07:00

From the archives of August 2006. Actually, from the GTRA Group when I was briefly doing a the DCRR Show. I did about a dozen shows and I showed up at the fairgrounds a few times that year to say hi to old friends. Being disappointed at the lack over coverage the drivers were getting, I wrote a little bit. Not too much, but a small glimpse into things. I also wrote stories from the stats I saw from the races that week at Antioch and Merced. Thought I'd post it here.

A Few Antioch Speedway Notes

I spent a few hours at Antioch Speedway prior to the races. It was
good to see a few faces I hadn't seen in almost three years.

When I left, there were 15 Modifieds and nine Spec Sprints. I doubt
too many more cars came after I left. Wanna stay positive here, so
I'll just say I'm disappointed in the Spec Sprint count, but it's not
that way due to it being a bad division or too expensive. Note that
both Chico and Placerville had enough Spec Sprints for B Mains.

Anyway... Let's not call this the return of PIT STOPS, but here are
a few notes:

Dan Gonderman was a no show due to a hard flip last time out.
Apparently, Jim Perry III was kicking butt again when his car broke.
Gonderman hit Perry's stalled mount and flipped.

Roy Fisher was back after a hard flip a few weeks ago. Roy joked
that the only straight piece on his #22 car was the shock he borrowed
from David Press. Long time Spec Sprint crew man Charlie Kight and
Rick Panfili were both on his crew Saturday.

I talked with Jim Perry Jr. He has a couple cars, but he's buying a
house this year and decided to focus the team's racing on his son
Jimmy's championship run.

Bill Wallace Jr. and his dad showed up with the Dirt Modified. Bill
still has his Spec Sprint, but his motor is in the Modified. He
decided to park the Spec Sprint because it was getting too expensive,
but he may bring it back to the track before season's end.

Jim Reid was crew chiefing for a new driver Johnny (?), who has
bought Steve Noack's old car.

Billy Bowers Jr. was at the track with his Coelho Chassis. This is
the ride that J.D. Willis had, but J.D. has decide to retire again.

I saw Brad Coelho and his crewman Danny Cadigan, there to drive the
#27 Robert Predmore owned car. I remember Danny as a kid crewing for
Steve Torres, and it's great to see him still wrenching on a car.
Hope he gets one of his own some day. Anyway, Brad mentioned that he
rolled his car recently, but he's still running strong in both
Antioch and All Star Steries points. Later, I spoke with his father
Butch, who mentioned that he'd love to see Brad build a Super
Stocker. I like that idea as well. Brad was alweays exciting to
watch in Street Stocks.

I had a quick word with Keith Brown Sr. I mentioned that it was
unusual for him to chase points. He's leading the All Star Series.
He said he wasn't planning on it, but he decided he might as well
after getting off to a good start. Keith is one of the last front
runners in Modifieds to tow with an open trailer, but he has an
enclosed trailer now.

Saw the McDaniel family with their two cars. Didn't get a chance to
say anything but hi though.

The 15 cars I saw in the Modified's had some quality though, and this
probably ended up being a good show for them.

I said hi to Russ Roy. I believe he is the son of Rob Roy, who drove
the old "Mean Green Machine" #3n Sportsman car. I recalled some of
my old memories of the good old days to him and that seemed to make
him smile.

Roy and Antioch Chief Steward Lance Cline were at Dennis Furia's
funeral earlier in the afternoon. Lance owned the Dirt Works
Modified that Dennis parked his Harris to drive, and they won more
that one feature together. I spoke briefly with Donna Soares, and
she mentioned that there would be a lap for Dennis. Announcer John
Trussler, subbing for John Meyers, mentioned he was planning to say a
few things about Dennis as well. Meyers, meanwhile, was riding his
motorcycle across the country.

Dean Cline mentioned that he probably would have went to the funeral,
but he didn't find out about it until that day. Dean raced with
Dennis in the Sportsman division. Now in his 70's and one of the top
ten winningest drivers in Antioch history, Dean recently won a Mini
Truck feature ahead of fellow old timer, Pete Paulsen, a driver who
goes back to old Contra Costa Speedway in Pacheco.

Eric Bookout recognized me and mentioned that this truck was his
first shot at racing for points. He's one of the top five in points
too. I hate to admit that I didn't recognize Eric, and I feel kind
of bad about that. The guys and gals at Antioch, Chowcilla, Merced
and all the tracks I have been to have made a big impact on my life,
and that extends to those I've spoken with and don't recall names of
through the years. I'm glad Eric is getting a chance to live the
dream.

I talked to Jimmy Arva. He has a new motor in his #22 car, but he's
having a problem getting the RPM's up on the straights. It seems to
me that he misses the Motts team as they had helped him a bit before
they stopped coming. Jimmy remarked that he wished he could test his
car at the track to figure out what's wrong.

It was nice to b.s. with Dean Plambeck. Dean has a pair of top fives
in the last month or so to rank inside the top ten. Now, if we can
just get him a good paint job...

I spoke briefly with Dan & Denise McCown. They were asking about my
return. Unfortunately, I had to tell several people that I was just
there to say hi to my old friends. Somehow I missed Terry DeCarlo
Jr. while speaking with an old gaming buddy, but Terry saw me and
called me over to the truck. He too was wondering about my return.
It's nice to be missed. I'm still wondering how Terry is still
hanging in there when I know he's not one of the most liked guys of
management. Terry has come a long way, and these last couple seasons
at Antioch and Chowchilla show that he has become a top contender.

There are a lot of new faces in the Pure Stocks that I don't
recognize, but I did see Rob Waldrop. Great to see him again. What
a class act. I guess Rob is still helping other people as he had
mentioned he built a car for one of the lady drivers out there.

The Dwarf Cars are a class I always felt I needed to spend more time
on when I did the magazine, but they always seemed to slip through
the cracks with all the other stuff going on. It certainly isn't
because they don't put on some darn good racing. It was nice to see
old Charlie Cachelin, who is in his 70's. Actually, he was in his
70's when he started racing a few years ago.

Dana Craig, who has crewed for Jim Perry Jr. for over 20 years, has
gotten into the Dwarf Cars with his son Kurtis and his stepson David
Teves. I forgot to ask if David is related to the Teves family that
raced at Baylands. Anyway, Kurtis recently earned the right to start
features where he was posted at and led a race for several laps
before mechanical problems cost him. David is locked in a four car
battle for fifth and the "Rookie Of The Year" battle, while Kurtis
was further back outside the top ten due to missing about four races.

I'm not sure how the track was as I left when mud packing started,
but John Soares Jr. was out on the grater working the track for at
least a half an hour while I was there and seemed to be working hard
to get the track right. I counted about 72 cars for the six decision
show when I left, but there were probably more.

CLEVELAND CLEANS HOUSE AT ANTIOCH SPEEDWAY

ANTIOCH, CA...AUGUST 12...

Locked in a tight three car battle for the
championship at Chico Silver Dollar Speedway, Duane Cleveland paid a
visit to Antioch Speedway and scored a clean sweep of the All Star
Series Modified action Saturday night. Cleveland, who ranks third
at Chico, less than 20 points out of the lead, won his heat, the
Trophy Dash and the Main Event. Looking to be the first in his
family to win a track championship, point leader Jimmy Perry III
rebounded from mechanical failure last time out to win the Wingless
Spec Sprint Main Event. Point leader Todd Gomez held off defending
champion Melissa Hansen for yet another Super Stock feature
victory. Mark Tillinger claimed his second Dwarf Car feature
victory in five starts, while Jason Robles won his third Pure Stock
Main Event. Eric Bookout swept the heat and Main Event in Mini
Truck competition.

A solid 19 car field turned out for the All Star Series
Modified event. Mitch Enos picked up the first of three heat races
ahead of Bill Wallace Jr. and former San Jose and Baylands Stock Car
champion Larry Lundin. Still running a distant second to Kellen
Chadwick in track and State points, 2004 Chowchilla champion Brad
Coelho drove Robert Predmore's car to the second heat win ahead of
Kenny Neu and Robert Norris. 2005 Chico champion Cleveland started
his night off right with a third heat win over former Petaluma champ
Michael Paul Sr. and three time Antioch champ Don Shelton, then
followed it up with a Trophy Dash victory in front of Neu and Enos.
Rookie Kevin Fitzgerald and former Chico, Marysville and Sacramento
champion Randy McDaniel scratched prior to the feature to leave 17
starters. Cleveland and Paul repeated their 1-2 performance from
their heat race, while Chadwick maintained his point lead with a
third place finish. Norris turned in a solid effort in fourth as
Lundin rounded out the top five. Taking over for the retired J.D.
Willis in the Bowers Racing Modified, Neu finished sixth as Shelton,
State point leader Keith Brown Sr., Coelho and Aaron Crowell rounded
out the top ten.

The Wingless Spec Sprints had another ten car field and ran two
heat races. Title contender David Press captured the first heat
ahead of Brandi Ford and Perry. Rookie Dan Simpson won the second
heat ahead of Derek Overcamp and Roy Fisher. The last time out,
Perry lost a sure victory a few laps from the finish when mechanical
failure struck. In that same incident, Dan Gonderman hit his
stalled mount and flipped hard, causing him to miss this event.
Perry won what would be his division leading fifth Main Event ahead
of Overcamp. Fisher came back strong from a hard flip that caused
him to miss the previous even to finish third, and he ranks third
behind Press in the current standings. Simpson turned in one of his
best performances to date in fourth and leads all rookies in the
standings, while Ford rounded out the top five. Press settled for
sixth ahead of Steve Mannina, Danielle Simpson, Anthony Ryan and
Jack Clark.

There were 14 Super Stocks on hand for this event, and Michael
Newman won the first of two heat races ahead of Hansen and Gomez.
Manny Avilla captured the second heat in front of Brian Zachary and
Ronnie Jones. After winning his division leading sixth feature of
the season, Gomez now has a 42 point lead, but Hansen used her
second place finish to take second from Avilla in the standings.
Top five ranked Terry DeCarlo Jr. scored a third place finish ahead
of Tony McCown and Daniel Mendes. Newman ended up sixth, and Jimmy
Arva continued to work on his engine problems in seventh. Megan
Ponciano, newcomer Billy Williams and Avilla rounded out the top ten.

A solid 24 car field of Dwarf Cars required three heat races,
though five scratches caused the B Main to be dropped from the
schedule. Tillinger got off to a good start with the first heat win
ahead of rookie Jack Haverty and Sonny Calkins. Coming off of his
first ever Watsonville victory, point leader Ricardo Rivera won the
second heat ahead of Craig Avery and Ed Johnson. Roger Ingalls
claimed third heat honors in front of veteran Charlie Correia and
Russ Roy. Tillinger's second feature win of the season came ahead
of the third second place finish in his last four starts for top ten
ranked rookie Avery. Tony Carmignani finished third to stay within
28 points of Rivera in one of the track's closest championship
battles. Jack Haverty and Sonny Calkins completed the top five with
Correia settling for sixth. Travis Hensley was seventh, Kurtis
Craig matched his season best effort in eighth, Jaclynn Haverty was
ninth and Rivera finished tenth.

The 16 Pure Stocks were given two heat races with Billy Barnes
holding off fellow rookie Scott Hansen to win the first heat. Brian
Beard II was third. 1998 Street Stock champion Rob Waldrop won the
second heat ahead of Mike Matheson and Tony Jennings. With his
third feature win of the season, Jason Robles stayed within 50
points of Barnes in the battle for second in the standings, but he
didn't gain much as "Rookie Of The Year" hopeful Barnes finished
fourth. Bob Bennett held off Jennings to finish second. Jon Haney
scored the fifth place finish ahead of rookies Dan McCown and Cathy
McCause. Gene Haney, Mark Wilson and Adam Kujala completed the top ten.

All nine Mini Trucks ran the first heat race with Eric Bookout
winning ahead of point leader Steve Walde and Pete Paulsen. Veteran
Dean Cline, Phil McClelland and Jason Jennings scratched to leave a
six truck feature. Bookout won that race for his second feature win
of the season ahead of the 66's of Paulsen and Joe Cambra. Joey
Shreffler, John Tinay and Steve Walde completed the finishing order.

WILLIAMSON WINS FOURTH, RAGSDALE SCORES FIFTH VICTORY

MERCED, CA...AUGUST 12

Locked in a tight battle with Andrew Krumm
for second in the IMCA Modified point race, Bob Williamson Sr.
scored his fourth IMCA Modified feature victory Saturday night at
Merced Speedway. Tim Ragsdale continues to have the hot hand in the
CCMR Street Stocks in recent weeks, and the recent Timmy Post
Memorial winner won his fifth Main Event of the season. William
Egleston captured his second Hobby Stock feature win of the season.

The IMCA Modified car count had a rare dip below ten with all
nine cars running one heat race. Tim Goodson won the heat ahead of
Marshall Weaver and Joel Chavez. Williamson claimed Trophy Dash
honors, then used his front row start to score an impressive Main
Event victory. However, he gained little on Krumm, who finished
second. Runaway point leader and two time track IMCA Modified
champion Ramie Stone finished third, followed by Weaver and
Goodson. Joel Chavez, rookie Clay Daly, Bill Vieselmeyer and Ryan
Porter completed the finishing order.

The ten Street Stocks were divided into two heat races, and
William Davis captured the first heat ahead of point leader Randy
Brewer and Steve Strickland. Buddy Thatcher won the second heat in
front of John Clarke and Dan Holcomb. Brewer came back to win the
Trophy Dash. For this Main Event, Ragsdale found himself starting
back in eighth in the ten car field, but he drove his way to the
front for the hard fought victory. Thatcher collected the second
place finish in front of Brewer, former champion Jimmy Lust and
Clarke. William Davis settled for sixth ahead of Raymond Mays,
Jimmy Davis, Strickland and Holcomb. Brewer's lead over Clarke is
now 75 points in the championship battle.

The 16 car Hobby Stock field was given two heat races, and
Richard Key won the first heat in front of Ryan Larimer and Rich
Altamirano. Egleston gave signs of things to come by winning the
second heat in front of Bruce Nelson and point leader Raul Rodriguez
Sr. Larimer won the Trophy Dash. All 16 drivers started the
feature, and Egleston's win came from sixth starting. Rodriguez Sr.
started back in tenth and drove to a second place finish ahead of
Aaron Widick, Larimer and Chris Shelton. Don Hiser II finished
sixth, and Altamirano kept the point battle close with a seventh
place finish. Charlie Kelley, Shannon Porter and Jim Watson rounded
out the top ten. Rodriguez Sr. leads Altamirano by 12 points and
Key by 26 in the track's closest championship battle.

Doty, Gustafson, Stanford Impressive Antioch Winners

2010-08-09T14:40:00.000-07:00

There were no results as I put this story together, but I did track down information thanks to JonK once again. The track has put up results this week, so I have updated the story accordingly. Just thought I'd get something out there for the racers and anybody else who may care.

On an unusually cool August evening, racing continued at Antioch Speedway with a five division program. Serving notice that he's not to be counted out in a hotly contested championship battle, Jerry Doty won the Dwarf Car Main Event, while Mike Gustafson continued his climb towards the top five in points after his late start by winning the Super Stock feature. Alex Stanford dominated the Dirt Modified feature, while Dan Williams (Hardtops) and Patty Ryland (Four Bangers) won their respective features.

The 17 Dwarf Cars ran three heat races with the top two going to the Trophy Dash. Incoming point leader Nick Squatritto cruised to victory in his heat with Mini Truck graduate Tom Brown second. Clayton Dortzback captured the second heat ahead of Roger Ingals with the other heat win going to Jerry Doty ahead of Joel Osias. Brown collected the Trophy Dash plaque ahead of Doty to prevent what could have been a clean sweep.

From his front row start, Squatritto raced into the Main Event lead in hopes of ending his recent slump. Dortzbach settled into an early second ahead of Brown. Osias brought out the first caution flag on lap eight. Ricardo Rivera and Doty charged into second and third behind Squatritto on the restart, and another caution flag waved on lap 11. Squatritto made a pit stop with Doty taking the lead on the restart ahead of Rivera and Dortzback. Tony Carmignani had moved into fourth before Brown and Dan Liston tangled for a lap 17 caution flag. A high move in Turn 2 appeared to gain Rivera the lead, but a Turn 3 spin forced the caution flag that would negate the pass. Doty led the restart and held off Rivera for the victory that will tighten an already close championship battle between Doty, Rivera and Squatritto. Carmignani brought it home third ahead of Robert Mesloh, Liston, Duane Jordan, Squatritto, Dortzbach, Brown and Mike Corsaro.

The eight Super Stocks ran one heat race with Eric Berendsen winning ahead of Mike Gustafson. Jon Haney had a front row start and led the opening lap of the feature before Larry Damitz spun in Turn 3 for a caution flag. Lloyd Cline had missed the initial start and attempted to make the restart, only to be black flagged. Haney led Fred Ryland and Gustafson on the restart. A low move in Turn 2 of the third lap gained Ryland the lead, but he pushed high in Turn 4 of the seventh lap with a flat tire. Haney now led Gustafson and Damitz, and a yellow flag flew as Berendsen's car erupted in a cloud of smoke on the front stretch. Haney picked the outside on the restart, but Gustafson and Damitz raced into the top two spots. A lap 12 caution flag flew when Haney and point leader Mitch Machado got together in Turns 3 and 4. Damitz made a pit stop during the caution period, and Gustafson continued to lead the restart as Machado charged back into second. Contact between Damitz and Ryland saw Ryland spin. Damitz made a move into third late as Gustafson collected the victory ahead of Machado. Mike Calhoun took the checkered in fourth ahead of Haney and Ryland.

The 11 Dirt Modifieds ran two heat races, and Chico visitor Duane Cleveland won the first heat ahead of Jeff Thomas. Rick Karnes cruised to victory in his heat ahead of Norm Boeck. From his front row starting spot, Alex Stanford took the Main Event lead from the green flag. Johnny Eskew was an early second ahead of point leader Troy Foulger and Thomas. Karnes stalled in Turn 4 for a lap four caution flag. Stanford maintained the lead on the restart, and some contact in the three car battle for second allowed Foulger to gain the position. A lap seven caution flag flew for Gene Haney, and Stanford led the single file restart. Dan Gonderman had settled into second ahead of Foulger. Stanford set a blistering pace and was never really threatened as he won by a half lap ahead of Gonderman, Foulger, Sean O'Gara and Eskew. Boeck was a lap down in sixth as Thomas was the final finisher on the track.

Seven Hardtops competed, and George Connor led early in the heat race before being passed by Tommy Thomson. Connor settled for second. Thomson and Connor shared the front row in the Main Event,and Thomson charged into the early lead with Dan Williams passing Connor for second. John Philbert was lapped on lap three. The lead three cars ran a fast pace and caught the three car battle for fourth by lap eight. Working lap ten, Thomson made contact with Jack Low exiting Turn 2 with Low spinning on the back stretch and losing a wheel. Thomson recovered in second with Williams the new leader. Conrad Cavallero avoided losing a lap, but he joined Low in the pits during the caution period. Williams led through one more caution period and would win by a straightaway over Thomson. Connor crashed on the front stretch after taking the checkered flag in third as Philbert was the final finisher on the track.

The seven Four Bangers ran one heat race with defending champion Patty Ryland winning ahead of Justin Silveira. Dayna Andreesen missed the heat and started the Main Event with a severe smoking problem to earn starting points before being black flagged. Point leader Ken Radabaugh set the early pace in the Main Event with Ryland a close second. Exiting Turn 4, Radabaugh got sideways, allowing Ryland to race by on the front stretch for the lead. Silveira moved in to battle Radabaugh for second. On lap 11, Silveira even passed Radabaugh briefly before falling back to third. Ryland's pace was slowed in traffic, but she maintained the lead. A lap 14 caution flag flew for Fred Radabaugh. Ryland led the restart, and Silveira beat Radabaugh through Turns 1 and 2 on the outside for second. Ryland went on to victory ahead of Silveira, K. Radabaugh, Mike Felt and Dominic Myers.

Racing resumes next Saturday night with a five division show featuring Dirt Modifieds, Wingless Spec Sprints, Hobby Stocks, Four Bangers and Mini Trucks.

Emery, Gale and Hammond Share Orland Spotlight

2010-08-09T13:44:00.000-07:00

The results are in from Orland Speedway, so I thought I'd throw something together for them. I included my unofficial rankings at the bottom of the story just for fun.

Orland Speedway opened it's gates for a regular program Saturday night on the heels of their successful Enduro race last week, and the Mini Trucks produced another good field. When the checkered flag flew on the Main Events, it was Don Emery (Wingless Spec Sprints), Richard Gale (Mini Trucks) and Eric Hammond (Mini Stocks) picking up the wins. Hobby Stocks were slated to be in action, but results for them were not available.

There were five Wingless Spec Sprints, and John Hopkins impressed by holding off four time champion Josh Jacobo to win the heat race. Don Emery claimed Trophy Dash honors. The third ranked driver in the division in 2007, Don Emery would win the Main Event with Dave Emery Jr. giving the Emery family a 1-2 finish. Hopkins finished third ahead of the steady Pat Bisio and Jacobo.

The Mini Trucks continue to produce the best counts at the track this season with 12 on hand this week. Ross Vige won the first heat race ahead of Jim Davis. The consistent Dan Webster won the second heat in front of Richard Gale. John Blevins was the Trophy Dash winner. A feature winner two races back, Gale added a second winner's trophy to his collection. Webster earned his fourth second place finish of the season ahead of Davis. Back in action after several seasons away, Dan Longoria finished fourth as Blevins completed the top five. Vige was sixth ahead of the #7 and #21 trucks as Wendy Miller and Don Runkle completed the top ten.

There were six Mini Stocks, but Don Runkle blew a motor in hot laps. Ken Johnson won the heat race ahead of Trophy Dash winner Sean Perry. Eric Hammond won his third Main Event of the season, while Barbara Crain improved on her third place finish from last time out by placing second this week. Perry settled for third ahead of Johnson and Bill Nobel.

Next week the Wingless Spec Sprints, Hobby Stocks, Mini Trucks and Mini Stocks will be in action once again.

Wingless Spec Sprints (7 Races) *

69-Josh Jacobo 326
74-Josh Tucker 228
7x-Brian Kerby 224
4xl-Pat Bisio 180
50-Don Emery 142

* At least 1 race missing

Mini Trucks (9 Races)*

62-Dan Webster 408
97-Ross Vige 382
23-Richard Gale 364
00t-Tyler Pebley 268
5-Jim Davis 262

*1 race missing

Mini Stocks (9 Races)*

23-Don Runkle 318
86-Eric Hammond 292
93-Ken Johnson 236
46-Sean Perry 190
82-Chad Arnold 170

* 1 race missing

Hobby Stocks (6 Races)*

12-Rich Hood 230
22-Earl Adams 192
2-Jake Van Tol 142
18-Brian Compton 138
44-Jimmy O'Reilly 136

* At least 1 race missing

Hardtops Join Five Division Show At Antioch

2010-08-06T02:06:00.001-07:00

Have you seen the full results for Antioch Speedway recently? Shhhhhh, it's a secret. There were at least 52 cars on hand last week for that five division show, a couple less that I thought might be there, but things could have been much worse. Despite several regulars missing from the Dirt Modifieds, several non regulars kept this field in double digits. Though there isn't any buzz out there for Antioch, other than the $3,500 win Dirt Modified show on August 28, which should be huge, the show goes on.

Finding information has been more difficult lately, and if this trend continues, I will assist them in what they apparently want, no mention of results. It's not really my place anyway, but I wanted to help spread the word a little with this independent effort. We'll see how things go this week. I hope it's a good night at the races. I also hope we see the finishes posted, because it's not that hard to post finishes on a web site. It was harder ten years ago with twice the cars, and Dennis always managed to do it in a timely manner.

Anyway, I put the Over/Under number at 54.

Dirt Modifieds (14), Super Stocks (10), Dwarf Cars (14), Four Bangers (8), Nor Cal Hardtops (8).

Is The Dirt Modified Championship Battle Over?

There was a pretty brutal race not that long ago that ended the season for Joe Carr and may have done the same for another of the track's top ten racer's, Sean Wilson. An incident a few laps prior saw Nick DeCarlo and previous champion Aaron Crowell get together on the back stretch with Crowell spinning sideways in front of oncoming traffic. Nobody made contact, but DeCarlo was punished in the only call of the race and sent pitside, while being dropped to a last place finish. This dropped him from within 6 points of the lead going in to 42 out by night's end. DeCarlo never commented on this on his web page, but his absence from last week's race spoke volumes. He still raced, finishing third at Marysville.

I'm not commenting on it other than to say I bet long time fans may wonder if any DeCarlo can ever catch a break at Antioch. It's a shame that this had to happen, but it happened and that's that.

What it really did was make Troy Foulger's closest competition going into last week a past second place point runner at Petaluma in Street Stocks named Jeff Thomas, 38 points back. Quietly, Jeff has been near the front in his #07 Dirt Modified, and he beat Chester Kniss back to the line last week for second in an ugly finish that saw Kniss slam the all. Still, Thomas lost points to fourth place finisher and heat race winner Troy Foulger, who now leads by 42 points. Given how fast Troy has been all season, one has to wonder if this battle is now over. If it is, Troy is in line for his first track championship, and he's really done a great job all season long.

When one thinks of Dirt Modifieds at Antioch, you can't help but think of Scott Busby, who roughly 60 feature wins at the track and four Dirt Modified championships, just at Antioch alone. When Scott has been at Antioch this year, things haven't gone very well for him, and some have been wondering if "The Buzz Man" still has it. Last Saturday, Scott answered with an emphatic yes by winning his first feature of the season. The #73 car will be there on August 28th, and it would be a mistake to count him out with the big money on the line.

"Stormin" Norman Boeck is third in the points now, which would be his best Dirt Modified season ever if he can hold onto it. Boeck is 34 points behind Thomas as both drivers are looking for their first win this season. Not sure who all will be on hand for this race, but fifth ranked Rick Karnes and top ten competitors Sean O'Gara and Gene Haney are likely to be there. The question is, after Busby's first 2010 win, is another new winner in the cards Saturday night?

Machado Keep Rolling, But Damitz Not Going Away

Mitch Machado keeps winning in the Super Stock division, but two time winner Larry Damitz refuses to go away. Damitz is still shown 26 points behind Machado after the latest race, which is 12 points further than he was going into that race. What could help either of these drivers is the fact that car count had been at 10 lately, up from six for the first few races, and that means more point gaining potential should either of these two slip up.

The latest driver to debut was the #9 of Greg Fuss, giving the track 13 cars in this division to this point in the season. It's been shown just how much better the races in this division are when some of the more competitive racers of the past, such as Michael Newman, Lori Brown and Todd Gomez, show up. Newman had a good run last week as the two time Street Stock champion finished third behind third ranked Fred Ryland.

Trying to reconstruct a top five based on point totals can be chore when they don't seem to add up right, but Lori Brown and Lloyd Cline may have had top five finishes last week. Cline won his heat race once again, and he still holds a 54 point advantage over Mike Gustafson in his bid for a second straight top five season. Gustafson, Machado, Damitz and "Rookie Of The Year" hopeful Ryland are feature winners this season, but will there be a fifth member of this group before the season is up? At this point, Newman, Jon Haney and Cline seem to be the three making the best case for themselves, but we'll see how it goes.

Rivera Closing In Fast

It's simply amazing to watch five time Dwarf Car champion Ricardo Rivera come from the back of the pack and win, and watching him slowly wipe out the 60 point lead of Nick Squatritto has been impressive as well. Ricardo probably wouldn't need to do that had he not missed a race, but it's looking more and more like it won't matter. After Squatritto's nightmare performance last time out and Rivera's win, the Squatrito lead is now just 9 points. Also sticking around in this battle is Jerry Doty, just 12 points back after his fourth place finish.

With a fourth and a third in his last two starts, Clayton Dortzbach is a solid fourth in the standings, while making a good case for himself as a potential Main Event winner. He has definitely gotten smoother in recent weeks in his 1n car, and it's looking more and more like he will be able to keep the #00 car of Mike Corsaro behind him in the fourth place battle. Actually, Corsaro may have his hands full holding onto fifth. After his fifth place finish last time out, Dan Liston is just 6 points behind him. Two others coming on strong of late are Tony Carmignani and top ten ranked open wheel veteran Charlie "The Hammer" Correia. Carmignani impressed with a second place finish last time out.

Ryland Vs Radabaugh: Round 2

Patty Ryland won again last time out in her newly painted Four Banger. A check of the points finds the defending champion trailing Ken Radabaugh by 20 points. Last season, Radabaugh finished second to Ryland in the standings, and he's hoping he can win it all this season. The biggest thing now for Ken in his yellow #12 car is he will need to step it up and get his first feature win of the season. He has finished as high as second and is a heat winner this season. Dayna Andreesen is shown in third now, 42 points out of the lead. She was the point leader going into the last race and was there, but I never got word what happened with her than night. She's not listed as gaining any points.

Mike Felt was the latest driver to get into this division last time out, and his debut was a respectable third behind Radabaugh. Meanwhile, Justin Silveira, who has come on strong of late, managed to take over fourth in the standings after the last race, dropping Dominic Myers to fifth. The real question in this class is who will show up to race. Over 15 cars have competed this season, and if we can get even ten of them to come, it will make things much more interesting. At any rate, the division is still performing a little better than it did when it was brought back last year.

Hartops Return To Antioch

The Nor Cal Hardtops are back at Antioch for their third and final scheduled appearance on the dirt at Antioch. Much of this group's racing is done on the pavement, but Antioch and Orland have welcomed them to the dirt a total of five times between the two tracks. Larry Damitz won the first visit in his Super Stock with a Hardtop body, but according to the group's official page, his car is not legal. I'd love to see one of the nearly 20 car owners this group has put Larry in one of their legal cars for a night. Then again, I'd like to see more of these cars show up for this race at Antioch.

The last time out, George Connor put Nick DeCarlo in his #70 car, while Terry DeCarlo drove the #39 car. The result was a father-son battle that went to the son, Nick. Both of these cars could be in action Saturday, though who will drive them I don;t know. It may be Tommy Thomson's turn in the #39 car. Thomson raced against the Okie Bowl Hardtops in Santa Maria earlier this year and scored the win. He did win a feature at Antioch last season, and this is the car he won the last Hardtop race in at Vallejo Speedway in 1979.

The Hardtops offer people a glimpse of what it was like back in the 1960's, and credit goes to Conrad Cavallero and Mike McClure for putting this deal together. Not sure if McClure will be there, but Conrad and his brother Carmen Cavallero should both be in action along with Jack Low and others. It should be a fun night in the dirt for the Hardtops.

Random Thoughts

2010-08-04T20:27:00.000-07:00

So, I'm sitting here thinking about taking a break. Sounds good to me. Plus, I'm getting a little annoyed with a couple things I'm seeing and "The Editor" is tempted to put it all out there, but I'm still trying not to go there. So, I should just walk now, but here I am again. A few things on the desk today. Gonna try not to go too long this time, but here goes.

Is It Really Necessary To Pile On Chowchilla Speedway?

I will be the first to tell you I'm disappointed with this track based on things I've been hearing and their treatment of the Wingless Spec Sprint class. They should have a dozen cars in that class right now, but even the ones they had there didn't want to race there. Then again, it's not the first time I've been disappointed with management at Chowchilla's promotion, or lack thereof, of this division. But, I'm not going "there" again.

It seems that this track is getting dumped on by some people on message boards lately. People at Watsonville are generally pretty cool on the boards about racing there, Merced has a real positive vibe, Ron's out there occasionally putting out the good word on Petaluma, nobody seems to care enough to say anything or admit that they even attended a race at Antioch and Chowchilla gets the hate.

It costs too much to race there, the scoring sucks, it's too dusty, the announcer isn't any good, the promoter ran over my dog... Okay, I made up that last one, but I won't be surprised when people start taking personal shots at Kenny Shepherd next. Screw him for trying to run two tracks (Madera and Chowchilla), rather than just letting them sit dormant. Can you imagine the nerve of that guy? Who does he think he is trying to promote racing?

I understand the cost to go racing is high. I heard the "insurance" argument there not long ago, and considering the accident that happened there a few years ago that claimed the life of Brian Davis, I wonder if that factors into the cost at all? I don't know, just wonderong. Transponders? Not a fan, especially given the car count situation. I don't care about the whole "get with the times" argument. I care about the, "get more cars" argument. But, I understand why they did this. I just think results should be posted more promptly. Then again, it could be worse. Antioch hasn't posted results in two weeks, so Chowchilla's not doing as bad.

Thing is, racing is going on there with a variety of divisions and promotional ideas. They are promoting a family atmosphere at Chowchilla, having big wheel races there recently. Is everything perfect? No, but at least you have racing there. It was a miracle when Tom Sagmiller and his investors opened the place ten years ago. Yes, this is the Tenth Anniversary of this run of races at Chowchilla Speedway. It's nice to know that Kenny was there to reopen the place last year.

Chowchilla Speedway remains another opetion for the racer on a Saturday night. That Modified point race is getting interesting with Andrew Krumm emerging as a threat to win a title that most thought would either go to Ryan Porter or Alex Stanford. Hobby Stocks and Four Bangers are doing okay, Street Stocks are up and down, but capable of double digits. Sportsmans bring a half a dozen and Sport Mods are slowly getting their numbers up. And, the best part is, racing is still going on.

While the Sport Mods have been getting some love from racers wanting to see them added to other tracks, Crate Late Models have been the subject of some talk as well. Chowchilla is looking at this class and considering three big races in 2011 (possibly the Tri Holiday Series?). This week will be a test run to see where the interest is now. With Placerville and Watsonville dark, a pool of roughly 30 cars is available, though just who will actually make the tow is anybody's guess. I'm thinking if they get 6 or more, they did good under the circumstances, but I wish them the best.

Also in action this Saturday will be the Super Stocks, Hobby Stocks, Four Bangers and Sport Mods. What should not be lost in the Chowchilla talk is that this place could have been lost a few years ago, but it's still here. As long as it's here, that means there's a chance to make things better. And, there's a place to go on Saturday night for race fans in the area. If/when promoters ever get together and discuss working together, hopefully Kenny will be at the table. After all, racers from all over the state have enjoyed visiting this track for the last ten years.

I'll just ad that it's not a bad thing to critisize and offer suggestions to help the track improve on things. However, on some things, it might be better if the people got together as a group and approached Kenny, rather than repeating their complaints over and over again on a message board. After all, he has met with the racers before and made adjustments when they were called for, and I bet he'd be interested in doing so again. After all, he's not so far removed from being behind the wheel that he doesn't remember what it's like to be a racer.

Vintage Supermodifieds At Chowchilla and Madera

Just a quick note on the Vintage Supermodifieds effort. Ken Bonnema recently reported that there were seven cars at Chowchilla in this division's most recent appearance at Chowchilla, which had not been reported. There were 7 cars there with Chester Koeppel winning the feature over Dan Green. Madera runs this division this Saturday night along with several other classes, including the Super Modifieds and USAC Sprint Cars. Interestingly enough, Madera has scheduled Four Bangers and Hobby Stocks as part of the Chowchilla-Madera Series, despite the fact that Chowchilla has booked both classes Saturday night as well. Oops! At any rate, it's nice to see the Vintage Supermodifieds getting more race dates. Now, if we can just find some dates for the Okie Bowl Hardtops...

Orland Finds Some Success With Enduro Racing

I noticed a place where people discuss Orland Speedway. Some rather interesting things being said there, but I won't get into it here. I will say somebody mentioned there that the current management shouldn't spend too much time there or post there. That's good advice in my opinion. The previous management did look there and I have long suspected the negativity they dealt with played a part in their decision to step down after 12 good years there, but damn. I know people sometimes have a genuine gripe against management, but sometimes these things are better resolved face to face than by grandstanding on a public forum. So, while I hope the management improves things there, I also hope they don't let the negativity get to them, because trust me, it will if they let it.

Orland is a work in progress, and I've highlighted in previous writings things they can try to do to improve things. Some of it is pretty easy stuff too. But, just opening the gates at that place is a good thing, and they are making progress. At least a dozen different cars in their primary divisions (Wingless Spec Sprints, Mini Trucks, Hobby Stocks and Mini Sticks) have competed this year. The next step is getting more of them to compete regularly, but that will comes as things improve. Anybody who really cares about that place enough to criticize it should be ready to step up and help in the areas they see a need for, but that is up to them. You can always wait until it all goes to hell and complain about not having a track too. The one thing I do like is that some of the critics of the previous management are out there trying to make a difference now.

Last week was a break for the regular classes, allowing a special appearance of the West Coast Enduoros and a Destruction Derby. From what I heard, there was a better crowd in attendance. About 10-12 regulars on the Enduro circuit, plus some regulars in the track's Hobby Stock class, gave them a 16 car field. Everything wasn't perfect for this race, but the racing itself went well. Taking the checkered flag first was Enduro veteran Ken Winland (190 laps). Ken has been running Enduros for 25 years, and this was his first victory. A testament to this man's dedication to this style of racing is that he is a leader in this thing and always recruiting drivers for different races.

Gene Guinn Jr. (183 laps), former Antioch Street Stock and Pure Stock racer Chris Lancaster (182 laps), local Hobby Stock star Brian Compton (179 laps) and the #70 car of Brad Rucker (136 laps) made up the top five at the finish. Orland gets back to their regular program this Saturday night.

While On The Subject Of Enduros

I think it's great that the West Coast Enduros group is out there doing their thing. Really, these cars are the most affordable "Stock Cars" out there before you drop down to the 4 Bangers, and it's nice that there are people fighting for these 200 lap Enduro races. I recall the days in the 80's and early 90's when over 100 cars would race in some of these events. Over 200 ran races at Baylands and San Jose at times. Several drivers got their foot in the door in racing through Enduro racing over the years.

I understand the next race for these guys is back on the pavement at All American Speedway in Roseville. These drivers will run dirt and pavement, which is another cool thing about them. I think an idea for promotion of this group would be posting full results on their web page and maybe even little stories so people can get more familiar with the drivers. If they wanted to take it up a notch, they could designate a certain amount of races during the year as point races and crown a champion, even if it's just for a trophy for the top three or five at season's end. Just a thought.

At any rate, I think it's not a bad idea for most tracks to have one of these races a year and actually promote it. If they did it right, they may even be surprised by how many racers might come out for it if they keep the rules simple and safe.

Dwarf Cars In The Rodeo Arena At Salinas

The Central Coast Motorsport Spectacular came to the Salinas Rodeo Arena last Sunday with a show featuring Monster Trucks, Dwarf Cars and other cool stuff. Several racers came from the Bay Area Dearf Car Association to tackle the small track, and word is that Gilbert Toste collected the win. Not sure about results after that, but I thought it would be nice to put this one on the record for anybody interested.

Olschowka Ends Castleberry's Win Streak

Speaking of records, Misty Castleberry's ten race win streak was snapped Saturday night at Marysville Raceway. Castleberry already holds a 100 point lead over her closest rival in points as she defends her 2009 championship, and it took a champion to beat her. The track's Stock Car point leader, Jeff Olschowka, has been driving a Mini Stock lately, and after finishing second to Misty in the previous race, he won the latest race. Still, ten in a row was an amazing run for Castleberry, and they say ten in a row has never been done at the track in any division. Mini Stocks are again a part of this week's program at Marysville along with Pacific 360 Sprints and Stock Cars. Wingless Spec Sprints were dropped so as not to conflict with the Hunt Magneto Series Race this Saturday night at Placerville.

Claim Overturned at Ocean Speedway

Cody Burke has been on a role lately at Ocean Speedway, winning the Mike Cecil Race two weeks ago and then finishing second behind four time winner Jim Pettit II last week. After the race, Richard Keldsen attempted to claim his motor, and Burke refused the claim. This could have resulted in a loss of all points, a huge fine and a 30 day suspension, as per IMCA rules. However, a further review of the rules showed that Keldsen's claim was invalid due to the fact that he didn't run the previous two races. Burke's points and finishes were restored, putting him back into second in the standings, 26 points behind Ken Nott Jr. Brian Cass had been running closely with Nott in this battle, but he didn't race Friday and dropped into a tie with Michael Dalton for third as a result.

Matt Sotomayor, meanwhile, cut several points off of Billy Nelson's Hobby Stock point lead with his fourth victory. Tommy Tarlton's victory in the Taco Bravo Sprint Car feature ahead of Kyle Larson gained him a 13 point lead in the closest championship battle at the track. Ryan Bernal's latest win in the Wingless Spec Sprint feature kept him 35 points ahead of Jimmy Christian. With Petaluma running a Civil War race Friday, Ocean Speedway will host the second to last Golden State Challenge Series race of the season Saturday night. Larson leads that point race, but it's still close between he and 13 time champion Brent Kaeding.

Speaking Of IMCA

Paul Vetter was on hand at Ventura Raceway Thursday night as part of the Ventura Fair, and the IMCA Western Regional Director called the lap by lap for an IMCA Modified division that had a 30 car field. The field included racers from Bakersfield, Santa Maria and Watsonville, and after a rough start to the feature, the last 23 laps went all green with Danny Lauer winning this event for the second straight year and collected the increased purse money. Past Chowchilla champion Randy Brown held off Bakersfield point leader Brad Pounds, Late Model ace Mike Kirby and Victorville point leader Larry Hood for the win.

A Go Kart race that included several of the track's Sprint Car drivers ran on the infield track, while 12 Sport Compacts also raced with point leader Trevor Fitzgibbon winning his heat race and then dominating the feature. He could see the second place battle ahead of him. Cody Geiman finished second in a good battle with Brent Underwood. It's interesting to note that Ventura Raceway is streaming their races on their website this season.

Street Stock Battle Of The Year At Petaluma

Petaluma Speedway is hosting the Civil War Sprint Car Series, Wingless Spec Sprints and Dirt Modifieds on Friday night, but one of the closest battles for the Street Stock division anywhere in the state is taking place at Petaluma this season. Going into the week off, veteran Steve Studebaker leads Jim "Woody" Woodward by 9 points and Steve "Bubba" Dempsey by 12. Studebaker and Woodward are past champions in this division, while Dempsey has a championship in the Pure Stocks at the track. Dempsey has picked up several wins in recent weeks, making it anybody's guess who will win this one in the end. Top five ranked this year, though not really in the hunt, is the track's "Ironman" Shawn McCoy. Shawn hasn't missed a race in this division in 30 years, an attendance record that is unmatched at Petaluma and perhaps anywhere else in the state.

BCRA Continues A Great Tradition This Weekend

The Bay Cities Racing Association heads north to Chico on Friday night and Placerville on Saturday night for perhaps their biggest and most important weekend of the season. A good turnout of Midgets is anticipated both nights, and the Annual London Bash Hall Of Fame Picnic takes place Saturday before the races at Placerville. With a history spanning nearly 70 years now, the BCRA's Hall Of Fame includes some of the greatest to ever race in California, and it's nice to know this is a group that honors and pays tribute to their great heritage every year.

Giant Chevrolet Speedway Gets Back In Gear

Giant Chevrolet Speedway in Hanford got back on track last week with a Stock Car program featuring the Dirt Modifieds, IMCA Stock Cars and Mini Stocks. New Winners in all divisions made this an interesting show as Greg Mancebo won the Dirt Modified race ahead of Bryan Burnes and Billy Wilker. Top ten Bakersfield racer Jeff Gamboa was part of a season high 9 car Mini Stock field and collected the win ahead of Cody Shelton and Mike Mezyk.

The most interesting moment of the night may have come when Troy Patee snapped a five race win streak by Loren DeArmond in the IMCA Stock Cars. These two had a close championship battle last season, won by Patee by just five points. Finishing third Saturday night was Alan Mendes.

The schedule for this Saturday night has been adjusted. Originally, it was slated to be a Dirt Modified, IMCA Stock Car, Mini Stock and Enduro show, but track management has added the USAC Sprint Cars. Due to the late addition of the Sprint Cars, Scott Woodhouse also announced that adult tickets for this race will not be raised, making this another good reason for fans to be at Giant Chevrolet Speedway this Saturday night.

Sprint Cars Return To Merced

For years, the previous track management at Merced Speedway had a winged Sprint Car division that started in 1987, a year after the track hosted the VMRC Sprint Cars for some dates. This Merced effort was called Cal Mods, and two time champion Gordon Rodgers came close to winning the NASCAR Regional championship for two seasons, finishing second and third. The division evolved into the Limited Sprints. At the end of the 1998 season, Mark Amador took the renamed Regnegade Sprints to the pavement, and the track began the California Sportsman revival in it's place. During those years, the NCMA brought their carbureted Sprint Cars for occasional visits.

With John Soares Jr. in charge at Merced now and having started the Wingless Spec Sprint craze at Antioch back in 1999, he has decided to give this division a few dates at Merced to see how things go. Estimates are there are 6-12 cars based out of the area who now have no home track after Chowchilla's decision to drop the class. That decision was based on lack of support, but some drivers claimed the expense to race there was too great. Merced's pit entry fees are less, and Soares is hoping these racers will give Merced a chance. According to Merced's latest news release, Antioch title hopeful David Press will be coming. There has been some buzz about the Merced effort, and it will be interesting to see who shows up.

Last week, the Dwarf Cars had their first audition and fielded seven cars with Brett Barsto the winner. Ryan Larimer (Hobby Stock), Marshall Weaver (Street Stock) and David Coleman (Four Banger) were other winners, but the highlight of the night was a 20 car Dirt Modified feature, won by Bobby Hogge IV. I won't go too much into details as the track's page and it's PR guy, Mike Adaskaveg, has done a good job of putting the word out. On Sunday, the Wingless Spec Sprints will join the Dirt Modifieds, Hobby Stocks, Four Bangers and Valley Sportsman division in what should be a good show.

Busby Back In Winner's Circle At Antioch Speedway

2010-08-02T19:14:00.000-07:00

Still didn't have much to work with for this one and again was debating if I even wanted to bother. I cobbled this together from a few places. As of this moment, the track's website is taking the Ted Knight from Caddyshack approach to posting results. In other words, "You'll get nothing and like it." Hopefully, they are just running late and will update soon. I may post more information here as I get it. As always, statistics post here are unofficial. Just wanted to get something out there about the latest race.

Racing was again on the schedule Saturday night at Antioch Speedway as a five division program closed the month of July at the three-eighth mile clay oval located at the Contra Costa County Fairgrounds. A four time champion from the 1990's, a newcomer and three point leaders collected the five Main Event victories as Scott Busby (Dirt Modifieds), Rowdy McClenon (Wingless Spec Sprints), Mitch Machado (Super Stocks), Brad Myers (Hobby Stocks) and Travis Dutra (Mini Trucks) were the winners in their respective divisions.

In the 1990's, Scott Busby was the man to beat in Dirt Modified competition, and through his efforts behind the scenes, he helped take this division to a higher level. The 2010 season has been a bit rough on Busby, though his #73 Harris Modified is still one of the fastest at the track any time he is there. The attrition of the previous race three weeks ago still took a toll on the car count as several drivers were not in action, and Nick DeCarlo decided to end his championship bid by racing at Maryville, where he finished third behind Randy McDaniel and Duane Cleveland. All three drivers will likely be at Antioch on August 28th when promoter John Soares Jr. puts up $3,500 to win. This will open a big weekend that has Soares putting up $3,500 to win at Merced on the 29th, and an additional $1,000 bonus to the driver who can win both races.

With several cars missing in action, racers like Bill Wallace, Chester Kniss, Mark Haas, Busby and a #8 car helped keep the division in double digits. Dan Gonderman ran a memorial lap with Larry Damitz, Bill Wallace, Randy Metzler and Eric Berendsen in tow, but I don't know who this was for. If anybody knows, please comment. There were two heat races, and Kniss and point leader Troy Foulger scored the victories. At some point during the Main Event, Busby tangled with Gonderman. As Busby led down the stretch and put a lap on Gene Haney, second ranked Jeff Thomas and Kniss battled fiercely for second. They came to the checkered three wide as Haney was being lapped, and contact put Kniss into the wall at the finish line. Busby was the winner, while Thomas just beat Kniss to the line for second. Unofficially, Foulger was fourth.

There were 13 Wingless Spec Sprints in attendance, and the night started off as usual for point leader Tommy LaLiberte as he collected a win in his heat race. Making only his second start this season, Roy Fisher won his heat race, and LaLiberte claimed Trophy Dash honors. LaLiberte was running up towards the front of the pack in the feature, but I'm not sure what happened. Chuck Bradshaw may have been up front early as well, but Rowdy McClenon and Jim Perry Jr. both made their way past him. McClennon is currently top five ranked at Chico, and he makes occasional visits to Antioch. This one paid off with victory as he forced Perry to settle for his third second place finish of the season. Perry has won many features at Antioch Speedway, but the third ranked driver is still searching for his first win of this season. David Press kept his title hopes alive with a third place finish after a battle with steady rookie Tyler Hebriquez and Nick Larson. Larson would finish fourth as Hebriquez completed the top five.

There were ten Super Stocks on hand with the debut of the #9 car of Greg Fuss. They ran two heat races with fifth ranked Lloyd Cline collecting his second straight heat victory. Title hopeful Larry Damitz was the other heat winner. The Main Event saw "Rookie Of The Year" hopeful Fred Ryland, two time Street Stock champion Michael Newman and point leader Mitch Machado battling for the victory. Machado would prevail at the end ahead of Ryland and Newman. Two time Limited Late Model champion Lori Brown may have had a top five finish, but that is unofficial.

The Hobby Stocks saw two new cars, #8 of Dave Lincoln and #43 of Nick Biscusi, debut to put them back up to ten cars for the night. The top two feature finishers of the previous race, Dan McCown and Wes Bentley, collected heat race wins. Fourth ranked Jim Freethy led the first few laps before the only caution flag of the race flew. He chose the inside on that restart, and impressive rookie Brad Myers put the point leading Team #33 car into the lead for good, lapping the #43 car and Pat Gooding down the stretch. Second and third place both received plaques along with the winner, and those went to Freethy and Bently, respectively. Chris Sorensen finished fourth.

There were six Mini Trucks on hand for this race with the return of veteran Dean Cline. Point leader Travis Dutra won the heat race then set his sights on another feature win. Cline ran up front early before Dutra bolted into the lead. Cline battled with Dan Wagner and Ron Mayberry for a season best second place finish. Mayberry followed up last week's second with a third, and Wagner may have been fourth, unofficially.

Antioch Speedway hosts another five division show next week, featuring Dirt Modifieds, Super Stocks, Dwarf Cars, Four Bangers and the third and final 2010 appearance of the Nor Cal Vintage Hardtops.

Dirt Modifieds, Hobby Stocks Back At Antioch This Week

2010-07-30T02:16:00.000-07:00

I considered leaving the pre race thing alone this week since I was left with so little information last week, but I'll jump right back in for another week. To the readers here who attend Antioch, if you want to help keep the results out there, feel free to comment on this post with unofficial finishes from Saturday, or even post on the various forums. If nothing is posted on the official track page again, at least we'll have something. It's an idea anyway.

Five divisions are in action at Antioch Speedway this week, and I'm setting the Over/Under number at 54 cars. We didn't even hit 50 cars last week from what I could tell, so I was over, but I think it should be better with Dirt Modifieds and Hobby Stocks back on the card.

The Wingless Spec Sprints (14), Dirt Modifieds (16), Super Stocks (8), Hobby Stocks (10) and Mini Trucks (6) will share the spotlight this week.

LaLiberte Goes For Six, Who's Ready To Step Up And Beat Him?

Tommy LaLiberte is on a roll at Antioch Speedway. His last seven starts have been a second, four straight wins, a second and another win. With five wins he tops the field, and, not surprisingly, he leads past Watsonville and NCMA Select Series champion David Press by 30 points going into this week's race. When you think about it, though, that's not a very big lead, and that's because Press has been consistently finishing in the top five to lessen the point damage of LaLiberte's success.

Success, however, comes at a price for LaLiberte, and it's the same old story. Two time Spec Sprint champion Darrell Hanestad heard it. Spec Sprint original and many time NCMA champion Darryl Shirk heard it. Stock Car champion Bobby Hogge heard it. They all hear it when they win enough. Tommy's cheating. As with most winning teams, however, success comes for LaLiberte through all the preparation, getting the car set up just right, watching videos of his races, having a dedicated pit crew and good sponsors. This all pays off on race day when he can put the car wherever he wants and it sticks.

It's not a foregone conclusion that Tommy will win this week, and with 12-16 cars anticipated, if he has a bad night, all of the winning he's been doing won't matter. That lead could go away in one night. With two wins himself, Press could make it to the winner's circle again. A man who is no stranger to winning at Antioch, third ranked Jim Perry Jr., finished second again last week, but he is due for his first win of the season.

Fact is, at least half of this field is capable of winning, and fifth ranked Jeff Kindt does have a win this season. With a couple preliminary wins this year, 1999 champion Dan Gonderman could be ready to win. It could be somebody like Jeff Lee, Gary Nelson or Chuck Bradshaw, who have had some good runs of late. It could also be one of the rookies, such as Tyler Henriquez or Trevor Press, who has quietly worked his way into fourth in points. Whomever it is, they will have to earn it, as the competition at Antioch is among the best in the state in this division.

Dirt Modifieds Hope To Recover With Another Big Race Coming Soon

Last time out, it was heavy carnage for the Dirt Modified division. Bobby Motts Jr. and Troy Foulger crashed on the back stretch battling for the lead, resulting in a horrendous crash behind them that sent Joe Carr rolling and put him on the injured list. It also left top ten ranked rookie Sean Wilson with a badly damaged race car that he said he may be unable to repair. The winner when it was all said and does was Dan Gonderman, who lost a season opener that he had dominated when a car got into him in Turn 1 and sent him rolling.

The good news in all of this is that Foulger and Motts got their cars back together and competed last week in Placerville. Also, Carr is hoping to recover in time to enter the $3,500 to win shows August 28th and 29th and Antioch and Merced. The bad news for Nick DeCarlo was after his tangle with Aaron Crowell on the back stretch that left Crowell sideways in front of the pack a few laps before the big crash, he ended up being penalized to last place. The damage was such that he is now over 40 points out of the lead. Foulger now leads Jeff Thomas by 38 with DeCarlo 42 points back. This could well be the moment that ended DeCarlo's title hopes, but we shall see. Foulger is consistently at the front every week, so it will be a challenge reeling in 42 points on him.

Meanwhile, Norm Boeck, working on another top five season, is ten points behind DeCarlo, while Motts fell to sixth behind Rick Karnes after his crash. Last time out, Motts had looked faster than ever as he beat Gonderman to win his first heat race of the season, and he was in contention for his first feature win until the brutal end. Through it all, though, the top six drivers haven't missed a race yet this year, and any one of them could be in line for this week's feature victory. It's also very possible that some visitors could be at Antioch this week to get a look at the track before the big show at the end of the month. It should be interesting.

The Blue Knight Rides Again

I don't believe John Meyers calls him that, but back in the days of the Sportsman division, they called Mike Gustafson "The Blue Knight" due to his blue race car and firesuit. He was a champion then (in 1980), and he won championships in the Limited Late Models twice during the last decade. But, points have never been what Mike has been about, or it's likely he'd have another championship or two to his credit in Super Stocks and Late Models at Petaluma. He certainly won his share of races back then against such front runners as Mike Chisholm, Lee Olibas, John Soares Jr., Jim Tryon, Rod Aronld and Jack Dempsey.

Mike missed a few races at the start of the season as income tax season always keeps him busy, but he has closed to within 44 points of Lloyd Cline. Cline finished fourth in points last year and is looking for back to back top five seasons. His win in a heat race last week and third in the feature the previous race shows how much he has improved since the start of the season.

Meanwhile, when the points were added up last week, Mitch Machado's lead over Larry Damitz remained at 14 points after Machado was second ahead of Damitz in the Main Event. This is the battle that has kept this division interesting when car count was really low at the start, and it just may go down to the wire. Not to be forgotten is the nice job rookie two time winner Fred Ryland and the steady Eric Berendsen have done this year, ranked third and fourth, respectively. To date, we have seen 12 different cars this season, and a double digit car count is entirely possible this week.

Bentley's Surprise Performance

Last time out, Wes Bentley had the crowd on their feet in the Hobby Stock division as he competed for his first feature victory. Wes has a heat race win this season, but in the Main Event, he definitely looked like he had the car to beat. Every time he got a little ahead of second place, however, he, made little mistakes to allow them to catch up. When he felt the pressure, he'd start to pull away again, almost as if he was learning how to lead a Main Event. Unfortunately, past champion Dan McCown did know how to lead the Main Event and has won in previous seasons. Bentley's last mistake proved costly as McCown pulled along side him and beat him by inches to the line for his first win of the season.

It was valuable lap time for Bentley, and when he's in this position again, the outcome may be different. A pat on the back should also go to sixth ranked Joe Cancilla, who ran second for much of the race before getting a flat tire. Joe is six points behind Mike Rydman in the battle for sixth. It's been mentioned here before, but there are some good racers in this class searching for their first win, and a new winner could emerge this week.

At the front of the pack is the team #33 car of Melissa Hansen and Brad Myers, who both have won this season and lead two time winner Chris Sorensen by 26 points in the championship chase. McCown is actually within striking distance, 43 points out of the lead. The Team 99 car of Jack Jonker and Jim Freethy are 26 points ahead of Rydman. Car count was down a little last time out, but with a few weeks off, it is expected to rebound this week.

The Travis Dutra Show

Travis Dutra has done a nice job in a short field of Mini Trucks. The 2009 point runnerup has won the most Main Events this season and is leaving little doubt at this point that he will win the championship unless something happens. After his win last week, Dutra's lead is now 60 over Ray Bunn, who is still searching for his first win of the season. However, Dan Wagner has won this season, and if Bunn's not careful, he will lose second. Wagner trails him by just 16 points at the moment.

Coming between Dutra and Wagner in the most recent Main Event was an impressive effort by Ron Mayberry. That second place finish was a season best for Mayberry, and it moved him into fifth in the standings. Mayberry will move into fouth just by starting this week's feature, unless two time winner Tom Brown brings his truck back this week. If Brown doesn't show, Greg Williams will pass him by starting as well, finally bumping Brown out of the top five. Though truck count has been in the 6-8 truck area in recent races, there have been 16 trucks to compete this season. It would be nice too see more of them in action this week, and it would surely make the racing better.

Random Thoughts

2010-07-29T18:59:00.000-07:00

Lots of different things happening to comment on, and this column could go on and on if I let it. Don't think that's going to happen, but I'll pick some topics and dive right in on some of the things happening in California.

Big Weekend Coming To Antioch & Merced in Late August

Never let it be said that John Soares Jr. doesn't put his money where his mouth is when it comes to racing. The son of a California racing Hall Of Famer has done it again. The Dirt Modifieds seem to be the division getting "the love" this season, and you really can't blame John for that. His June $5,000 to win race at Antioch was a resounding success. In fact, a few weeks prior, John held a $1,000 tuneup race and had a full enough field of Dirt Modifieds that a B Main was needed.

Well, John decided it was time to do it again. $3,500 to win, and from what I'm hearing, $300 to start Main Events on August 28th at Antioch and August 29th at Merced. If the same driver wins both events, a $1,000 bonus. This is another big opportunity for the racers to win some money and prestige racing a Dirt Modified in California, and it's John Soares Jr. promoting the deal once again. In fact, unlike Antioch, where the newspapers have all but forgotten there is a race track there, the Merced Sun-Star ran another big story, breaking the news.

I think it's great that Merced Speedway is getting so much love. Wish Antioch could even get half as much. I'll leave my criticisms out, but I would hope they would focus on things the fans at Merced will actually see there, or this will be more material for the bashes to use against an effort that I believe is really trying to make thing better. John is quoted saying 80 cars will show for this event, dubbed the West Coast Nationals. Well, 80 cars SHOULD show up for this one, but it's more likely to be in the 40-50 car range. Still, that would have to be considered a success.

I'm a little nervous about this one, but hopefully it should work out. I've noticed at times in the past down there that when big money is offered, the locals stay home thinking they have no chance. Lat me tell you locals a story about a guy named Mark Keyes, who once beat the POSSE Super Stocks in his NASCAR Late Model Stock Car at a race in Merced. That was huge. It can happen.

John says, and of this I have no doubt, it is his goal to put Merced Speedway back on the map and make it a place the racers want to be. I just hope the locals get on board with him. This race should be, and better be, huge. That's up to the racers.

It Would Be Nice To Get Spec Sprints A Big Race Too

Quietly, and without much fanfare, the Wingless Spec Sprints have been doing solid numbers at Antioch, a tick below Dirt Mods, while double digit turnouts also happen at the regular shows in Watsonville, Petaluma, Marysville and Chico. It wasn't that long ago when Chico booked a race that had 70 cars. So, I would love to see a $3,000 pay check waved in front of these drivers and see LaLiberte, Bernal, Schank, Howard, Wallace, Pettit, Press and so many other top notch racers get their chance to shine. Will it happen? I'm not holding my breath, but if I had the money to put up, THAT is where I'd put it. Well, that, and maybe a lisle something special for the Hobby Stocks as a companion class.

While we're at it, I'd love to see another track or two join the Hunt Magneto Wingless Spec Sprint Tour. Antioch would be nice. I noticed the Petaluma names in the field up north last week and have to wonder if maybe they will be the next track added. If "Dr. Dirt" Jim Soares did get involved in that series, it would not surprise me a bit. The man doesn't get enough credit for the good he's brought to the sport, but Petaluma was fading fast before he took over the place. The Sprint Car program they have there now is pretty good from what I've read, AND they have Late Models and a competitive Street Stock program as well. But, I digress.

Car Count Lower Than Hoped For At Merced

From what I've been able to deduce, Merced's Sunday program had less that 30 cars. I had worried that the IMCA Stock Cars were not a good idea. Turns out, I was right. I'm sure they learned a lesson there. I'd love to know what they were thinking on that one. I was also worried how running the night after a Chowchilla show that included all the regular classes would effect Merced since they draw from pretty much the same car pool. Chowchilla's car count wasn't huge either, but it turns out that it may have effected Merced's numbers. With no Chowchilla race this week and Street Stocks and Dwarf Cars as part of the six division show at Merced this week, car count should bounce back.

But, somewhere, I bet Chuck Griffin is saying, "I told you guys it wasn't gonna be easy."

Chuck gets lots of blame for everything bad that ever happened at Merced these last 25 years, and he's not entirely blameless. But, to pin the car count demise of the last two years entirely on him would not be fair either. Fact is, had he been able to hold onto half the sponsorship his track had, things may have turned out differently. Plus, there are several racers who ran last year that are still absent this year, some who were pretty darn good supporters of that track during the past decade. Times are tough, and there are lots of factors at play.

Having said that, I still believe Soares is doing right by Merced and making every move he can to bring things back. It won't be easy, and there are speed bumps ahead. The August show is a gutsy move by John considering everything, but he's gambling on Merced being a hit with the racers and the fans in the long run. If the racers don't come out and show support, they have only themselves to blame if the track fails. I believe Sunday was not a great day to race weekly, but it was the only real choice the track had under the circumstances. It really was. So, I hope everybody makes the best of it and the racers come out and support when they can. What goes on in 2011 will depend on how things go now.

The quarter-mile is tight, and racy from what people are saying, and it's only going to get more dialed in and faster in the weeks ahead. With Dirt Modifieds, Street Stocks, Hobby Stocks, Four Bangers, Dwarf Cars and Sport Mods on the card this week, it should be a good show with a much better turnout this time.

Sport Mod Drivers Have Spoken, Um.... Whispered

Well, Merced Speedway held it's first Sport Mod race last Sunday. Ten different cars have raced at Chowchilla so far this season. They didn't run this class the night before, and only two drivers bothered to show for this one. Seems like there's a lot of TALK about this class so far, and it's not like this is a new deal in the area. The previous management started this class at Merced four years ago, so take that information for what it's worth. The up side of this is the track ran these two cars with the Dirt Modifieds, and they got the $100 to start, the same as the rest of the Dirt Mod class. Plus, these two drivers earned Sport Mod points.

Not much of a statement by the drivers this time as to why other tracks should start this class, but a nice statement by track management about taking care of the drivers. The division gets another shot this week. We'll see how it goes.

Orland Speedway's Nice Rebound

A lot of tracks are struggling these days, so even the ones struggling the hardest are doing something just by opening up and having a race. At least 30 drivers competed in the four divisions last week at Orland Speedway, one of the best turnouts of the season, if not the best. A couple of nice things to report. There was a season best 11 Mini Trucks in action. The Mini Stocks reportedly paid a purse for their seven cars.

The one that caught my eye was seven Wingless Spec Sprint drivers in action. It was looking bad for a couple of weeks there, and I was wondering if the things that went down a few weeks back may have had something to do with it. As it turns out, Josh Jacobo was back and the four time champion won this race. There have now been 13 different cars in this class at Orland, and the four regular divisions have all had at least ten cars with several different feature winners this season.

It's not easy during any time period to run a race track, but these days especially. I do get a sense that the racers in the area are rallying behind this track, and if they keep at it, it will only get better. I still see some sort of deal hatched between Chico and Orland as a good thing in the future as Orland gets stronger. Both tracks do have Spec Sprints and Hobby Stocks, so something could be worked out where both tracks could gain a few drivers a couple times during the season. Perhaps at some point as things get better, Orland could become a part of the Hunt Series for Spec Sprints? Just a thought.

More information on the latest race at Orland can be read further down on this blog. An Enduro and Destruction Derby headline this week at Orland, but they have Dirt Modifieds races scheduled in August. I'm thinking the one on August 28th may need to be moved in light of the big announcement at Antioch and Merced.

Misty Wins Again At Marysville

Just passing along the information that Misty Castleberry won her tenth straight Mini Stock race at Marysville Raceway Park. The defending champion and current point leader has commanded this division, prompting the usual jeers from people claiming cheating, which always seems to happen whenever somebody wins a lot at any race track, but could it be that this lady can drive? In this case, she beat veteran Jeff Olschowka, who was making a surprise start to try and beat her. He settled for second. As Misty has proven her point in this division, hopefully she'll have the sponsorship for a move up next year, and I wouldn't be surprised if she was a top competitor in the next division she raced too.

While We're Mentioning The Ladies

Adrienne DeSousa did it again. Now in her third season in Four Bangers, she won her first feature at Ocean Speedway in Watsonville Friday night. This earned her a visit to The Motor Sports Show with Tony Karis on KNRY 1240 AM on Wednesday night. DeSousa is currently running second in points, not too far behind Sean Markley Jr. In addition to this win, she has also claimed wins at Antioch, Chowchilla, Madera and Merced. Adrienne's win at Merced came ahead of the 11 car field last Sunday.

Meanwhile, Michelle McClure won the Pure Stock feature Saturday night at Placerville Speedway. Like DeSousa, she ranks second in her division and within striking distance of the point leader, Chris Curtiss.

Placerville's Mixed Results Saturday Night

In a bit of a disappointment, the Placerville Speedway show Saturday night saw no Chico regulars support the $800 to win Dirt Modified race. What saved this race from complete disaster was the fact that a half dozen Antioch racers, and a past Late Model champion, who used to live in the Bay Area, were in action. It was that driver, Robert Miller, grabbing the win over Antioch point leader Troy Foulger and two time Antioch champion Kenny Neu. Fresh off a top three finish at Watsonville in the Mike Cecil Memorial Race, Junior Dawson was fourth.

The good news was that 25 Spec Sprints raced at Placerville as part of the Hunt Series, and it was Terry Schank Jr. adding to his point lead by besting the 25 car field. With 32 cars on hand on Friday at Chico, Schank won that race too. In an interesting stat, the Hunt Series race for the Spec Sprints on Friday outdrew car counts for the Golden State Challenge Series race at Marysville and the Civil War Race at Petaluma. Nice to see the Spec Sprints are alive and well in California and doing their part to represent Sprint Car racing.

By the way, Kyle Larson won the GSC race to take a slim point lead over 13 time Series champion Brent Kaeding. Larson is in a position to win not only the GSC title, but the Tao Bravo Series at Watsonville as well. Not bad for a driver who will be turning 18 soon. It will be interesting to see if he can pull of the double championship win, but it won't be easy. I'm sure Kyle wouldn't have it any other way.

Hayfork Speedway Finally Opens?

Hayfork Speedway was set to get things started last Sunday. Not sure if this has happened or not. With the two play days scheduled, they canceled them and mentioned it on their web page prior to the day. This was not the case with the opener. If we find any information, we'll pass it along here. Hayfork intended to run Mini Stock and Hobby Stock divisions to try and get things up and running. I will say one thing, the speedway put Hayfork on the map for me, as I had never heard of the place before news of this track surfaced. I'm hoping things work out for them as it's always nice to see a new race track open.

Free Passes For New Racers At Bakersfield Speedway

Bakersfield Speedway Management posted the following on the Late Model Racer forum:

Saturday August 7th I will be offering up again this season two FREE pit passes for this event to any STREET STOCK, HOBBY STOCK or MINI STOCK team that has not raced with us yet in 2010. Pit gates open at 2:00pm, drivers meeting at 4:30pm, racing at 6:00pm. We will also be having our first ever Spectator Eliminator Race and it’s FREE PEPSI night. Come join us for a fun night of racing. Scott

I mentioned something about this on the DCRR Racing Radio Show earlier in the season. I think I mentioned discounted prices, but they are going the extra mile with free passes to drivers making their first start of 2010. Other tracks should try something like this. Get these drivers to "dig their cars out of mothballs" as Gary Jacob would say, and once they race that first time, hopefully they come back next week and pay full price.

Late Models Need To Regroup And Come Back Stronger

Seems to me Sandy Bainton wasn't the "evil witch" some people made her out to be when she ran the CarQuest Late Model Tour for several seasons before stepping away a few years back. I recall when Brynda wanted to work with her on something at Antioch back in the early 90's. Oh, what could have been, but could the male ego handle TWO ladies at the head of the premeire Dirt Late Model Tour of Californoia? Alas, we never found out.

But, Sandy ran that deal like clockwork. She always had more race date requests than she had dates to give, but she always tried to bring new tracks into the deal to see how it would work. She was one of the people who saved the division as far as I'm concerned, though Santa Maria and Petaluma NEVER gave up on the class either.

The point is, the leadership. whomever they are, need to regroup and put this thing back together. Several dates have been dropped this year. I'm not sure why, and at this point, I just don't care. What's done is done. Going forward, they need to fix this. It's nice to hear the Limited Late Model talk, but there are still several full on Late Models out there, and racing fans want to see them.

So, whomever takes charge of the Late Model Tour and whatever they call it in 2011, they need to check on what the schedules are at the tracks that still run the class, put this thing back together again, and make it a deal promoters can't refuse. I'd try to include the tracks that do still have Late Model races of their own with at least some visits as they are still keeping it alive, aren't they?

So, come on guys, use some commons sense and make this thing happen. There's no substitution for the real thing, and though I have nothing against Limited Late Models, let's keep the Late Models alive. If we can have a good Winged 410 Sprint Car Tour in this day and age, we can have a good Late Model Tour too.

Ventura's Neat Little Show

Somebody commented on the possibility of Ventura having a Late Model show on the Late Model Racer forum, and somebody commented on Jim Naylor "hating" Late Models. I highly doubt he hates them, but Midgets and Sprint Cars put that racy litle 1/5 mile clay oval on the may. Anybody remember Thursday Night Thunder and USAC Midgets and TQ Midgets at Ventura on ESPN? I do, and it was pretty darn cool. I miss the days when ESPN would actually show "good" racing. Calm down NASCAR fans, I just think they could use some good old fashion dirt track racing on the nation's #1 sports network.

These days, Naylor is streaming his racing live on the internet, and this is one heck of a show. The Wingless Sprint Cars are absolutely amazing the way they go 2 and 3 wide on that little track, and do so for several laps without crashing. Now THAT'S what I call racing. IMCA Modifieds, Mini Stocks, Dwarf Cars, Jr. Dwarf Cars and Go Karts are just some of the classes they have there. They even have senior (55 years and older) Sprint Cars ad Dwarf Cars there. They are planning a Mini Modified (think smaller version of the old California Dirt Car class) division for next season.

I don't think Jim hates Stock Cars, but I do believe he's looking for classes that can give him a car count and put on a show. If he did add a Stock Car class, I'd expect it to be Hobby Stocks at this point, but the thought of a Late Model show on that track is intriguing. My first thought is the cars are too big and fast, but IMCA Modifieds do alright there, so who knows? At any rate, Naylor has things running well at Ventura Raceway, and that is infinately better than the stupid Ampitheater they were talking about putting in there about a decade ago. Good things can happen when people stand up together and fight for a good cause.

Mike Cecil Would Be Proud

We close this long winded column, but not before giving a pat on the back to Ocean Speedway for the Mike Cecil Memorial 50 lap race, won by Cody Burke ahead of Junior Dawson and Todd Hermosillo. So many cars were there that they even ran a pair of B Mains to fill the remainder of the Main Event field. Over 30 cars. A bit rough with 22 cars starting and 8 finishing. They ran 2 25 lap segments and the top 2 drivers at halfway had the option of restarting at the back in the second segment. If either won that way, they would receive a $1,000 bonus. Neither leader Burke nor Jim Pettit II would take that challenge.

Burke claimed he was prepared to if Pettit would, but Pettit felt the risk wasn't worth the reward with the level of competition out there. Unfortunately, Pettit still had problems and fell out, but his night was not a total loss. He won $500 in the special Dash For Cash ahead of Kenny Nott Jr. and Jim DiGiovanni, who won $300 and $200, respectively. Nott reclaimed the point lead from Brian Cass, and he was lucky to get the top five finish in the Cecil Race as he ran the last two laps with a front flat tire.

Taco Bravo Sprint Cars, IMCA Modofieds, Wingless Spec Sprints and American Stocks are all part of the show this Friday night at Ocean Speedway. The Johnny Key Classic for the Taco Bravo Sprint Cars looms in the near future, August 28th, and it's sure to be a must see race.

And He Was Also Fast In His Simulated Car

Okay, one more thing. After winning for I believe the third time in his American Stock this season, 2009 Ocean Speedway Four Banger champion Matt Sotomayor was a guest on the Motor Sports Show with Tony Karis on Wednesday. Matt gained very little ground on seven time winner and point leader Billy Nelson, who finished second. Whether Matt can catch Nelson at this point or not, he needs to be on top of his game, or Matt Kile and second generation racer Nick Silva are sure to pounce on him in a close race for second.

While Matt is the top rookie in the American Stocks this year, the second generation racer has actually been racing on line in a simulated race car for years. In fact, some of his online championships came in the CRO Racing League, which Joe Martinez and I started not long after we started CRO in 2000 as the best darn racing news site in the state. Matt was fast, if a little bit cocky back in those early days, but when I came back and helped refire up that league six years ago, I was impressed with how much he had matured. I knew when he got his first race car that he would be a winner.

On Tony's radio show this week, Matt commented that he would really like to get into a Sprint Car. I would love to see that happen, and perhaps that could come together at some point. In the meantime, look for him to battle Nelson, Kile, Silva, Tony Olivera and the rest of the competorors for more wins before the season is done.

A Good Night At The Races At Orland Speedway

2010-07-28T20:00:00.000-07:00

Perhaps the best night of racing of the 2010 season took place Saturday night as the action resumed at Orland Speedway. The Wingless Spec Sprints were back in action, along with a solid turnout of Mini Trucks, Hobby Stocks and Mini Stocks. When the checked flag flew on another exciting evening of racing, it was Josh Jacobo (Wingless Spec Sprints), Keith Ross (Mini Trucks) and the hard charging duo of Rich Hood (Hobby Stocks) and Eric Hammond (Mini Stocks) collecting the victories.

The Wingless Spec Sprints rebounded this week as seven drivers competed in the popular division. A pair of racers from the Emery family were back in action for the first time since the season opener, and Dave Emery chased Josh Tucker across the line for a second place heat race finish. Pat Bisio was third in the heat race, but he was a feature scratch. A feature winner this season, Tucker continued his pursuit of a clean sweep with a Trophy Dash victory. However, it was four time division champion Josh Jacobo adding another feature win to his impressive Spec Sprint racing resume. Tucker settled for second. The third ranked driver in 2007, Don Emery, finished third in the feature, followed by newcomer John Hopkins, Dave Emery and Brian Kerby.

The Mini Trucks boasted a season high 11 truck field for this event, and they ran two heat races to qualify the four drivers for the Trophy Dash. Last week's feature winner, Richard Gale beat the combined Mini Truck/Mini Stock winner from last week, Dan Webster, in the first heat. Making his second start of the season, 2002 point runnerup Keith Ross won the second heat ahead of Clinton Earl. Earl won the Trophy Dash. Last time out, Ross finished a disappointing seventh, but he collected the feature victory on this occasion ahead of the hard charging Webster. Earl wrapped up a solid night in third as recent feature winner Jim Davis and the #22 truck completed the top five. Steven Woods was sixth ahead of Gale, Ross Vige, John Blevins, the #27 truck and Zack Webster.

Jimmy O'Reilly won the Hobby Stock Trophy Dash. At least five different drivers have enjoyed Main Event glory this season, and recent winner Rich Hood grabbed another win this week, followed by a driver with at least three second place finishes this season, Earl Adams. O'Reilly finished third as the #10x car and the #4 car completed the finishing order.

In Mini Stock action, the seven competitors all ran the one heat race, and Eric Hammond scored the victory ahead of Jarod Flower. Pole sitter Ken Johnson claimed Trophy Dash honors and provided some good competition for Hammond in the Main Event, but the two time winner Hammond would take the checkered flag in first. Johnson settled for second with Barbara Crain driving the #23 car to the final podium position in third. Joe Kneip finished fourth ahead of Flower, Don Runkle and Chad Arnold.

Next week, the track holds an Enduro Race and Destruction Derby. Regular racing resumes on August 7th with Wingless Spec Sprints, Mini Trucks, Hobby Stocks and Mini Stocks. A week later, the Dirt Modifieds will join those four divisions for their second appearance of the season.

These are NOT official points for Orland Speedway. To my knowledge, they are not keeping points this season. Using Antioch Speedway's Main Event point system (50, 48 46...), I took the Main Event finishes I had (a few are missing), just to get an idea how drivers might rank this season. Here's a look at the top five, but remember, they are not official.

Wingless Spec Sprints (6 Races) *

69-Josh Jacobo 284
74-Josh Tucker 228
7x-Brian Kerby 224
4xl-Pat Bisio 136
50-Don Emery 92

* At least 1 finish missing

Mini Trucks (8 Races)*

62-Dan Webster 360
97-Ross Vige 342
23-Richard Gale 314
00t-Tyler Pebley 240
5-Jim Davis 216

*1 Race Missing

Mini Stocks (8 Races)*

23-Don Runkle 318
86-Eric Hammond 242
93-Ken Johnson 192
82-Chad Arnold 170
14-Jarod Flower 168

* 1 race missing

Hobby Stocks (6 Races)*

12-Rich Hood 230
22-Earl Adams 192
2-Jake Van Tol 142
18-Brian Compton 138
44-Jimmy O'Reilly 136

* 2 races missing

LaLiberte, Gustafson, Dutra & Ryland Win Again At Antioch

2010-07-28T19:45:00.000-07:00

I didn't have much information to work with, but I did what I could. I found some information and compared point listings from last week and this week. This is all unofficial. I debated whether to even bother, but I decided to go ahead and do it for whoever might give a darn at this point.

Another five division show entertained the crowd Saturday night at Antioch Speedway with some familiar faces collecting the victories. At the end of the night, it was Tommy LaLiberte (Wingless Spec Sprint), Mike Gustafson (Super Stocks), Patty Ryland (Four Bangers) and Travis Dutra (Mini Trucks) picking up the wins.

Jason Sneep grabbed the victory in the BCRA Midget Lites one appearance of the season ahead of Brian Corso, Dakota Albright, Joey Hoover and Zack Beard. The 11 cars ran two heat races with Sneep and Scott Kinney collecting the victories.

The big car count of the night belonged to the Wingless Spec Sprints, where 15 competitors were in action. They ran two heat races to set the grid for the night, and wins went to current point leader Tommy LaLiberte and 1999 division champion Dan Gonderman. LaLiberte continued his race towards the championship by holding off past champion, Jim Perry Jr. for his fifth feature win of the season. Gary Nelson was third, and Jeff Kindt and David Press finished in or near the top five. Press lost more ground to LiLiberte in the championship battle, now trailing by 30 points.

There were eight Super Stocks in action for this event, and the night started off well for fifth ranked Lloyd Cline, who won his first heat race of the season. Late starter Mike Gustafson, a three time champion at the speedway, picked up his second feature win of the season as he slowly gains ground on Cline for fifth in the standings. In the Main Event, Gustafson's closest rivals were this season's championship contenders, Mitch Machado and Larry Damitz, who finished second and third, respectively. Machado's lead over Damitz still sits at 14 points. Eric Berendsen, Fred Ryland and Jon Haney had top six finishes.

The Mini Truck field increased to seven trucks for this race, and Travis Dutra continued his dominance of the division with a heat race win and then another feature victory. Dutra's nearest rival, Ray Bunn, trails by 60 points. Ron Mayberry enjoyed his best finish of the season in second, propelling him into fifth in the standings, while Dan Wagner finished third. Wagner trails Bunn by 16 points for second in the standings. Despite rolling his truck, 2009 champion Gene Haney had a top five finish, as did Bunn.

The Four Bangers continue to have an interesting point battle. After missing a race for vacation, 2009 champion Patty Ryland dropped back to third in the standings, but she has steadily worked her way back towards the lead. 2009 runner up Ken Radabaugh won the heat race, but he was no match for Ryland, who held him off for the victory behind the wheel of her newly painted car. Mike Felt placed third in his first start as Devon DeOdosso and top five ranked Justin Silveira had top five finishes. Incoming point leader Dayna Andreesen was in action for the night but is not listed as having earned any points. Radabaugh now leads Ryland by 20 points.

Five divisions will be in action next Saturday night in a show headlined by Wingless Spec Sprints, Dirt Modifieds, Super Stocks, Hobby Stocks and Mini Trucks.

Looking Back: "The Big Dog" Ramie Stone

2010-07-26T20:36:00.000-07:00

Ramie Stone #06 won the 2000 Street Stock championship at Merced Speedway. Photo by L&J Photography

Ramie Stone #06 won IMCA Modified four championships at Merced Speedway.
Photo by L&J Photography

When it comes to talking about the greats of Merced Speedway through the years, there are names that will immediately come to mind. Racers like Dennis Moomjean, Vern Willhoite, George Steitz, Ted Stofle and George Steitz are sure to come up from the 1960's and 70's. Doug Williams, Ray Morgan, Doug McCoun are a few who will be mentioned from the 1980's. Larry Folkner, Gordon Rodgers and Darren Thomas are a few who will surely be mentioned from the 1990's. Then, it really gets fun when you start talking about who was the greatest to race at the track. That, of course, is a matter of opinion.

But there are a few drivers from the last decade who deserve to be in that discussion, and one of those is the man they call "The Big Dog" and "Godzilla". He stood taller than about anybody in the pits, and behind the wheel of his green #06 car, he was hard to beat. That man is Ramie Stone, and he was part of the Stone Family invasion of valley racing that happened at the track in 1996. All four of the Stones went on to win at least one championship in their careers. Ramie became a champion in every division he competed. In 1996, Merced Speedway was in the second year of it's Little Truck division. Ramie and his brother Troy Stone were joined by cousins Paul Stone and Steve Stone.

That first season, he was eighth. A year later, his brother won the championship, while he was fourth behind Jack Stanford and cousin Paul Stone. A year after that, Ramie won the championship. While Troy and two time Merced champion Paul Stone had moved up to the IMCA Modified class, Ramie opted to go Street Stock racing in 1999, finishing second and topping the rookies that season. A year later, the Stones ruled the Street Stock division as Ramie won the Merced championship, while cousin Steve won the Chowchilla title. Ramie even ventured down to Chowchilla on occasion and won a feature there.

And Ramie would win several Main Events in his career. In 2001, he opted to go IMCA Modified racing, and he finished fifth, again topping all rookies in the class. It seemed like it didn't matter what kind of car you put him in, Ramie was going to find his way to the front of the pack. For the next two seasons, he dominated the IMCA Modified scene at Merced with back to back championships, ranking in the top five in the region, winning the IMCA State championship and even winning the DCRR State championship twice.

Having the honor of announcing the races at Merced during that time, I can tell you a win by him was something to see. While others were content to run down low on Chuck Griffin's smooth, dry slick 1/3 mile dirt oval, Ramie would put his car up on the outside and start driving his way to the front. It didn't matter where the green #06 car was starting, if things held together, it was going to the front of the pack. He continued to race at Merced for the rest of the decade.

In the most recent three seasons in which Ramie has chased points, he won championships in 2006 and 2008, and finished a close second to Garrett Steitz in 2005. He didn't chase points last season, but he was still a feature winner.

Looking at the impressive numbers of Ramie Stone, he won six championships at Merced Speedway among three divisions and ranked second twice, and he did all of this in 15 seasons of competition. He definitely belongs in the conversation of who is the best in track history at Merced Speedway, and even if you don't believe he's #1, it would be hard not to put him somewhere on the very impressive top ten list.

I'm not sure whether Ramie will be racing at Merced this season or in the future, but I can tell you if he does, watch out. This is a man who brings his best to the track, and he'd be almost certain to be a top contender on the quarter-mile dirt oval, no mater who he was racing against. Plus, he's always been one of the racers the fans enjoy watching at Merced Speedway.

No Results For Antioch Yet

2010-07-26T17:46:00.000-07:00

Nothing is posted on the Antioch Speedway page as of yet as far as results. Jon K hasn't put his stuff up either, and no results are in the paper for the second straight week. At this point, I may not mess with anything as I'm so far behind on things now it messes with my schedule. Not sure why results couldn't have been posted Sunday morning like everybody else, but oh well. It's not really my problem now, is it?

Gaspar Photography did another great job with the photos, so it looks like at least 47 cars were there, maybe a few more? I count 15 Spec Sprints (Tommy Laliberte is in the winner's circle), 11 BCRA Midget Lites (Jason Sneep in the winner's picture), six Four Bangers (Patty Ryland with a new paint job), eight Super Stocks (Mike Gustafson) and seven Mini Trucks (not a clue who won, but it looks like the Haney truck rolled).

Merced has had excellent hype from right out of the gate with newspaper coverage all over, radio station crews at the track, TV station crews at the track. Results were posted on their page with a story a couple hours after the race, and the twitter account had some updates too.

Antioch had Jack.

So, my question to any Antioch racer is, how do you feel about that? Do you even care at this point? Does it mater? I'm not asking this to hate on Merced, because I love that the track is getting what it's getting. Just wondering about Antioch. I know it's just racing. There are bigger things in the world. There really are. But, once upon a time, it mattered who won at Antioch. It mattered who was doing what in the points. It mattered when somebody got their first heat win or top five. There were stories in the newspaper. There were people making an effort.

I'm just asking truthfully, not to dump on anybody. Please don't attack anybody. I'm not doing this for that. The reason I started posting here weekly with stories and hype was because I thought it was needed and that I could put out something to help spread the word.

So, I ask anybody who is racing or a fan there or wants to race there, how do you feel about things? What do you like? What do you not like? What needs improving? Is it okay with you that the man in charge runs two tracks and one of them seems to be getting all the attention? Be nice in your response.

I'll be honest. I don't like the fact that a man was brought in at Merced who seems to be getting things done, but at Antioch there is virtually no effort being made officially to spread the word. It seems wrong to me. I don't see how this can be. I'm not asking for the powers that be to be removed, though I know there are some who are. I am asking for the powers that be to do something about this. It's really not that hard. Spend the money and hire somebody.

We have battles in most of the divisions that are pretty close. Hype them. We have a great history at this track. Tell people about it. There are people in the stands interested in going racing. Show them why they should. There are many newspapers in the area, inform them about this place. Even if you hear no from them, keep after them about it. It is my belief that the racers and the fans deserve better than this, and NO, that does not mean I am advocating change at the top, just change in certain people doing certain jobs.

How do you feel about things? Is it okay with you? That's fine if you are. This isn't 1980 or 1990. It's 2010, and times have changed. Racing at Antioch Speedway used to bring excitement. It was looked forward to. People cared about what went on. Maybe apathy is the way things are now.

I don't believe for a minute that John doesn't care, or he wouldn't be investing in Merced and Antioch and he wouldn't have bought the rights to Racing Wheels Magazine. But if he doesn't get the right people in place, will it matter in the end?

Once More Into The Sport Mod Debate

2010-07-25T13:26:00.000-07:00

Just sitting here not seeing any results from Antioch Speedway while most of the other tracks have reported already, and I noticed the Sport Mod Thread on the forum over at Late Model Racer had a question posted by learnlozinto (Mike Learn?). Now, maybe I'm just bored, I don't know. I'm not a huge advocate of this class as I'm still not convinced it won't divide an already hurting car count. Anyway, he posted this:

what would it take to get petaluma and antioch to run sport mods.....I have 2 chassis that would work for this......if petaluma or antioch wont do it then I know of a couple of asphalt tracks that would do it.....

Of course, Bap33, (Johnnie Baptista) posted a lengthy post, advocating IMCA sanctioning as usual. As John and Jim both had IMCA sanctioning on their Modifieds and dropped it, I just don't see that happening, but really, a good car count does not require that particular banner. For instance, Antioch has a slightly better UMP Modified car count than Bakersfield does with IMCA. The secret may be in the beter purse? I will aknowledge, however, that Watsonville and Santa Maria are doing quite well with IMCA. Though I'm not on the IMCA banner, I understand why some would be. I still think California needs something better than that, but this is another topic.

Johnnie did make an interesting statement in that post:

While we are at it, the IMCA 4bangers should be the companion class. Tracks are doing the "just like iMCA" thing to 4bangers and it will just keep the numbers low and the cars tied to particular tracks.

I disagree, and anyway, John was the first person to start this class in California without IMCA sanction. His hasty (to put it nicely) decision to drop the points from the class, which ultimately did it in, is the only reason it's not in the 20's now, in my opinion, but it should get better. The IMCA banner isn't needed here with all due respect. Show me an IMCA that actually cares about California and promotes that way, and I'll reconsider my stance, but they do not impress me. They are not even half the sanctioning body NASCAR was back when NASCAR actually cared about our little tracks. We need something better, but that (track unity) post will have to wait for another day.

Johnny also said:

I personally know 11 mod drivers in Merced County ready to follow the IMCA NSM rules right now. They just want some type of guarantee that a track wont just drop the sanction and change the rules once the class is built (ahem - like Antioch and Peteluma did with IMCA mods).

Okay, let's be honest here. IMCA didn't build anything at Antioch or Petaluma. John Soares Sr. is the man who actually started this clas in California in 1987, and he did it without IMCA. When he got into this deal, IMCA and NASCAR followed him. It took NASCAR a little longer. Once he started building a car count, he gave it a shot, even participated in a cool thing IMCA once did called the Great Western Classic. The only thing IMCA really did at Petaluma was cost a driver a championship on the stupid claim rule. "I can steal your motor for a mere $400." Get a real motor rule. It's not that hard. Wingless Spec Sprints anyone? Claims are for crybabies, in my opinion. I'm sure I'll piss somebody off with that opinion, but I've seen nothing but crap come from that claim in 20 years. It did not make things better.

As to Antioch, IMCA did NOTHING for car count there. NOTHING!!! NASCAR actually built that car count to the highest point it ever had, 30 or more cars per week for a few seasons and the most competitive point racing throughout the top 20 the division has EVER seen. Now, the racing on the track was an entirely different story. If you like weekly crash fests with ten cautions or more for a 30 lap race most weeks, the NASCAR Grand American Modified show at Antioch once Regional points were added to the equation would be for you. That's not to say there weren't some damn good drivers out there, though.

IMCA saved Merced Speedway. I will grant you that. The division was going nowhere until Chuck added the sanction, and he used it for everything it was worth. Sunday races that attracted top drivers from all over. It was a good thing. They seldom dropped below double digits and had a time when 16-20 cars raced per week. Not where Antioch or Petaluma was, but a decent show. In the end, even IMCA couldn't save that deal, but blaming it on IMCA wouldn't be fair. IMCA could have done the right thing a few years earlier when a certain track wanted in, but having a strong California has NEVER been on their agenda, in my opinion. Again, I know I will ruffle some feathers here, but it's just my opinion based on what I've seen and heard through the years.

If there are 11 cars in the area, bring them out. Look, it's very simple, when John Soares Jr. green lit the Spec Sprint deal back at the end of 1998, he did so after Don O'Keefe Jr. and I put the rules together and 12 racers committed to it. You claim you have 11, so what could it hurt to put a proposal together and go to John with it? If you have 11 cars, I guarantee you he will listen. Chances are good that you'll either get him to commit to IMCA or to not tweak any rules not associated with safety for a certain amount of time. If nothing else, you can say you tried. I don't see anything with the Sport Mod class at Merced being set in stone if a real proposal was there from the racers starting in 2011 and going forward.

Really, I thought I'd throw a few more thoughts in, because the answer to the question that started this post is real simple.

What would it take to get this class at Petaluma and Antioch?

Get the cars to Merced. NOW. You want john to notice, then get the cars. I don't know where Jim would stand at Petaluma, but if there was enough interest, I'm sure he would listen. Ford Cook is already building a car that should debut at Petaluma soon from what I've heard. But, John runs Antioch and Merced. If he sees enough cars out there putting on a good show at Merced, that has to increase the chances of a bay area track getting into this deal. I'm not a huge fan of it, but it could happen. John has taken chances on other classes in the past. If he see's ten or more cars at Merced before the season's end, that has to be a factor in any decision. So basically, a good car count at Merced can only help the bay area Sport Mod cause.

Five Division Show Will Be A Test Of Car Count At Antioch

2010-07-23T01:11:00.001-07:00

Four of the track's regular division and the BCRA Midget Lites are on tap for Saturday night's show at Antioch Speedway. With all of the excitement down the road at Merced, it may seem like the 50 year racing tradition that is Antioch Speedway will get lost in the shuffle, but that is not the case. Actually, the grandstands were packed for last week's Golden State Challenge Series race.

I would love to see some of the hype effort that has been made at Merced lately be made at Antioch, because the track deserves it. This isn't to be a critic. John Soares Jr. has done some really amazing things this year, and he deserves credit for it. However, he seems to have hired some people who are already doing some amazing things to build the excitement at Merced. Isn't it time Antioch had the same? Just a thought.

No, I'm not lobbying for anything, but they can do better than what's there now. Don't you think?

Anyway, let's get to it. I'm a little worried about this one, and I'm trying to figure out who will produce the cars. It's definitely gut check time for a few divisions. You can't claim race fatigue at this point. Drivers have had a week off or more at this point.

They should make it into the 50's at least. It should be bigger than that really. I will put the Over/Under number at 52.

Wingless Spec Sprints (14), Super Stocks (10), Four Bangers (8), Mini Trucks (8), BCRA Midget Lites (12).

Contrary To Rumors, LaLiberte & Press Aren't The Only Spec Sprint Drivers

Tommy LaLiberte's recent win at Ocean Speedway moved him into a tie for second in points there and earned him an appearance on The Motor Sports Show with Tony Karis on Wednesday night. The man is probably in the top five or even top three of Wingless Spec Sprint drivers in the state. Some will argue whether he is #1, and after his four race win streak at Antioch, who could blame them? Two time feature winner David Press is no stranger to championships himself. At 20 points behind LaLiberte in the title chases at Antioch, it may be a bit early to start fitting Tommy for that championship jacket.

While past champion Jim Perry Jr. sits comfortably in third in the standings, a couple of up and coming racers have moved into the fourth and fifth spots as the division continues to create new stars. In fourth with a 22 point lead over fifth is Chuck Bradshaw. Bradshaw is also top ten ranked at Watsonville. Riding in fifth is Trevor Press. These are the top two newcomers in the class at the moment, and both have enjoyed recent top five success in the Main Event. Press actually started out in a Four Banger a few years back and was a Main Event winner at Antioch. Another division newcomer, Tyler Henriquez, is 14 points behind Press in seventh. Henriquez has some top ten feature finishes (finishing as high as sixth) and is a heat race winner as well.

One of the nice things about the Spec Sprint division is it continues to offer racers a reasonable way into Sprint Car racing, and it produces a field with a nice mixture of veterans and young up and coming racers. One racer who could be back in the field is one of the track's top five point runners of the past, Roy Fisher. Roy took a nasty, life threatening tumble on the front stretch last season, but he was at the track a couple of weeks ago hot lapping his race car. As one of the drivers who has supported this division the longest, he would certainly be a welcome addition if he shows up.

The Pure Stock Connection In The Super Stock division

At the top of the Super Stock standings, you will find a good battle raging on between Mitch Machado and Larry Damitz. Machado leads the division in feature wins and carried a 30 point into the last race. However, a flat tire for Machado and a second win of the season for the ageless veteran Damitz cut that margin down to 14. No doubt Machado, who spent years racing at Petaluma and watched Damitz win several championships there as well, is enjoying racing with him for this season's title. At 80 years old, Damitz is still going strong and proved that by winning his heat race and finishing third in the Main Event at Merced last Sunday in a surprise appearance there. Seeing Machado and Damitz battle every week is a definite highlight at the speedway.

But there are more drivers than them in this class, and if you look closely, you will see a Pure Stock connection in this division. Rookie Of The Year contender Fred Ryland won the Pure Stock crown last year in dominant fashion. About 34 points behind him, you'll find a past top five Pure Stock point runner and feature winner, Eric Berendsen. Eric is definitely fast in his #88 car, but though Ryland has two victories, the second generation racer Berendsen is still looking for his first. He does have some top three success, but he'd like to take it up a notch.

Todd Gomez and Michael Newman both started out in Pure Stocks, and Newman was a top ten point runner his first season. Both have won Street Stock championships and have looked fast in their appearances in the Super Stock division so far. Natalie Perry is also a past top ten Pure Stock point runner and has finished as high as second in the feature this season. Her absence last race cost her fifth, but it's likely she would have been passed for that position by Lloyd Cline anyway as he finished third in the feature.

The question will be whether a new name will be added to the feature winner's list this time. Jon Haney, a top ten ranked Dirt Modified racer last season, looked like he was headed for the win last time out, but a yellow flag bunched the field and provided Damitz the opportunity he needed to get the win. Haney settled for a solid, but likely disappointing, second. It will be interesting to see who shows up this week.

It's Nice To See That More Four Bangers Are starting To Show

Defending champion Patty Ryland leads the Four Banger division in wins and trails two drivers who have yet to win this season. She'd likely be leading now, but she missed a race. As it stands, Dayna Andreesen leads 2009 runnerup Ken Radabaugh by just four points with Ryland 20 points back and closing in fast. What Andreesen and Radabaugh would both like is to finally get a feature win this season. Both drivers have won heat races and finished as high as second in the Main Event.

With over 15 competitors to earn points, it's nice to see the division gaining a little ground. Divers like Jeff Browne, Devon DeOdosso and Laura Crabtree have made their first appearances in recent races, and as more cars start showing up, it's going to get even more interesting out on the race track. Despite a hard crash earlier this year, Dominic Myers continues to hang in there and is just five points behind Justin Silveira in the battle for fifth. Silveira is rapidly improving out there, and if he can improve on his restarts, he may be in line for a feature victory in the future.

In watching the races at Golden Triangle Speedway in Texas, I've noticed the Jr. Mini Stock class that has about a half dozen young teen aged competitors. It's a nice approach to getting young racers out to the track, where they can race against each other. Even if it's not a big car count there, it's still a nice concept to bring in young racers, plus a High School Racing program can be worked right in there. In any event, the Four Banger show will go on Saturday night at Antioch, and a double digit car count is entirely possible.

Where Have All The Trucks Gone?

Not that long ago, the Mini Trucks produced 14-16 truck fields, and things were getting interesting. After starting in double digits this season, count fell to just six last time out. Racers like Frank Rosa and Pete Paulsen haven't been seen in weeks. After winning two features early on, Tom Brown moved up to the Dwarf Cars and took his truck with him. The Mini Truck division appears to be falling apart, as it did in Merced after a good run of seven or eight seasons there. The trucks are out there, but will they show up for the next race?

In the meantime, Travis Dutra is on his way to winning the track championship as he also tops the winner's list. His closest rival is Mini Stock veteran Ray Bunn, who is still in search of his first win of the season and is 48 points back. Bunn may need that win soon as one time winner Dan Wagner is just 18 points behind him in third. The absent Brown still sits in fourth, waiting for Jerry Carpanello, Ron Mayberry and Dean Cline to pass him. The racing in the Mini Truck division can be good, but they need more trucks on the track to make it interesting.

BCRA Midget Lites Are Coming To Town

Mini Sprint racing has been a part of the scene at Antioch for nearly two decades, starting in the early 90's with the Northern Stars Mini Sprints and such stars as Ted Harrison, Bob Robicheaux, Mike Benson and Harley Van Dyke. The racing was good, and they brought a lot of cars to the track. As BCRA got into sanctioning Midget Lites and the NST' hit rough waters, the show still went on. One of the biggest stars to come out of the BCRA Midget Lites was a young leadfoot by the name of Brad Sweet. Brad seemed to win every time they came to Antioch for a while there before moving up to race Sprint Cars all over the country. In fact, Brad recently came back to Placerville to win the Sprint Car WTF Cup.

These days, some of the names at the top have changed, but the competitive fire burns just as brightly. Jason Sneep leads the championship charge by 59 points over Brian Corso. BCRA also keeps a car owner point list, and Corso leads Sneep's car owner Lonnie Lopez by 19 points. Scott Kinney, Richard Hoover and Dakota Albright round out the top five. It should be a double digit car count for the Midghet Lites, and the balance of the top ten in the standings coming into this race is made up of Craig Holsted, Doug Nunes, Joey Hoover, Rick Holbrook and Pete Paulson.

The group was last at Antioch in July of last season, and Sneep collected the victory over Doug Nunes and Chris Glass in a 13 car field. Nunes won the championship last season ahead of current point leader Sneep.

In Closing

With the Dirt Modifieds off and licking their wounds from the last time and Dwarf Cars and Hobby Stocks taking a much needed break, this will be a test for the rest of the track's regular divisions. Can they produce the cars? The Super Stocks and Four Bangers have been adding a few more cars as of late, but the trucks are struggling. The two open wheels classes should still be good for double digits and at least two heats. There's enough here to produce a good show, and if people step up a little and bring more cars, it will be even better. It should be interesting to see what happens.

Random Thoughts

2010-07-22T12:44:00.000-07:00

I wasn't planning to write anything this week, but here I am again for another week. Once again we reach into the grab bag as we look at a few different things going on. We have Dwarf Cars racing in Turlock, Mike Cecil Memorial race at Watsonville, a lady looking for ten wins in a row at Marysville and more, so let's dive in.

Dwarf Cars Come To Turlock

We found out a few interesting tidbits about the Dwarf Car race at the fair in Turlock last Sunday. Reports we saw indicated the drivers were offered $200 per car to race, regardless of finishing position. It's basically an exhibition type race on a hastily made dirt oval track that's probably 1/10th of a mile. They are racing, but obviously not so hard that they risk crashing too hard. It's more about putting on a show for the fans who pack the area for the various motor sports events.

There were 12 cars in action, and we did catch results for the first of three heat races. Charlie "The Hammer" Correia won that heat with Neil Stinson passing Curt Jordan on the last lap for second. Alan Heeney was fourth. In the Main Event, Brett Barstow collected the victory ahead of Josh Hiatt. A driver named Duane (Didn't catch a last name, maybe Daniel?) was third ahead of Sam Westhorpe. Correia apparently tangled with the #3n car in the Main Event. I'm thinking Mike Corsaro was was probably racing there as well, but not sure who the other two racers were. Car count was up two from last year.

By the way, Correai won the Dwarf Car fair race in Turlock about a decade ago. Dwarf Cars and Legend Cars competed back then, as did Quads. This time around, the Dwarf Cars were part of a card that featured Monster Trucks. Being that he lived around the corner from the fairgrounds, I'm thinking Gary Jacob would have gotten a kick out of this race, but, knowing him, he likely would have skipped it to go to Merced Speedway.

Merced Speedway Gets Set For Round #2

Well, the Timmy Post Memorial Race may be off, but racing is still on at Merced Speedway. The appearance of over 60 cars last week made the opener a success. The Modifieds were boosted by the appearance of the McDaniel father-son duo. Randy McDaniel just retook the point lead at Chico that Friday night with a second place finish as he pursues another championship. Ryan McDaniel, meanwhile, came into Merced gunning for a rare three win weekend. Ryan held off his father to win the Modified race Friday at Chico, then jumped behind the wheel of Billy Knoop's car and won the Stock Car race Saturday at Marysville.

So, the Dirt Modifieds boasted a 16 car field for Merced's opener, including Ryan Porter and Alex Stanford, who are competing for the championship at Chowchilla, defending champion Jim DiGiovanni and past Merced champion Paul Stone. Paul's cousin Ramie Stone, a champion in three different divisions at Merced and probably the top driver at the track in the last decade, was not in the field. No word on whether Ramie intends to race this season, but he would definitely be a welcome addition. However, the 16 racers who did show in this division were definitely a welcome site.

Past Dirt Modified champion "Bullet" Bob Williamson was in action Sunday behind the wheel of the #00 Street Stock, and he ended up caught between a pair of #15 cars. The #15 of Chowchilla point leader Mike Shepherd was doing his usual thing and beating the competition, while Antioch title hopeful Larry Damitz made a surprise appearance and ended up third after winning a heat race. Back at the site of his first career feature win when he drive a Late Model in the early 90's, Mitch Enos finished fourth. With new track management at Merced, Roy Hart Jr. was back and finished fifth.

Merced boasts some of the best Street Stock drivers in the state, include past champions Tim Ragsdale, Darren Thomas and Randy Brewer, and though they weren't in action Sunday, it is hoped that they will be back in the near future. Meanwhile, two time defending champion Ricky Thatcher and his father Buddy Thatcher did compete as did second generation racer George Lefler Jr., whose father is a past champion at the track. It was indeed a good opener at the Speedway.

In an interesting bit of booking, the Dirt Modifieds, Hobby Stocks, Four Bangers and Sport Mods will be joined not by the Street Stocks, but the IMCA Stock Cars this week. I'm really not sure where this class runs in California, other than Giant Chevrolet Speedway in Hanford. There have been car counts as high 10 or 11 cars in Hanford this season, where Loren DeArmond has been the driver to beat. I believe one of the reasons Hanford went to this division in the last few years was in an effort to try and build up a car count. Whether Merced might get on board with this class or it's just a special appearance remains to be seen.

Once one of the top drivers in the non Camaro Pure Stock division, Shane Hausman returned and won the Hobby Stock season opener ahead of second generation racer Raul Rodriguez Jr. and the rapidly improving Ryan Hart. The Hobbys delivered 12 cars for the opener, while Four Bangers produced a similar car count. The driver taking the win in that race was Watsonville racer Dan McCabe. I do recall a Dan McCabe racing Stock Cars at San Jose Speedway in the 1980's, but I'm not sure if there is a relation.

Wrapping up, the Sport Mod buzz continues to get louder as drivers push for this class in more venues. Chowchilla Speedway had seven cars at their most recent race and now have seen ten different cars compete. This means double digit cars counts are possible, and if that starts happening, you have to wonder if Antioch or even Petaluma might get on board. Drivers fighting for the cause should also consider that John Soares Jr. now runs both Antioch and Merced, and he will be paying attention to the numbers. The reason Petaluma comes into the debate is former Mini Stock racer Ford Cook, who intends to debut a Sport Mod legal car in the Dirt Modified field at Petaluma in early August.

So, Round #2 of racing comes to Merced Sunday, July 25th. Promoter John Soares Jr. is starting to hear something he used to hear in his early days as the man in charge at Antioch, praise from the racing community. I'll add to that, because he and his entire crew did an amazing job getting Merced up and running on the old quarter-mile clay oval in just a couple month's time. Sure, there's work to be done, but who would have thought things would have gotten this far so quickly?

Mike Cecil Memorial Race Friday Night

Ocean Speedway is not likely to jump on the bandwagon for the Sport Mod class, but for good reason. Set aside how strong some of the divisions are there, the IMCA Modifieds are still solid and likely to produce another B Main Friday night. The IMCA sanctioning is working well for them as they do get visitors from other tracks, and their drivers go to places like Santa Maria, Victorbville, Bakersfield and Ventura for IMCA points.

On Friday night, the IMCA Modifieds will run a 50 lap race in honor of Mike Cecil. Cecil was a second generation racer who had big shoes to fill as his father Jerry Cecil was a past Sportsman champion and won more Sportsman features at the track than anybody. But, Mike did make a name for himself, winning a Street Stock championship and winning the big 100 lap race the track had for that division twice. Fact was, Mike loved the 100 lap race, and it was something he looked forward top every year.

He also became one of the track's more popular and respected drivers, and his passing in 1997 hit a lot of people hard. Track management at the time renamed the 100 lap race the Mike Cecil Memorial Race in his honor. The event continues to be a "must race" for the all of the racers, and a race that everybody wants to win. Yes, there will be points in a hotly contested championship battle and extra money, but just winning this one is a career highlight for anybody.

Less than 40 points separate point leader Brian Cass, defending champion Kenny Nott Jr., Victorville point leader Larry Hood, Michael Dalton and Cody Burke. The pits are likely to be filled with cars, causing the need for a B Main, and that means these five drivers will need to bring their A Game to this one.

Also on tap Friday at Ocean Speedway will be the Ocean Late Models, Dwarf Cars, American Stocks and Four Bangers. These divisions all put on a good show, so this would be the perfect time to check out a race at Ocean Speedway in Watsonville.

Dirt Mods At Placerville

Up north, Placerville will be racing Dirt Modifieds. The division is a regular class at Chico on Friday nights, where Randy McDaniel and Darin Ruley are having a good battle for the championship. McDaniel has won several championships in his career, but this would be Ruley's first in this division if he can make up the nine point deficit on McDaniel. The Placerville race is a special event, but most of the Chico regulars are anticipated for this race as well as a few visitors. Placerville used to have point racing for this division in the past, and Antioch Speedway Hall Of Famer Darryl Shirk is one of the past champions there in this division. The Placerville race will pay $800 to win.

Placerville's headliner that night will be the Hunt Magneto Spec Sprint Series with a car count in the 20's anticipated as Sprint Car veterans Terry Schank Jr. and Billy Wallace battle for that championship. Also in action will be the Pure Stocks and Limited Late Models. The track had run what they called Pro Stocks for years, but switched over to a Limited Late Model rule set similar to that of Ocean Speedway. It's generally an 8-12 car show. The division has been booked several times at Chico, but drivers have been slow to support that effort there. In fact, a race for this Friday night has been canceled.

This will be a key we4ekend for the Hunt Magneto Spec Sprint Series as they will be a part of Chico's open wheel night that also includes 410 Sprints and ASCS Midgets. The track has booked the new ASCS Midget effort for several races this season, and the last race saw a season high eight cars show up with Rick Young collecting his first win.

Beat Misty For Me

On the Sprint Car Fan forum, somebody put up a bounty of $500 to anybody who could snap Misty Castleberry's win streak cleanly. Castleberry has dominated the action in the Mini Stock class at Marysville with nine feature victories. The Mini Stocks were added to Saturday's Golden State Challenge 410 Sprint Car Series race to make up for a rain out. According to the track's recent press release, a tenth straight win for the current point leader and defending champion would be a new track record. So the question is, can anybody beat Misty Castleberry? And you thought the GSC Sprint Cars were the only reason to go see this race. It should be a good show at Marysville.

Orland Speedway Still Hanging In There

On the Sprint Car Fan forum, there's been some talk about Orland Speedway. Some people are even offering help, including one person who offered to donate new clay for the track if they could pay for it to be hauled. The track's Mini Trucks, Mini Stocks and Pure Stocks have made it for all the shows, though car count is a little less than hoped for. What is nice is that several drivers have been winners in all divisions this season. As an added feature to give the fans one more race to watch, the Trucks and Mini Stocks ran a combined feature last week. All feature winners last week picked up their first wins of the season, which hopefully will provide some incentive for other drivers to get out and race.

If you're keeping track, Ryan Compton (Hobby Stock), Richard Gale (Mini Truck) and Don Runkle (Mini Stock) collected the regularly scheduled feature victories, while Dan Webster won the combined Mini Stock/Truck race.

The track has been trying to keep the Mini 4 cylinder Modified division alive. This 4 Cylinder version of Dirt Modifieds had a good run in the last decade and even ran some races head to head with the group from Lakeport at one time. As the cars at Marysville are a little more modified than the Orland Mini Stocks, those drivers have run with the 4 Cylinder Modified class when they've visited with the track's Mini Stocks encouraged to run if they want to.

The division that has fallen on hard times in recent weeks in the Wingless Spec Sprint class. Over ten cars have competed this season, includimng eight on opening night, but it appears as if not enough cars have shown up to race the last two events. This, coincidentally enough, follows on the heels of Ralph Jacobo's departure as a track official. Whether this has anything to do with things is unknown to this writer, though two Jacobo cars had appeared at most of the events this season.

One fan of the division appeared appeared on the specsprint.com forum recently and pointed out that a five car field races for $250 to win in this division, hoping to stir up some support. I'm curious what that would be to start as most of these drivers would have to tow a good distance from out of town, and that is a factor in getting them to come. I've always appreciated how Orland was the first track to follow Antioch and start it's own class, and I envisioned a day when this effort could have been involved with any future multi track series, maybe even the Hunt Series. However, car count has to get back at least to where it was a few seasons ago.

This might be a good time for the track to call a meeting with the drivers at a local puzza parlor to discuss things going forward. I know the cars are still up there in this class, and this could help put things back on track. In fact, it might not be a bad idea to do this for all divisions in the interest of ending the season strong and building things up for next year.

At any rate, I'm hoping for the best for Orland. This is a neat little race track that gives fans and racers something fun to do on any given Saturday night. Racing resumes at Orland this week with all of the regular classes in action.

Chowchilla Speedway Resumes Saturday Night Racing

The show goes on at Chowchilla Speedway as Dirt Modifieds, Street Stocks, Hobby Stocks and Four Bangers, the back bone of the track's schedule, are all in action. The battle between Alex Stanford and Ryan Porter will likely continue in the Dirt Modifieds, but if these two slip up even a little bit, Andrew Krumm is right there to try and stake a claim on the point lead. These four divisions would be enoigh to put on a show as it is, but there's more.

The Vintage Supermodifieds will be in action as well. These cars will put people in mind of Supermodified racing from the 60's and 70's, and racers like Everett Edlund and LeRoy Van Connet are expected top be among a field of 10-12 cars. This show is sure to be a good one, and it's great to know that classes like the Sportsman division, the Hardtops and Supermodifieds are still around to give people a taste of what racing was like in the past.

Rivera Continues Climb Towards Antioch Point Lead

2010-07-19T19:18:00.000-07:00

The Dwarf Car division ran a show in conjunction with the Golden State Challenge Series Sprint Car race Saturday night at Antioch Speedway. Despite missing a race, five time champion Ricardo Rivera continues his climb towards the Dwarf Car point lead at a rapid pace. Rivera gained even more ground with his fifth feature victory of the season.

The Golden State Challenge Series Sprint Car feature event went to young Kyle Larson ahead of Brent Kaeding, Bobby McMahon, Ryan Kaplan and Evan Suggs. The 19 cars ran three heat races with wins going to Brent Bjork, Larson and Andy Gregg, while McMahon won the dash. Despite not winning a feature this season, 13 time series champion Kaeding holds a slim four point lead over Larson with three races remaining.

There were 16 Dwarf Cars in action, and they ran two heat races. Incoming point leader Nick Squatritto won his heat race with Tony Carmignani grabbing second from Rivera, who settled for third. Past champion Ed Johnson outdueled Tom Brown to win the second heat race.

Only 12 points separate Squatritto, Rivera and Jerry Doty in the track's closest point battle. Rivera continued his heat race battle with Carmignani in the Main Event, but this time, Rivera came out the victor. The top three finishers received plaques as top five ranked Clayton Dortzbach enjoyed one of his better nights in third. Doty kept in the championship battle with a fourth place finish as Dan Liston had one of his better nights in fifth. Completing the top ten were Joel Osias, Squatritto, Charlie Correia, Mike Corsaro and Chris Lloyd.

Regular championship racing resumes at Antioch Speedway next Saturday night with a five division show featuring Wingless Spec Sprints, Super Stocks, Mini Trucks, Four Bangers and BCRA Midget Lites.

New Feature Winners At Orland Speedway

2010-07-19T18:43:00.000-07:00

Racing resumed on the one-fifth mile clay oval at Orland Speedway Saturday night. When the checkered flag flew on the Main Events, it was Brian Compton (Hobby Stock), Richard Gale (Mini Truck) and Don Runkle (Mini Stock) collecting the victories. After the Mini Stock and Mini Trucks ran, a combined feature was run with Dan Webster picking up the win in that race. All four drivers collected their first feature wins of the season.

Brian Compton has had a fast car lately and won a Pure Stock Trophy Dash not too many weeks ago. In the heat race, Compton finished second to Earl Adams. Adams was looking for a win after placing second in last week's feature, but it was Compton grabbing his first win of the season, forcing Adams to again settle for second. A #3 car(possibly Bob Bennett?) was third ahead of a #4 car (driver's name not abailable). Last week's winner, Rich Hood, ended up fifth.

In Mini Truck action, Tyler Pebley was looking to repeat his feature winning performance of last week and got things started off with a heat race win ahead of Ross Vige. However, the Main Event produced another new winner as Richard Gale held off Pebley for the win. Vige brought it home third ahead of Dan Webster, Wendy Miller and Steven Woods.

A feature winner earlier this year, Eric Hammond won the Mini Stock heat race ahead of Don Runkle. Runkle is a heat winner this year and has finished as high as second in the Main Event, but he finally grabbed a feature win on this night ahead of Preston Irvin, Jess Garland and Hammond.

The track gave all of the Mini Trucks and Mini Stocks a chance to race in a combined Main Event, but though all of the trucks chose to compete, only Runkle entered from the Mini Stocks. Like Runkle, Dan Webster has won a heat race and finished as high as second in the Main Event, but Webster would collect the victory in this special feature with Runkle wrapping up a good night in second. Gale finished third ahead of Vige, Miller, Pebley and Woods.

Wingless Spec Sprints were on the card, but it appears as if nobody came out to race. For next Saturday, the track hosts Wingless Spec Sprints, Mini Stocks, Mini Trucks, 4 Cylinder Modifieds and Hobby Stocks.