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Pit Stops - Jefferson Edition
The show went on last weekend at Southern Oregon Speedway, and it was a busy two nights at that. On Friday night, there was Outlaw Kart action on the smaller 1/8 mile oval next to the big track. On Saturday night, it was a six division show on the big track. The headliners were the Pennzoil Winged Sprint Cars, and car count increased as we saw a few faces we haven't seen all year.
The kids were out there doing a fabulous job of racing on a 1/8 mile track on Friday. Of interest to this reporter is the Pee Wee's, or Beginner Box Stock division. These kids are 5 to 8 years old and just getting started in racing. In fact, two of the Karts that were there for the kids never went onto the race track as the little ones were just a little bit scared.
If I might editorialize just a little bit, I certainly understand the fear these kids have. When I was that age, I don't think you could get me into one of these Karts. Heck, I had a fear of moving up here and I'm old now. If I were to talk to these kids, the one thing I would say is go as fast as you want to go, and just take it to a checkered flag. It doesn't matter if you win or lose, it just matters that you have fun and you tried.
The reality is it's very intimidating. We had two other kids come out there racing for the very first time. A young man by the name of Carl Holt, who is the fourth generation of racer in his family, was definitely very nervous, but he had his grandfather out there helping him every step of the way. Carl went out there and made his laps in is his heat race, but his motor gave up on him.
Another young man by the name of Roger Whipple even got his own nickname. He's Roger Dodger. Roger was doing exactly what we just mentioned here. He was going around at his own pace, and he took the checkered flag in every race. His family and friends who came to cheer him on were very supportive. And you know, every time Roger gets behind the wheel of his red #77 Kart, he'll get a little bit faster.
Kiley Grimes was back again for her second start. Her brother Trevor is tearing at the speedway as the reigning Box Stock champion and current point leader. Kiley is just getting comfortable behind the wheel, and her father revealed that he took her out to a Kart track, the ones that have the miniature golf courses, and let her loose. Gradually, she's come from being somebody who didn't want to run to somebody who can't wait race.
That is really the point of the Beginner Box class. You teach the kids to get behind the wheel and be comfortable. You teach them the basics of how they handle their Karts and what the flags mean and all of that. As they get all of that down, the Box Stock division awaits them. A young lady by the name of Shailene Horn carried a little bit more experience than the others with a few more starts, and she won the heat races and the Main Event. All of these kids did a good job just getting out there and racing.
In the Box Stock division, Trevor Grimes showed no signs of slowing down. He came into the season as the reigning champion, and he opened the season with two heat wins and a win in the Main Event. In the most recent race, he did it again. Trevor had a brief challenge in his heat race from Loveah Price, but other than that, it was smooth sailing ahead for the #100 Kart in his three events.
Emma Rodgers was back behind the wheel of her #49 Kart and drove a really good race to get a second place finish. Emma was following up on her Top 5 performance from the season opener, and she could be the driver who beat Trevor next time. Another driver just doing good to get his Kart back on the track was Devin Felix. The crew had lots of work to do on the Kart as he missed the second heat race. After starting the Main Event in last, he charged up to a third place finish. Not a bad night, all things considered.
There were about a dozen absentees from the season opener to this race, but the interesting thing was there were about a dozen new Karts that showed up. One of the teams that was absent was the driver who won the 500 and 250 Main Events at the opener, Tanner Holmes. The young man who chased him across the line in the Main Event for the 250's, Brenden Bartlett, looked like he was going to pick up where Tanner left off.
Brandon took his #25 Kart to the Winner's Circle in both of his heat races. Unfortunately, he spun out early in the Main Event while chasing early leader Braden Cory. While Brendan was working his way back to the front, Cory led, but he had an impressive challenge from Bodee Weiser. Weiser had won his second heat race earlier in the evening, and he waited until about seven laps to go to make his move with a low pass through Turns 1 and 2.
In fact, the Weiser boys were well accounted for as Bodee picked up the feature win ahead of the hard charging Bartlett, while Braden Weiser ended up third. Bartlett did an amazing job of rebounding from his earlier spin for that second place finish, and Bodee didn't let the yellow flag that negated his first pass for the lead keep him from doing it again. The 250 Karts were putting on a heck of a show, and a highlight of the program so far seems to be the 250 Karts and the Box Stocks.
The 500 Karts had a completely new field from the season opener, and among the Karts was the #1w Kart of Mike Wheeler. From the Wheeler Team comes word that we will be having a Vern Wheeler Sr. Memorial Outlaw Kart race on July 29th. Mike Wheeler is the one making this thing happen. On the track on Friday night, the only thing Wheeler was making happen was a hurting on the rest of his competition. He won the heat races and Main Event in dominant fashion, and it really would have been nice to have a stop watch on that Kart to see how fast he was going. He was flying.
Brody Sim was at the 250 division opener, and he brought both of his Karts to this race. He decided to run his 500. Unfortunately, he ended up having mechanical issues and falling out late in the race to finish third. Second place went to another Kart veteran, Stephanie Crisp.
After two events, we have seen over 40 Karts compete on the small track, and it is hoped that the Kart count number will increase when round #3 for the Karts takes place on July 8th.
In the Pennzoil Winged Sprint Cars on the big track a night later, Jake Wheeler has held command since his father Vern Wheeler Jr retired. There seemed to be no sign of change as Jake won the Trophy Dash over Wayne Kniffen to start things off and then held off Cottage Grove Speedway Limited Sprint point leader David Hibbard to win his heat race. And yes, one of the signs of growth in this division was the second heat race, which was won by young Jeffrey Hudson ahead of Jeremy Lowe, who was making his season debut.
There are obviously many ideas on how to get the Sprint Car count built up at Southern Oregon Speedway. The big reason management went with the open rules was because it wasn't really known how many 360's would show up versus Limited Sprints. Even 410's were included in the rules, though it wasn't really expected that any of them would show up. There is a small contingent of Limited Sprint drivers who would love to have a shot at the speedway, and on that list are the father and son team of David Hibbard and Bailey Hibbard.
David believes that the Sprint Car effort can grow at the track with the Limited Sprint Car division. In fact, there was word that a race or two could possibly be put together before the year is up for the Limited Sprint class. David is one of the people helping put this together, and perhaps we will have some announcements to make in the weeks ahead. On Saturday night, eight racers came to support the Sprint Cars.
During the last 28 races held at the track, David Hibbard had three Main Event wins, so he knows the fast way around 3/10 mile oval. When the Man Event came up, he moved quickly behind Wheeler. David ran a patient race and looked for a line low and high around Wheeler before making his move on the inside through turns 1 and 2 on lap 23. Once he got by, he knew he had him. Wheeler made a desperation dive through Turn 3, only to push too high and lose the lead back to him. It was The Limited Sprint of D. Hibbard getting the win just ahead of point leader Wheeler.
After missing the last race, 2015 Pro Stock champion Jeffrey Hudson was back. Hudson won his heat race, and he looked as smooth as ever in driving to a solid third place feature finish. At 15 years old, this kid shows the ability to handle his Sprint Car. As he gets more seat time in the #L88 car, he will be a factor in the race for victory. Hudson was never really threatened by fourth place finish Bailey Hibbard.
Bailey had a good battle with Jeremy Lowe and Bill Hopper throughout the first half of the race before over heating issues sidelined Hopper again. Hibbard would go on to take the fourth place finish with Lowe collecting a fifth. The bigger field showed progress for the Sprint Cars at Southern Oregon Speedway. It's at least some encouragement for management to actually want to keep this thing going. The Speedweek race is on July 9th, and a big field is anticipated for that one. The next regular show for this class will be on July 30th, and it will be interesting to see who shows for that.
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Meanwhile, the Super 4 car count increased as Terry Hadley and Krista Hadley finally made their return to the speedway and Charlie Eaton also made his season debut. Unfortunately, season opening winner Steve Thompson had motor problems in hot laps and was done early in the evening. Still, the fans got treated to a pretty good show from the drivers in attendance.
A race earlier, Lee Doty had motor problems earlier that night sideline him before the Main Event. Doty won the Main Event in this division's one appearance in 2015. During the break, he went back to a motor that actually caught fire on him about 8 years ago. He tore the motor completely apart and put it back together again in the hopes that this motor would be better than what he had. It had served him well before. The motor he ran at the previous race wasn't done, so he swapped it out with the motor in Bill Spencer's car. Spencer is wheeling a former Joe Guider race car.
Doty brings lots of enthusiasm with him, and he needed it after hitting the wall in the heat race. Remarkably, everybody got together and had his red, white and blue #7 car back together for the Main Event. To that point, 2013 champion John Barger was on a roll with Trophy Dash and heat race victories. Barger had charged out to a straightaway advantage by the time Doty came from sixth starting to second in the Main Eevent. Doty gained little by little on Barger until making his winning pass just past the halfway point of the race. Doty scored a satisfying victory considering all that he'd been through to get there. Barger settled for second, and Krista Hadley did a really good job in finishing third.
The Hornet drivers took advantage of the race being added to the schedule. At this point, these evenly matched cars are having a good championship battle involving Darrel Nelson Jr., John Hoult and Tim Hedges. Only a few points separated these drivers going into the night. Only Hoult was without a win, and he did something about that by winning his heat race earlier in the night. Unfortunately, he blew a tire in the Main Event. Joby Shields, who won the Main Event last time out, captured the Trophy Dash.
If not for a flat tire, Nelson might have won three in a row. Hedges charged out to the early Main Event lead, but again he started to fade as Nelson made his winning move on lap 7. Nelson brought it home to victory, and Shields actually slipped past Hedges for a second place finish. Hedges is clinging to a slim lead over Nelson, but he knows he'll need to start winning some Main Events or Nelson will surely get him.
While the Hornets are in the growing process, a dozen Mini Stocks showed up to compete. It was a bit of a surprise to see the #67 car towing into the pits. One might have expected David Steele to be in Yreka as he is the reigning champion, but he decided he had so much fun racing with Bob Burkett in his victory last time out that he wanted more of that. Right now, Steel, Burkett and Gary Anderson are head and shoulders over the pack with their experience, and Steele and Burkett carry a big experience advantage over everybody else.
Burkett continued to roll by winning the Trophy Dash to start the night off. Anderson was just trying to erase the memory of his hot lap crash from the week before, and he got a heat race win over Burkett. He was leading the Main Event until surrendering the spot to Burkett around the halfway point the race. What began after that was a very close three car battle between Burkett, Anderson and Steele. Steele managed to get by Burkett at the white flag, but he nearly spun in Turn 2 to fall back to third. Burkett grabbed win #3 ahead of Anderson and Steele, and thus far Burkett has finished no lower than second in the Main Event as he races for his first career track championship.
It was a lot of work for Anderson to get his camouflage #0 car back to the race track after his hot lap crash a week earlier, and though he was disappointed to lose the victory to Burkett, he was happy to get the second place finish and drive the car back up on the trailer. It's unknown whether Steele will be there again when the division returns on July 9th, but if he's there, these three drivers are certainly capable of putting on an entertaining show for the fans.
Teammates Kristopher Mix and Andrew Hall, in his Pinto Wagon, had a great battle going for a heat race win. Mix got the win as Hall overheated in the last turn. These two continued a good battle for fourth in the most recent Main Event. Unfortunately, Mix got a flat tire and had to pit, while Hall had problems and got a rare DNF. This opened the door for 14 year old sensation Marissa Henson to battle with Eric Hanson for fourth. Hanson seems to have broken out of his bad luck stage, but teammate Mike Cloud is having nothing but problems as the #9c car was stuck in the pits as the Main Event rolled on.
It was young Henson finally making the pass on Hanson for a fourth place finish, which will put her up into second in the standings in a tight three car race between she, Anderson and Hall. Mix isn't too far back in 5th. Unfortunately for Hansen, his two non starts at the beginning of the season have left him far behind, but he has managed to get up to sixth in the standings. More importantly, Eric is certainly a driver you have to consider as a potential Main Event winner. His car is running better, and he will get faster as the season goes on.
Three rookies in the field have been making things interesting as Devon Weiser, Dillen Lausen and Mikey Johnson continue to race. Johnson was all smiles when talking about the fact that he led his first heat race lap the week before. The 14 year old ran a steady race and took the checkered flag in eighth last time. Lausen, unfortunately, didn't finish, but Weiser continues to look good as he took a lead lap checkered flag in 7th behind Mix. When you talk about drivers who could win, you have to consider both Weiser and Mix. Mix seems a bit closer to that mark, but Weiser has a good car. As he gets more comfortable behind the wheel, you need to keep an eye on the #2d car.
You are not going to find a more enthusiastic group of racers than the Old Time Racers of Oregon and their beautiful Hardtops. President Vic Bridges, who owns the #63 Hardtop along with his wife Louise, led eight competitors to the speedway. These drivers are perhaps a little bit more used to racing on the pavement of Roseburg, but they're all willing to do it on the dirt with their slick tires. These Coupe and Sedan bodied race cars are really nice to look at up close, and the drivers have put on a good show in their two appearances so far.
Trevor Thomason did another great job of driving for Bridges as he swept the heat race, Trophy Dash and Main Event. Bridges didn't want to make it easy on his driver, so when he saw the lineup that would put Trevor on the pole for the Main Event, he tore up the sheet and put him at the back of the pack. He said he wanted to put on a show for the fans. Bill Trotter owns a pair of race cars in the group, and the one that he's driving led for a few laps before Thomason went by. Trotter was doing a good job in his beautiful #46 car, but it was Winnemucca, Nevada visitor Rhett Lang getting by him after spinning out during the race. Lang finished second ahead of Trotter. Brian Crouch finished fourth, and Gary Barber, who is still trying to sell his #42 car, finished fifth.
The Hardtops will be back for more racing at the end of July. There has been some question about whether they would run after the second race, but Bridges and the drivers are enjoying their time at the speedway and are a welcome addition any night they are on the schedule.
The IMCA Sport Modifieds have been very busy in recent weeks as they have been a regular part of the program. The division is doing better this year then they have in the previous four seasons, and the competition level is tougher than ever. Though Jorddon Braaton remains the driver to beat, he is not dominating the way he did last year. The road to victory still goes through him.
In the Trophy Dash last week, Willie McFall impressed as he scored the victory ahead of Braaten. The Main Event was an intense battle up front as Braaten worked his way from the last row to battle Bob Nelsen for the lead. Nelsen was driving a brilliant race up front, but Jordan made an early pass to claim second. When he took the lead with four laps remaining, people may have thought that this race would go to him, but Nelsen had other ideas. Bob was working the outside groove, and he regained the lead from Jordan one lap later. The last lap effort from Braaten came up short as Nelsen became the fourth different feature winner this year. Braaten protected his point lead with a second place finish.
Several drivers are jockeying for position to be the next winner, and it seems as if rookie David Marble may be leading that charge. The 2015 Mini Stock champion battled reigning IMCA State champion Mike Medel and Glen Severson before collecting his third place finish. Not a bad comeback for Marble, who had a second place run in the previous race before a broken ball joint sidelined him. Any of these three drivers could be in line for a Main Event win this week.
The competition level could be up slightly with a visitor or two coming in from California, including Yreka title contender Jimmy Lipke and Marysville long tow Jimmy Ford. Add in two time champion Dwayne Melvin, rookie A.J. Parker and Tony Bartell, and the Sport Mods should put on a good show on Monday, July 4th.
Fireworks won't be the only attraction on July 4th. Joining the IMCA Sport Modifieds on a competitive card will be the Southern Oregon Dwarf Cars and the Valley Boys Auto Sales Outlaw Pro Stocks. Between the three divisions, the racing on the 3/10th mile clay oval should be exciting to watch.
The Southern Oregon Dwarf Cars joined their friends from up North, the Pacific Hardtop Racing Association, for a two day event in Coos Bay last weekend. These drivers always come fast and prepared, and Camden Robustelli made a big showing. It started with his win on Friday night ahead of point leader Kalvin Morton, and it continued as he finished second to recent Medford winner Brock Peters on Saturday. Two time reigning champion Josh King rounded out the top three for the Southern Oregon sweep of the podium on Saturday.
After his problem with the blown fuse about a month ago in Medford, Peters has hit his stride. He now has two wins in his last three starts and could very well be the driver to beat this Monday. However, point leader Morton is going to be fast along with King. These three drivers will make the rest of the pack wonder if there's a chance for anybody else to win, but there most certainly is. Robustelli proved that with his Friday win at Coos Bay.
Two drivers at the top of that list are 2014 point runner up Ryan Smith and Rob Gergel. Smith ran strong at the most recent Medford race and just beat King back to the line for a second place finish. He also finished third in the Coos Bay race on Friday. Gergel was second in the standings with consistent Top 5 finishes going into the recent Medford race, but he missed the races that night. He should be back there this week to compete along with Cody Peters, Randy Slater, Jerry Hauck, Don Gifford and the always fast Chad Cardoza.
Speaking of always fast, when it comes to the Valley Boys Auto Sales Outlaw Pro Stocks, you don't get any faster than Steve Borror. The current point leader has won four of the five races held so far, and the only driver keeping pace with him so far is past NASCAR West racer Rocky Nash. Nash snapped the Borror three race win streak at the most recent Medford race with an impressive drive up front, but he was chasing Borror across the finish line in second at the Yreka race the next week. With drivers as fast as these two, getting the win in Monday's Fourth of July celebration event will not be easy for the rest of the pack.
If there is a driver up to the challenge, it could be past Warden Speedway champion Scott Flowers. Flowers currently ranks second in the standings, a position he has held for the past two seasons. He picked up a fourth place finish in Yreka, which follows the third he got at Medford the week after spinning earlier in the race.
John David Duffie should be wheeling the Arlen Heath owned car this Monday. Last time he was at Medford, John picked up a second place finish in a very impressive drive. He could be a driver to watch in the battle for victory, and other drivers to keep an eye on include two time series champion Ken Irving, Rick Lukens, Scott Bennett, Tom Hackworth, James Flowers, sister Julia Glowers, Tyler Lockwood and Johnny Cobb.
The Pro Stocks will be back in Yreka on July 22nd and 23rd for the annual Billy Geyer Memorial Race. This event will pay $2,500 to the winner of Saturday's race and is expected to draw a few drivers in from the California Bay Area. There is a possibility that a few drivers may head to Hayfork Speedway for the increased purse being offered there on July 9th. The only caveat with that race is that 10 cars are needed to make the field, and Hayfork only has three. If the Valley Boys Auto Sales Outlaw Pro Stock guys come up in force for the race, this will not be an issue. It remains to be seen what will happen.
In the meantime, the Siskiyou Motorsports Association has put together an increased purse for the big race in Yreka and given it to the O'Reilly Auto Parts IMCA Sport Modified division on Sunday, July 3rd. The show will feature a Fireworks Display, and will have a 40 lap Main Event for $550 to win for the Sport Modifieds. The McDonald's Mini Stocks, Southern Oregon Dwarf Cars and the IMCA Modifieds will also be competing.
Last Saturday's event was the tune up for the longer distance extra money affair, and Doug Franklin scored the victory in that race. Yreka actually crowned two champions in the Sport Modified division last year, one being the IMCA sanctioned champion Colter Boswell, and the other being the local racing association champion, Franklin. It wasn't an easy win for Franklin as young up and comer Colton Cheffey and Jimmy Lipke were a close second and third.
Lipke kept the pressure on point leader Garrett Hamilton with his finish, but Hamilton didn't lose much ground as he scored a fifth place finish behind Boswell. Boswell is not seeking a repeat championship this year, but he is certainly a factor in the race to win when he shows up. He could be the one to bring home the big bucks on Sunday, though it is likely that there will be some out of town talent coming to town for a shot at the money.
The local Sport Mod contingent should be well represented as Chris Jorgensen, Jack Walden Jr., Randy Wright, D.J. Bottoms and David Henshaw should be there. Trevor Tiffee was back in action after getting a concussion in his previous start. He was happy to take a lead lap checkered flag in seventh last Saturday.
The IMCA Modifieds were are on the schedule last weekend and are booked on Sunday as well, but Yreka officials aren't really sure who might show up to race. As it so happened, there were a half a dozen Modified racers to come out and put on a show for the fans. This included past Susanville champion Chris Olexiewicz and second generation racer Ray Kniffen Jr., who was able to deny Olexiewicz a clean sweep with his Trophy Dash victory. However, Chris took the checkered in the heat race and Main Event ahead of the pack. His Advantage wasn't too comfortable as Kniffen and past Yreka champion Lenny Toolanen were a close second and third. Duane Orsburn was back and finishing forth. He could rise up the point ladder rather quickly should he continue to race.
In the McDonald's Mini Stocks, we've been saying in recent weeks that 2014 champion Mike Whitaker was bound to turn his terrible luck around. Well, it finally happened last Saturday as "Magic Mike" scored the victory ahead of the truck of Ethan Killingsworth. Mike hadn't even had a Top 3 finish up until that point, but now that he has things sorted out, it's likely you could see him in the Winner's Circle again soon.
Reigning champion David Steele surprised everybody by skipping out on this race to race at Southern Oregon Speedway, and that handed third to Killingsworth in the standings. Young Ethan is very much in the title chase, and he is due for a win himself in his fast Mini Truck. At the moment, Terry Kendrick holds a slim advantage over three time winner Marilyn Yannick, and this is a battle that could go down all the way to the final race of the season.
With Southern Oregon not running Mini Stocks this weekend, it's just possible that a few drivers could show up on Sunday. Steele could be back in action, and other locals such as Dennis Jorgensen, Mike Colson and Mike Frost could also be in the field. Sunday should be a great show at Yreka. The hardcore racing fans will note that Yreka and Southern Oregon are running races on Sunday and Monday and take the opportunity to enjoy some great racing at both venues.
Orland Raceway is gearing up for a Saturday night program. It will be their fourth event of the season as Rich Hood and his crew continue to reestablish the racing program. Their numbers aren't huge right now, but the drivers competing continue to give the fans a show. The track continues to offer up Mini Trucks, Mini Stocks, Hobby Stocks and Micro 250's and 600's.
Jeremy Langenderfer became the third different Hobby Stock winner, but with two seconds and a first so far, Steve Martin should be the point leader when a point list is released. Chris Bennett, Earl Adams and Mel Byers we're also in action last Saturday to round out the top five at the checkered flag.
The Mini Truck division saw Olin Crane pick up both the heat race and Main Event victory. The win was his second feature triumph, and it came ahead of division mainstay Dan Webster, who is the other Main Event winner this year. Tony Peffer made the trip from the Merced area and grabbed a third place finish in his truck. The Mini Trucks have at least a dozen vehicles in the area, so count should get stronger in the weeks ahead.
The Mini Stock division actually saw an increased field and the winning streak for Tom Davis snapped at two. A past champion in the division, Davis had to chase Donovan Chilton across the line as Chilton impressed with his win. Jeff Bennett drove the #23 Olin Crane car to a third place finish. With hard chargers like Robert Hunt, Jeff Pendergrass and past champion John Kirkpatrick in the field, the Mini Stocks put on a good show on Saturday and should do so again this Saturday.
As the track continues to grow a 600 and 250 car count, the two groups have been running together this year. That meant seven cars on the track last Saturday as Skyler Richter picked up the 600 win and Andrew Love got the 250 victory. Track management continues to use these two classes to keep an open wheel presence at the track since the Wingless Sprint Car division is no longer a part of the program.
Further north in Hayfork at the Trinity County Fairgrounds, they are attempting to run a big program on July 9th, complete with a fireworks display. Any division that produces 10 cars will get a purse of $500 to win, $300 for second and $200 for third. It is likely that Ross Vige will bring his truck up from the Orland area to be a part of the Mini Stock action. He has been winning everything in sight so far. No word on who might follow him from Orland for this race or which Orland Hobby Stock drivers might be daring enough to come up for the show. If they go, they will be greeted by the Kasper family as both Bill Kasper and Kevin Kasper are feature winners, Kevin most recently. Russ Newman is looking for his first win.
Josh Smith and Tressan Smith are two of the drivers trying to establish a Pro Stock presence in Hayfork. Josh has been active on social media trying to recruit some of the Pro Stock drivers from Southern Oregon. No word on whether that will happen or not, but it could be an exciting show at Hayfork should the drivers make the tow.
In other Jefferson Racing News, Placerville Speedway returned to action with another four division program at the El Dorado County Fairgrounds facility. In the Thompson Auto Group 360 Sprint Car Main Event, Kirt Organ picked up the win last Saturday ahead of Michael Kofoid, Greg DeCaires, Chico point leader Sean Becker and Andy Forsberg. In the DOMCO Plumbing Limited Late Model feature, Ryan McDaniel got the win ahead of Matt Micheli and Antioch area competitor Troy Foulger, who was subbing for Willie McMillan in the #29 car.
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In the Jay's Welding And Fabricating Pure Stock Main Event, Rick Grunert got the win ahead of Dan Smith and reigning champion Scott Grunert. The NorCal Dwarf Cars rounded out the show with the win going to Shawn Jones ahead of Michael "Spanky" Grenert and Buddy Olschowka.
Another South Jefferson dirt track racing last Saturday saw Cody Lamar win the 360 Sprint Car Main Event at Marysville Raceway ahead of Mike Monahan, Heath Hall and past champion Jeremy Burt. The IMCA Sport Modified race was an all Cooper affair up front as Brian held off brother Todd for the victory with two time Mini Stock champion Jimmy Ford finishing third in the strong 17 car field. Not to be left out of the Cooper fun, C.Y. Cooper won the Hobby Stock Main Event over Cameron Hammett and Shannon Collins. It was Wyatt Brown picking up the win in the Economy Sprint Main Event over Cameron Haney and Jeff Macedo, while Matt Beardslee won the Pro 4 Sprint race ahead of Jalen Deas and Kelley Hicks.
In central Jefferson, we can report finally that Diamond Mountain Speedway in Susanville did hold a race on Friday June 17th despite the rain outs that were happening all around them. The IMCA Modified race was Chris Neiman's race to win, and the American Valley Speedway in Quincy and Susanville point runnerup picked up that win up ahead of past Susanville champion Jeff Chew and Steve Bejeck. The Strictly Stock Main Event win went to reigning champion Richard Longacre ahead of Jason Emmett and Nathan Howard. The Mini Stock win went to reigning champion Kyle Belli ahead of past champion Larry Whitebird and Larry Foster.
Lakeport Speedway is gearing up for the Deake Lyndall Memorial race on July 2nd, but they ran last Saturday night with Raymond Taylor winning the Bandolero Main Event. A good field of Legend Cars saw Zach Frazer win their Main Event ahead of Bill Kistenmacher and Jaden Fisher in the 30 lap race. They also had Taco Bell Bombers, with the victory going to Bob Mook ahead of Roy Ingalls Jr. and Bradley Bracket. It was Elizabeth Ingalls winning the Jammer Main Event ahead of Danny Helms Sr. Jalopy results were not available at press time.
On the pavement of All American Speedway in Roseville, they had a Pacific Coast Series Late Model event on the card and a good field of competitors as Jason Romero picked up the 100 lap win over Jeremy Doss, Cole Moore, Tracy Bollin and Mike Beeler. The North State Challenge Series Modifieds competed with Jay Lindstrom winning ahead of Rick Anderson, Charlie Collins, Darrin Sullivan and Darrin Knight. There were 24 starters in that race. Not to be forgotten in the mix were the Pro 4 Modifieds, were Codi Barba won ahead of Marty Lewis and Neo Nuno in the 35 lap Main Event.
Last but not least was the Dwarf Car Challenge taking place at Coos Bay Speedway last weekend. The PHRA and SODCA Dwarf Car groups ran head to head with the Friday night Main Event win going to 2015 Point runnerup Camden Robustelli, point leader Kalvin Morton, Ryan Smith and two time reigning champion Josh King to make it a Southern Oregon sweep of the top four. The Saturday portion saw another Southern Oregon podium sweep with Brock Peters winning ahead of Robustelli and King.
The track's regular Sportsman division competed on both nights with point leader Wayne Butler winning the Friday night show ahead of Russ Blean and Jeff Krossman. Rookie Dylan Siewell was fourth in the 11 car field that saw Street Stocks running with the Sportsman class. The two divisions again ran together on Saturday night with Butler suffering a rare DNF as Steve Dubisar picked up the win over title contender Tom Williams and Justin Krossman. Point leader Daniel Land crossed the line fourth in his Street Stocker ahead of Jeff Krossman.
Ryder Johnson won the Friday night race ahead of John Henry and Jamie Daniels as the Mini Outlaws got their own race that night, while the Friday night Hornet race win went to point leader Jeremiah Rieber ahead of Tom Perry and Jeremy Beard. On Saturday night, they were we're back at it again, and the win went to Rob Lauver of the Mini Outlaws as the Hornets ran with them, but Rieber was again the leader of his group ahead of Ryan Siewell. Henry, a Mini Outlaw competitor, crossed the line in fourth as the final lead lap finisher. Jeremy Beard wrapped up the top five as one of the Hornet drivers.
There was a bit of excitement in the air for the local Sprint Car effort has Erin Lyons picked up her first Main Event win in a close battle with Dave May and Duke Johnson, who finished second and third. Scott Fox and Lawrence Van Hoof rounded out the Top 5.
For the two race weekend, Siskiyou Motor Speedway will get things started on July 3rd, which is a Sunday, as they have a Fireworks Spectacular. The O'Reilly Auto Parts IMCA Sport Modifieds will race for $550 to win in the 40 lap Main Event, with McDonald's Mini Stocks, Southern Oregon Dwarf Cars and IMCA Modifieds also on the card. The all new www.siskiyoumotorspeedway.com website will fill you in on the details.
On Monday, Southern Oregon Speedway will also have a Fireworks Spectacular. The Valley Boys Auto Sales Outlaw Pro Stocks return along with the Southern Oregon Dwarf Cars and the highly competitive IMCA Sport Modified division. A visit to www.southernoregonspeedway.com will let you know all of the details.
