Monday, January 16, 2017

Racers Come Out To Celebrate At Southern Oregon Speedway Banquet


Southern Oregon Speedway Racing Discussion
 <iframe frameborder="0" width="480" height="270" src="//www.dailymotion.com/embed/video/x58qi2o" allowfullscreen></iframe><br /><a href="http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x58qi2o_southern-oregon-speedway-racing-discussion-26_sport" target="_blank">Southern Oregon Speedway Racing Discussion 26</a> <i>by <a href="http://www.dailymotion.com/GenWhat" target="_blank">GenWhat</a></i>

Racers Come Out To Celebrate 
At Southern Oregon Speedway Banquet


 From left to right, Mini Stock stars Gary Anderson, champion Bob Burkett and Andrew Hall.

The racers and their families gathered for the 2016 Southern Oregon Speedway awards banquet Saturday night at Los Arcos Restaurant in Medford.  Champions were crowned in the track's seven regular divisions as the three other traveling groups have already held separate gatherings. 

Track announcer Bryce Burtner handled the host duties superbly.  The ceremony started with a brief state of the race track address by promoter Mike McCann.  McCann thanked all of the racers and track officials for making the 2016 season a success.  He mentioned there were no major rule changes, but some rules would be clarified.  He also indicated that all divisions would be back and a 2017 schedule would be forthcoming in the next couple weeks.




IMCA Modified "Rookie Of The Year" James Welshonse.


It was also again pointed out that IMCA sanctioning would return for Modifieds and Sport  Modifieds.  Modified champion Mark Wauge was not on hand due to attending his daughter's high school volleyball tournament in Eugene.  Runner up James Welshonse was there and left with a trophy and a "Rookie Of The Year" award.  Welshonse nearly won the championship in a thrilling season finale victory, but Wauge held on in part due to his wins in the first two races.

 IMCA Sport Modified champion Mike Medel.

Mike Medel won the championship in the IMCA Sport Modifieds and is looking forward to a title defense effort in his new car.  Two time champion Jorddon Braaten settled for third at the track and first in the state, but he is also planning to return to the class.  David Marble was on hand to receive his second place trophy and "Rookie Of The Year" award.  He is gearing up for his second season in the class and will also be getting married in May.

The IMCA Sport Modified drivers have become a close knit group, and the Medford racers will again be a part of the Pacific Sport Modified Series.  The series was won by Braaten last year.  At the banquet, eight of the drivers shared a group photo.  "It's a growing class with a lot of good drivers " said new champion Medel.  "It's becoming more competitive.  I'm looking forward to racing these guys next season."


Pennzoil Sprint Car "Rookie Of The Year" Jefferey Hudson.

There will be some adjustments to the Pennzoil Sprint Cars in an effort to boost car count, and several drivers have indicated they will support the class as it tries to keep the cost down.  Point runner up Jeffrey Hudson was on hand for his second place trophy and rookie award.  "We didn't have the horse power to keep up with the guys last year, " said Hudson, who won the Outlaw Pro Stock title at 14 years old two years ago.  "If they go to the Limited Sprint rules package, I'm gonna run for the championship."

Champion Jake Wheeler was away on business, but his father Vern Wheeler Jr. was there to accept trophies for he and his son.  Vern finished fifth in points and won twice.  Jake was a one time winner as was Hudson.  The move towards Limited Sprints has already attracted interest from such racers as David Hibbard, Bailey Hibbard, Tanner Holmes, Camden Robustelli and Merissa Henson.


Henson finished fifth in Mini Stock points and confirmed her Sprint Car plans when she received her trophy.  Another racing teen, Dillen Lausen, was seventh in points and the top Mini Stock rookie.  After four runner up seasons, Bob Burkett impressed with three feature wins and six dash wins on the way to his first championship.  Bob will be racing next season.  "I'm looking at racing two classes " said Burkett.  "We'll run the Mini Stock some, and it looks like we'll be running a Late Mode Light."


Late Model Lites champion Lee Doty.

Late Model Lites is the new name of the Super 4 class.  Lee Doty left little doubt who the champion was with five feature wins and three dash victories.  He beat 2013 champion John Barger and Charlie Eaton for the championship.  All three drivers will be back, and car count is expected to grow.

Late Model champion Bob Dees.


Late Models were represented by champion Bob Dees, who won his battle with Mike Linder.  Bob's sons John and Garrett Dees were also there to accept their trophies.  All four drivers are returning, and Late Models are expected to grow this season.


Not to be left out are the Hornets.  Most of the drivers from last year will be back.  Runner up Derrel Nelson Jr., a two time winner last year, will be putting his son Gabe in a car.  Four time winner Joby Shields claimed third in points and is coming back.  

From left to right, Hornets stars Joby Shields, Darrel Nelson Jr. and champion Tim Hedges.

Hornets champion Tim Hedges won by consistency and had a damaged motor for much of the season.  He didn't find that out until after the season.  He's coming back in a big way.  "I want to see this class grow " said Hedges.  "We're planning to field three cars next season.  We're even looking for a fourth car.  It's a lot of fun, and it's the most affordable class out there."

OTRO Hardtops and SBDCA Dwarf Cars have been confirmed for next season.  Like the Outlaw Pro Stocks, they held their celebrations elsewhere.  Hardtops didn't keep points, but Brock Peters beat Camden Robustelli by just one point for the Dwarf Car championship.  The impressive Steve Borror held off Scott Flowers for the Pro Stock title.  McCann announced at the start of the banquet that Pro Stocks were coming back under the track's own umbrella as Rogue Valley Pro Stocks next season.

The banquet room was filled up for what was an informal gathering.  The Outlaw Karts were not included due to races being held elsewhere.  However, another banquet will happen for them next month.  Scheduling and other information will be available via the www.southernoregonspeedway.com web site. 

Friday, January 13, 2017

2016 Southern Oregon Speedway Season Review


2016 Season Marked The Beginning Of A New Era 
At Southern Oregon Speedway

White City, Oregon...2016 was a year of change for Southern Oregon Speedway.  Mike McCann stepped in to become the new promoter as John Skinner stepped away after a 20 year run.  Recent seasons had seen the program struggle to gain momentum as car counts dropped.  McCann got off to a late start due to not signing the final paper work until March.  This left him about two months to get things in shape for racing.  The schedule had already been set.

Ten different divisions took their turns on the three-tenth mile dirt oval.  All of the divisions of the previous season were back, plus some new ones.  The goal was to assess the situation and give the fans the best show possible, while figuring out where things would go in 2017.  While the big track was in full swing, the Outlaw Kart track ran an abbreviated four race season.

On the list of champions were Mark Wauge (IMCA Modifieds), Mike Medel (IMCA Sport Modifieds), Jake Wheeler (Pennzoil Winged Sprint Cars), Bob Burkett (Mini Stocks), Lee Doty (Super 4's), Tim Hedges (Hornets) and Bob Dees (Late Models).  The champions of the two traveling groups were Brock Peters (SODCA Dwarf Cars) and Steve Borror (Valley Boys Auto Sales Outlaw Pro Stocks).  The OTRO Hardtops kept no points, though Trevor Thomason was clearly the big star of the field.  The Grimes siblings were champions on the Outlaw Kart track as Trevor Grimes (Box Stocks) and Kiley Grimes (Beginners Box Stocks) won titles along with Bodee Weiser (250 Karts) and Johnny Burke (500 Karts).  All in all, it was a good season with some exciting moments throughout.

The IMCA Modifieds had an interesting season. Counting the Preliminary Main Event of the Lon Skinner Memorial, there were eight different winners in nine races as the season ended with eight different winners in a row.  One of the biggest stars in Southern Oregon Speedway IMCA Modified history, Mark Wauge was a six time champion entering the season.  When he opened the season with back to back wins, Wauge seemingly established himself as the driver to beat.  He won the first race ahead of Matt Duste.  The next race saw him charge from the back of the pack to grab the lead on lap 20 and win the Roger Haudenshild Tribute Race.  Californian Darrell Hughes II finished second.

The next race saw car count take a severe hit, and Wauge was among the absentees.  Duane Orsburn and rookie James Welshonse battled for the lead in that race.  A restart allowed Orsburn to grab the lead from Welshonse and post his lone victory.  Two of the track's marquee events are the Wild West Shoot Out and the Lon Skinner Memorial.  The track is invaded by numerous hard charging visitors, making it a challenge for locals to even qualify for the Main Event.  Wauge made both events.  Welshonse and Orsburn did not make either feature, and that made the difference.  Orsburn actually loaded up early during the preliminaries of the Wild West Race in protest to the lineup procedures.

Despite all of that, there was drama in the season finale.  Wauge was going for the lead when he crashed with Scott Lenz, who piloted the Ray Kniffen  Jr. car.  Wauge's car was severely damaged, and he limped to the finish.  It just so happened that Welshonse had a "race of the year" moment in winning the race, and he just barely lost the championship to seven time champion Wauge.  Jesse Bailey finished second that night and was the only driver in nine races to earn three Top 3 finishes.

Orsburn just barely held off two time champion Albert Gill for third in points, while Bailey settled for fifth.  Like Orsburn, Gill had a feature win, and it was impressive.  Gill also won a Trophy Dash.  Bailey also had a dash win, but the Trophy Dash win leader was Welshonse with three.  Jeremy Richey had a dash win as did Monte Bischoff.  Bischoff followed up his second to Gill by holding of the persistent Kniffen to win a Main Event.  Richey held of Bobby Hogge IV to win the preliminary feature at the Lon Skinner Memorial.

The Wild West Series saw Kellen Chadwick pick up a second at Southern Oregon Speedway on his way to that series championship.  However, the feature win went to Ryan Scott Gaylord.  The $5000 Lon Skinner Memorial Race was the crown jewel of the season and seemed to be the night to shine for Hughes, who was holding off Hogge before traffic took him out.  The win went to Hogge for the fifth time as Jake Holland and Eric Ashley rounded out the Top 3.

Year #5 for the IMCA Sport Modifieds seemed to have a clear cut favorite for the championship in two time champion Jorddon Braaten.  Though reigning IMCA Oregon State champion Mike Medel and rookie David Marble kept it somewhat close early on, Braaten earned his four wins and seven Top 3 finishes in the first seven races.  He also had a knack for winning everywhere he went, making him the obvious Pacific Coast Sport Modified Series champion.  Jorddon built a nice lead in the IMCA Oregon State race.

It was in August when Braaten announced that he would be missing races to compete in the Boone, Iowa Nationals, thereby handing the Southern Oregon Speedway championship battle to Medel and Marble.  Medel had three second place finishes, two thirds and a pair of Trophy Dash wins.  He also held off rival Marble to win his first Main Event of the year at his home track.  Medel prevailed for the track championship.  Marble had a pair of seconds to close the season, one third and a division leading three Trophy Dash wins to wrap up a sold second place season as the top rookie.  Despite a wrist injury in Boone, Braaten competed in the season finale to hold off rookie A.J. Parker for third in the standings and also managed to hold off Medel for the IMCA Oregon State championship.  The consistent Willie McFall passed Jimmy Lipke at the end of the season for fifth in the standings, grabbing a Trophy Dash win along the way.

Bob Nelsen didn't race often, but he made an impact when he was there.  He had a third on opening night, and he won twice.  Nelsen's second win was at the first night of the Lon Skinner Memorial, but his first win came in a crowd pleasing duel with Braaten.  Chico and Marysville, California sibling competitors Todd and Brian Cooper had an impressive 1-2 finish at the Haudenshild Tribute race, while 2015 California IMCA champion Fred Ryland held off Braaten to win the Sport Mod portion of the Speedweek race.  2015 Marysville, California champion Howard Law held off Dwayne Melvin to win the second night of the Lon Skinner Memorial, and Melvin came back to end the season with a win over Medel.

Past Mini Stock champion Rich McCoy won an entertaining race ahead of Yreka champion Jimmy Lipke, who also had a pair of third place finishes and a dash win during the season.  14 year old California visitor Shane DeVolder had a second in his lone appearance.  Other notable season high finishes included third place finishes by David Henshaw, Doug Franklin, Alan Faruta and division newcomer Kalvin Morton.  While Marble led the Trophy Dash winner's list with three victories to the two wins for Medel, the loaded winner's list also included one win each for Lipke, Ryland, McFall, Braaten, Melvin and Law.

Southern Oregon hadn't had its own Sprint Car program with a track champion since Chadd Noland in 2010, but management set out to change that with the addition of the Pennzoil Winged Sprint Car Series.  Rules were set to allow any Sprint Car to compete with an eye towards the Winged 360 Sprint Car class.  However, there were obstacles thrown in the path of this effort, while scheduling conflicts effected the ability to attract Limited Sprints.  Despite the obstacles, the show went on as scheduled most of the time.

The Wheeler Racing Team defied the effort to kill this thing before it started and supported early on with two cars.  Vern Wheeler Jr. had won races in the past, and he kicked off the season with back to back wins ahead of his son Jake Wheeler.  It was anticipated that the third event might see car count double, but the first race of  June was a low point for the track all the way around.  Vern decided to retire and become crew chief for his son, two of the others bolted for a Limited Sprint race and count remained the same.  Jake picked up right where his father left off with his feature win ahead of a career best second for Wayne Kniffen.

Jake figured to win his second straight race, but past Limited Sprint champion David Hibbard surprised him with a late race pass to get the win.  The division hit a low mark that saw a race canceled after Wheeler loaded up rather than race Jeremy Lowe for the regular purse.  By that time, Wheeler seemed to be a lock for the championship.  The next scheduled race was canceled due to heat, and Jake skipped the next event.  That race was an emotional first career win for Aaron Miller over dash winner Rowdy McClennon,  Wheeler made the finale, though he pitted early.  That race was another first career win, this time for rising young star Jeffery Hudson over McClennon.

The track had a Sprint Car Speedweek race, and Trey Starks became only the second Washingtonian to win the series championship by winning the Main Event ahead of Mitchell Faccinto.  Jared Ridge won the dash.  David Hibbard lobbied for what was effectively an audition race for the Limited Sprint Cars and set up a three race series between three tracks with an overall championship.  After winning the dash and a heat race, David was running a close second behind heat winner Raquel Ivie when he blew a motor.  He watched from the infield as his son Bailey Hibbard made the pass on Ivie for his first career win. Cooper Desbiens was third as Kinzer Cox won the series championship.

While Jake Wheeler won the track championship, Hudson managed to lead the rookies and hold off Kniffen for second in standings.  Kniffen won his heat race and the dash that final night, but a brush with the back wall while running second cost him his chance at second in points.  Bill Hopper and Vern Wheeler Jr. rounded out the Top 5 in the final standings.  Other notable finishes included third place finishes for Camden Robustelli, past champion Charlie Thompson and Hudson, who had two of them.  Hudson was a two time heat winner, and Robustelli won a B Dash.  Jake Wheeler had two Trophy Dash wins to one for his father Vern, while McClennon, D. Hibbard, Kniffen and Ridge also won dashes.

The Mini Stock roster is changing with some young racers getting involved, but two long time racers and a Southern Oregon Speedway champion dominated the Main Event action.  Bob Burkett had raced for several seasons.  Though he had four second place seasons, he always managed to miss a race here or there to lose the championship.  Gary Anderson entered the sport as champion in 2014, and long time racer David Steele won his first championship in Yreka in 2015.  However, Steele missed three races.  The battle was between Burkett and Anderson.  Unfortunately, a hot lap crash with a rookie three races into the season pretty much wiped out Anderson's championship hopes.

Burkett won his three races in the first five events, and he also had for seconds and three thirds to go with an impressive six Trophy Dash wins.  Burkett only failed to get a Top 3 finish in the finale.  Anderson had two wins, two seconds and a third to go with his two Trophy Dash wins as he battled briefly with Andrew Hall for second before pulling away.  Hall needed to step up big time to win the thrilling three car battle with Steele and Merissa Henson for third in the standings.  Hall kicked off the season in his unique Pinto Wagon with back to back heat race wins.  However, he saved the best for last with two of his three second place finishes coming in the last two races.  He earned six more Top 5 finishes.  Despite the fact Steele had six wins, a second and a third in Main Event action, he lost third place by two points to Hall.

Henson surprised a few people with two third place finishes in the first three races in addition to six other Top 5's and also won a pair of Trophy Dashes.  This enabled her to finish a close fifth in points ahead of Kristopher Mix.  Mix had a heat race win and four Top 5 finishes.  With such dominant competitors in the field, getting a Top 3 finish was like a win for the younger drivers.  14 year old Yreka star Ethan Killingsworth had a second and three thirds in his Mini Truck.  Dillen Lausen had a noteworthy finale when he aced out Burkett for a third place finish, ending Burkett's season long Top 3 streak and earning him his second Top 5 finish.   Despite his hard luck season, Eric Hanson still managed a pair of fifth place finishes.

The effort to bring the Super 4 division back to the speedway gained momentum with the management change, and they were added to the schedule for seven races.  Lee Doty's disastrous start saw him blow a motor in the opener, followed by a bout with the wall in his heat race that nearly ended his night early.  Steve Thompson won the opener, but he blew a motor to end his season, allowing 2013 champion John Barger to become the early point leader.  Doty, meanwhile, won five of the last six races with a third in his other start, while also winning three Trophy Dashes.  With two seconds, a third and a dash win, Barker was unable to hold off Doty, who went on to win the championship.

Bill Spencer's third in the season opener helped keep him in the Top 3 in points for most of the season.  However, Charlie Eaton caught momentum in the last three races with two seconds and two dash wins enabling him to take third from Spencer in the final points.  Dan Prewitt had a win and a second to outrun Krista Hadley for fifth in points.  Krista had three third place finishes, while husband Terry Hadley had a second and a third.  Eric Aos had a season high second place finish and ended up eighth in points behind T. Hadley.

There were high hopes for the Hornet division entering their third season that a car count record would be reached as they actually began running for a purse like all of the other classes.  The schedule was even adjusted twice to make sure they still had a six race season.  A roster made up mainly of newcomers was led early by Derrel Nelson Jr..  Nelson had two wins and a third in his first four starts before his luck nose dived with motor problems in the final two races.  Consistency was the ticket for Tim Hedges as he scored four straight third place finishes before a season high second.  His second Trophy Dash win in the finale ensued that all Hedges needed to do was keep the struggling Nelson in his sights to win the championship.

After missing the season opener, Joby Shields dominated the show with four wins and a second to go with his two dash victories.  John Hoult was clinging to third in points after earning two seconds, a third and a dash win, but at an abysmal finale cost him third to Shields.  Shields won the finale ahead of Milt Carter and Hayfork Speedway visitor Andy Blackburn,   The final race was the second time of the season that the division  matched their car count record of six cars, giving some optimism that the numbers will go up in 2017.

Though billed as the Open Stock division, the new class was supported mainly by Late Model drivers with a pair of Pro Stocks.  Veteran Mike Linder opened with two wins over Bob Dees along with a Trophy Dash win.  Linder's handling sort of went away from him in the third event, while Dees finished third.  When Linder again struggled in the final race, Dees used his second and dash win to overtake Linder for the championship.

Two races into the effort, Late Model drivers began to take notice of the Medford effort.  Coos Bay champion Nathan Augustine won the third race by a wide margin after winning the dash.  Jeffrey Hudson turned in a noteworthy performance that night with a couple of late passes in the Rocky Nash owned Pro Stock to finish second.  A heat out in August seemed to hurt the momentum.  For the finale, Dustin Knight dominated his heat race and the Main Event, while B. Dees managed to stay on the lead lap in second.  Garrett Dees made his division debut in third while another Dees, John Dees, would finish third in the final point rundown.

The Valley Boys Auto Sales Outlaw Pro Stocks had seven races at Southern Oregon Speedway, and Steve Borror won three of them, while spinning out on the last lap after making an attempt to pass Rocky Nash for the win one night.  He also won three Trophy Dashes.  The highlight for champion Borror was his big win in the Roger Haudenshild Honors Race and Crack The Whip Challenge earlier that night.  After missing the first race, Nash had two wins, two seconds and two thirds as well as two dash wins.  Miles Deubert accounted for the other two feature wins.

Scott Flowers was runnerup in points for the third straight season.  He was leading the finale before breaking in Turn 2 late in the race.  Flowers had a season high second and two thirds, and he won a thrilling duel with Nash to win a Trophy Dash.  Matt Harlow had a third and then a second in the finale to hold off James Flowers for third in points.  J. Flowers also had a second and a third.  Other notable accomplishments include two time champion Ken Irving and John David Duffie's second place finishes and a third place finish in the in finale for John Bowers.  Pro Stocks have been a part of Southern Oregon Speedway since the track opened in 1996, and the Rogue Valley Pro Stocks will continue to be on the roster of divisions in 2017.

The SODCA Dwarf Cars had ten races and also hosted the WSDCA Nationals two day event.  Getting points posted on their official page was a rarity, but it was pretty much figured to be a battle between Brock Peters, Camden Robustelli and Kalvin Morton, who won every race in Yreka.  Unfortunately, Morton's season went from bad to worse after he flipped while dominating the July 4th race.  Peters won four times at Southern Oregon Speedway along with two seconds and a third, while winning three A Dashes.   Robustelli, meanwhile, had two wins and two thirds as well an A Dash win.  After throwaway finishes, Peters won his first championship by just one point over 2015 runnerup Robustelli.

Morton already had a foot out the door of the group with his late season IMCA Sport Modified debut.  He did have two seconds and two thirds as well as two A Dash wins for his third place point effort.  Cody Peters started to get faster and a bit more aggressive as the season went on.  Following his first and second place finishes in the Nationals Sportsman features, Cody had a second place finish and had a great run going in the finale before getting caught behind a slower car in the final turn.  Cody won the last two A Dashes and finished fourth in points, followed by Randy Slater.

Other feature wins went to two time champion Josh King three times and Chad Cardoza once.  Cardoza opened the season with back to back A Dash wins and also had a pair of second place finishes.  Cardoza also won the $1000 Fred Hay Dash For Cash to start the season.  Ryan Smith, Rob Gergel and Mason Lewman each had one third place finish.

The WSDCA National event saw the Pro division dominated by Californian Shawn Jones with wins on both evenings as well as the A Dash win.  Fellow Californian's David Teves and Gene Pires were second and third at the Friday event.  Pires was third on Saturday as well, but it was King making headlines by rebounding from a hard flip in practice that night.  King took the wheel of the Ryan Winter car and came from the back to second.  Eric Weisler won the Friday Veteran race ahead of A Dash winner Buddy Olshowka and Tim Fitzpatrick.  Fitzpatrick won on Saturday ahead of Kevin Miraglio and Scott Dahlgren.  It was Cody Peters winning the Sportsman race ahead of Ben Wiesz and Bud Lorenz on Friday.  The Saturday portion saw a flat tire derail A Dash winner Peters.  Wiesz won with Peters coming back for second ahead of Kyle Jones.

Rounding things out on the big track with five races were the OTRO Hardtops.  They ran for no points, though Trevor Thomason would have been champion had they done so.  Thomason won four of the five races, missing the other race due to prior commitments.  He also won a Trophy Dash.  Bill Trotter was Thomason's closest rival with a pair of seconds and a pair of thirds.  Trotter fielded two vehicles, with Chris Mehrer coming back from a spin to win the opening Trophy Dash.  However, a bout with the front wall in the heat race knocked the front end out from under the truck.

Subbing for Bill Trotter, who missed the same race as Thomason, Mark Minter won both the Main Event and dash that night.  Other notable finishes included two seconds for Nevada long tow Rhett Lang and a second for Jimmy Del Castille.  Gary Barber, Dean Cass and Wylie Powell each had a third place finish.  Powell's finish came in the finale that saw winner Thomson and Trotter run close.  Powell was set to start the dash, but problems in the Dusty Trotter owned car saw him jump into Bill Trotter's car and win with it.    Five different drivers won the five dashes.

Because of the late start and the effort to get things sorted out on the bigger track, the Outlaw Kart track had a modest eight race schedule.  However, three races were rained out and one was called due to excessive heat.  None of the races were made up.  The 500 and 250 Karts, Box Stocks and Beginners Box Stocks were all back. The lone 125 Kart ran with the 250's.  The track included Micro Sprints on the schedule to gauge interest, but no one appeared.

The 500 Karts opened with a competitive race that saw reigning 250 Kart champion Tanner Holmes win his first feature in that class ahead of Chase Hill.  Hill and Johnny Burke had a good battle through the first half before contact between the two ended Burke's race and left Hill with damage.  Kart legend Mike Wheeler made a surprise appearance at the next race and won ahead of Stephanie Crisp.

Wanting to pay tribute to his father, Mike organized the Vern Wheeler Sr. Memorial race and attracted the biggest field of the season.  Mike impressed with his victory ahead of Jesse Park and Hill.  With his two wins, Wheeler had the point lead.  However, Burke returned and finished second to Merissa Henson in all of the preliminaries and the Main Event at the season finale to win the championship.  Hill ended up third in the final points, while Holmes also had a fifth in the Vern Wheeler race to finish fourth in points.  Henson rounded out the Top 5 in the final standings.

Tanner Holmes did not attempt to repeat his championship in 250 Karts, but he won the feature in all three of his appearances.  The season championship belonged to Bodee Weiser, who did not fail to finish in the Top 3 with his one win, two seconds and a third.  Holmes' win in the season finale enabled him to pass Enrique Jaime for second in the final rundown.  Jaime had two fourths and two fifths in his four starts.

Braden Weiser wasn't far behind Jaime in fourth with a season high third place finish.  Brenden Bartlett had the look of a title contender after opening the season with a pair of seconds, but he missed a race and ended up fifth in the standings.  Maximus Mittry had a second place finish in his lone appearance, Carley Holmes had a season best third in the finale and Braden Cory had a fourth. Ashleigh Strain impressed with a fifth place finish and heat win on the same night.  Devon Felix made his division debut in the finale with a fourth place finish and a heat win.

Trevor Grimes was practically unbeatable in Box Stocks with three wins and a second.  However, it was past division champion Carley Holmes beating reigning champion Grimes the night he didn't win.  Grimes won the championship by a comfortable margin.  Emma Rodgers had a solid season in second in the standings.  Emma had a second two thirds and a fourth in her four starts.

On the heels of her Beginners Box Stock title in Roseburg, Natalie Richard moved up and finished second in the Box Stock standings.  Natalie had one second and two fifths and was a heat race winner at the final race.  Ryan Hisrschbock and Carley Holmes finished fourth and finish, respectively, in the final rundown.  Among the notable finishes were Brionna Fuller with a second and a third, Bryson Snow with a second and Devin Felix with a third.  Loveah Crice had a fourth place finish, while Isabella Jaime had a heat win and a fifth place finish.

The Beginners Box Stock division welcomed several new drivers and had three different winners in four races.  Kiley Grimes competed in all four races and improved with each start.  With one second, two thirds and a fifth place finish, Kiley secured the division championship.  Shailene Horn made her season debut at the second event with an impressive clean sweep victory.  After closing the season with back to back Top 5's, she easily held on for second in points.

Adrian Richard made his debut and finished third in points on the strength of a second and a fifth.  Yreka champion Taylor Fuller won the last two races in dominant fashion to finish fourth in points.  Jacob James opened the season with a clean sweep win and closed it with a second place finish to rank fifth in final points.  Daisy Gargurevich had a second place finish and two heat wins in her lone appearance, while Roger Whipple had a third and Malachi Johnson debuted with back to back third place finishes to close the season.

2016 Southern Oregon Speedway Points
IMCA Modifieds
Mark Wauge       236
James Welshonse 234
Duane Orsburn  225
Albert Gill       215
Jesse Bailey      165
Nick Trenchard 150
Monte Bischoff 116
Zach Fettinger   108
Scott Crumm      79
Brian Poppa        78

IMCA Sport Modifieds
Mike Medel       375
David Marble    360
Jorddon Braaten 339
A.J. Parker         308
Willie McFall      278
Jimmy Lipke      250
Tony Bartell        237
Dwayne Melvin 216
Rich McCoy       212
Bob Nelsen        206

Pennzoil Winged Sprint Cars
Jake Wheeler      166
Jeffrey Hudson     143
Wayne Kniffen    129
Bill Hopper           77
Vern Wheeler Jr.   74
Rowdy McClennon 70
Todd Whipple     68
Aaron Miller       60
Camden Robustelli 57
David Hibbard   34

Mini Stock

Bob Burkett      380
Gary Anderson 323
Andrew Hall      284
David Steele      282
Merissa Henson  271
Kristopher Mix  234
Dillen Lausen     180
Eric Hanson        172
Ethan Killingsworth 139
Mikey Johnson   125

Super 4's
Lee Doty          218
John Barger       195 
Charlie Eaton   186
Bill Spencer     170
Dan Prewitt      137
Krista Hadley    123
Terry Hadley     113
Eric Aos              95
Steve Thompson 40
Mike Cloud         32

Late Model
Bob Dees           136
Mike Linder       131
John Dees           48
Nathan Augustine 39
Dustin Knight     35
Garrett Dees       30
Miles Deubert         29    
Jeffrey Hudson    28
David Schmidt    26
Kristy Grout        24

Hornets
Tim Hedges       192
Derrel Nelson Jr. 188
Joby Shields        180
John Hoult            176
Heather Menzel     76
Milt Carter             32
Andy Blackburn    29
Garrett Fredrickson 26
Jesse Merriman     26
Sebastian Burson   23

Outlaw Pro Stocks
Steve Borror    590
Scott Flowers   560
Matt Harlow    484
James Flowers  465
Rocky Nash     442
Julia Flowers    430
Roy Bain         374
Ken Irving         371
Scott Bennett   349
Rick Lukens      338

SODCA Dwarf Cars
Brock Peters     1192
Camden Robustelli 1191
Kalvin Morton  1166
Cody Peters      1136
Randy Slater     1106
Chad Cardoza   1085
Ryan Smith       946
Joe Sanders        921 
Rob Gergel        830
Josh King            823 

500 Karts
Johnny Burke      95
Mike Wheeler     80
Chase Hill           67
Tanner Holmes    66
Merissa Henson   44

250 Karts
Bodee Weiser    145
Tanner Holmes  124
Enrique Jaime    115
Braden Weiser   106
Brenden Bartlett   99

125's
Reece Slyter      120
Box Stock
Trevor Grimes     160
Emma Rodgers   123
Natalie Richard     88
Ryan Hisrschbock 82
Carley Holmes       71

Beginner
Kiley Grimes     130
Shailene Horn    100
Adrian Richard    86
Taylor Fuller       84
Jacob James       78


Podiums & Dashes
IMCA Modifieds
Week   First                        Second                  Third                       Dash
1           Mark Wauge            Matt Duste            Jesse Bailey              None
2           Mark Wauge            Darrell Hughes II  Jesse Bailey              Jesse Bailey
3          Duane Orsburn         James Welshonse   Bo Shields                James Welshonse
4          Ryan Scott Gaylord   Kellen Chadwick  Collen Winebarger   James Welshonse
5          Albert Gill                 Monte Bischoff     Matthew Drager       Albert Gill
6          Monte Bischoff        Ray Kniffen Jr.        Nick Trenchard       Monte Bischoff
7         Jeremy Richey           Bobby Hogge IV    Duane Cleveland     Jeremy Richey
8          Bobby Hogge IV      Jake Holland           Eric Ashley              None
9         James Welshonse      Jesse Bailey            Scott Lenz               James Welshonse       

IMCA Sport Modified
Week   First                      Second                 Third                    Dash
1          Jorddon Braaten    Dwayne Melvin     Bob Nelsen          None
2          Todd Cooper         Brian Cooper         Jorddon Braaten   Jimmy Lipke
3          Fred Ryland          Jorddon Braaten     Jimmy Lipke        Fred Ryland
4          Jorddon Braaten    Mike Medel           David Henshaw    Mike Medel
5          Bob Nelsen           Jorddon Braaten     David Marble       Willie McFall
6          Jorddon Braaten    Mike Medel           Jimmy Lipke        Jorddon Braaten
7          Jorddon Braaten    Mike Medel           Doug Franklin      David Marble
8          Rich McCoy          Jimmy Lipke         Mike Medel          Mike Medel
9          Bob Nelsen            Shane DeVolder    Rich McCoy          Dwayne Melvin
10        Howard Law          Dwayne Melvin    Alan Furuta           Howard Law
11        Mike Medel           David Marble        Kalvin Morton       David Marble
12        Dwayne Melvin     David Marble        Mike Medel           David Marble

Pennzoil Sprint Cars
Week   First                      Second                    Third                       Dash
1          Vern Wheeler Jr.    Jake Wheeler           Jeffrey Hudson        None
2          Vern Wheeler Jr.    Jake Wheeler           Camden Robustelli  Vern Wheeler Jr.
3          Jake Wheeler         Wayne Kniffen        Charlie Thompson    Jake Wheeler
4          David Hibbard       Jake Wheeler           Jeffrey Hudson        Jake Wheeler
5          Trey Starks            Mitchell Faccnto      Roger Crockett        Jared Ridge
6          Aaron Miller         Rowdy McClennon  Wayne Kniffen        Rowdy McClennon
7         Bailey Hibbard       Raquel Ivie               Cooper Desbiens     David Hibbard
8         Jeffrey Hudson       Rowdy McClennon   Raquel Ivie             Wayne Kniffen

Mini Stocks
Week   First                    Second                     Third                          Dash
1          Bob Burkett         Gary Anderson         Merissa Henson          None
2          Gary Anderson     Bob Burkett             Ethan Killingsworth    Bob Burkett
3          Bob Burkett         Andrew Hall             Merissa Henson          Merissa Henson
4          David Steele        Bob Burkett              Ethan Killingsworth    Bob Burkett
5          Bob Burkett         Gary Anderson         David Steele                Bob Burkett
6          David Steele        Ethan Killingsworth  Bob Burkett                Bob Burkett
7          David Steele        Bob Burkett               Ethan Killingsworth   Bob Burkett
8          David Steele        Bob Burkett               Gary Anderson           Gary Anderson
9          Gary Anderson     David Steele             Bob Burkett                Gary Anderson
10        David Steele        Andrew Hall              Bob Burkett                Merissa Henson
11        David Steele        Andrew Hall              Dillen Lausen             Bob Burkett       

Super 4's
Week    First                      Second              Third                   Dash
1           Steve Thompson    John Barger       Bill Spencer         None
2           Lee Doty                John Barger       Krista Hadley      John Barger
3           Lee Doty                Dan Prewitt       Terry Hadley        Lee Doty
4           Dan Prewitt            Eric Aohs           Lee Doty             Lee Doty
5           Lee Doty                Charlie Eaton     John Barger         Lee Doty
6           Lee Doty                Terry Hadley      Krista Hadley      Charlie Eaton
7           Lee Doty                Charlie Eaton      Krista Hadley     Charlie Eaton

Open Stock
Week    First                       Second                Third                    Dash
1           Mike Linder            Bob Dees            Miles Deubert       None
2           Mike Linder            Bob Dees                                          Mike Linder
3           Nathan Augustine   Jeffrey Hudson    Bob Dees              Nathan Augustine
4           Dustin Knight          Bob Dees            Garrett Dees          Bob Dees

Hornets
Week    First                      Second               Third                     Dash
1          Derrel Nelson Jr.    John Hoult          Tim Hedges            None
2          Joby Shields           John Hoult          Tim Hedges            Tim Hedges
3          Derrel Nelson Jr.    Joby Shields        Tim Hedges           Joby Shields
4          Joby Shields           Darrel Nelsen Jr.  Tim Hedges          John Hoult
5          Joby Shields           Tim Hedges         John Hoult             Joby Shields
6          Joby Shields           Milt Carter           Andy Blackburn    Tim Hedges

Outlaw Pro Stock
Week    First                   Second                    Third                       Dash
1           Steve Borror       Ken Irving               James Flowers         None
2           Rocky Nash        John David Duffie   Scott Flowers          Steve Borror
3           Miles Deubert     Scott Flowers          Rocky Nash             Steve Borror   
4           Steve  Borror       Rocky Nash            Matt Harlow            Rocky Nash
5           Steve Borror        Rocky Nash            Scott Flowers           Steve Borror
6           Miles Deubert     James Flowers         Rocky Nash             Scott Flowers
7           Rocky Nash        Matt Harlow            John Bowers            Rocky Nash

SODCA Dwarf Cars
Week   First                        Second                    Third                       Dash
1          Josh King                 Ryan Smith             Kalvin Morton         Chad Cardoza
2          Josh King                 Kalvin Morton        Ryan Smith              Chad Cardoza
3          Brock Peters             Ryan Smith             Josh King                Brock Peters
4          Camden Robustelli   Brock Peters           Rob Gergel              Kalvin Morton
5          Brock Peters             Rob Gergel             Camden Robustelli  Brock Peters
6          Brock Peters             Chad Cardoza         Mason Lewman       Josh King
7*        Shawn Jones              David Teves           Gene Pires                None
7#        Eric Weisler              Buddy Olschowka  Tim Fitzpatrick         None
7^        Cody Peters               Ben Wiesz               Bud Lorenz              None
8*        Shawn Jones              Josh King                Gene Pires               Shawn Jones
8#        Tim Fitzpatrick          Kevin Miraglio       Scott Dahlgren         Buddy Olschowka
8^        Ben Wiesz                 Cody Peters             Kyle Jones               Cody Peters
9          Brock Peters              Chad Cardoza         Kalvin Morton         Brock Peters
10        Chad Cardoza            Cody Peters            Brock Peters            Camden Robustelli
11        Camden Robustelli    Brock Peters           Josh King                 Cody Peters
12        Josh King                  Kalvin Morton        Camden Robustelli   Cody Peters
* Pro  
# Veteran
^ Sportsman

OTRO Hardtops 
Week    First                        Second                     Third                   Dash
1           Trevor Thomason    Bill Trotter                Gary Barber        Chris Mehrer
2           Trevor Thomason     Rhett Lange             Bill Trotter          Trevor Thomason
3           Trevor Thomason     Rhett Lange             Bill Trotter           Bill Trotter
4            Mark Minter            Jimmy Del Castille  Dean Cass            Mark Minter
5            Trevor Thomason    Bill Trotter               Wylie Powell       Wylie Powell

Outlaw Kart Top 5's
500 Karts
1 Tanner Holmes, Chase Hill, Steve Rambo, Johnny Burke, Jentzen Knips.
2 Mike Wheeler, Stephanie Crisp, Brody Sim, Keon Hilgendorf.
3 Mike Wheeler, Jake Park, Chase Hill, Ryan Foster, Tanner Holmes.
4 Merissa Henson, Johnny Burke, Jeffrey Hudson (DNS), Steve Rambo (DNS).

250 Karts
1 Tanner Holmes, Branden Bartlett, Bodee Weiser, Brody Sim, Enrique Jamie.
2 Bodee Weiser, Branden Bartlett, Braden Weiser, Enrique Jaime, Braden Corey.
3 Tanner Holmes, Bodee Weiser, Maximus Mittry, Enrique Jaime, Braden Cory.
4 Tanner Holmes, Bodee Weiser, Carley Holmes, Devin Felix, Enrique Jaime.

Box Stock
 1 Trevor Grimes, Bryson Snow, Emma Rodgers, Carley Holmes, Natalie Richard.
2 Trevor Grimes, Emma Rodgers, Devin Felix, Loveah Price, Sophia Bauer.  3 Carley Holmes, Trevor Grimes, Brionna Fuller, Emma Rodgers, Natalie Richard.
4 Trevor Grimes, Briona Fuller, Emma Rodgers, Natalie Richard, Ryan Hirschbock.

Beginners Box Stock
1 Jacob James, Adrian Richard, Kiley Grimes, Will Wigley (DNS). 
2 Shailene Horn, Kiley Grimes, Roger Whipple. Carl Holt (DNS).
3 Taylor Fuller, Daisy Gargurevich, Kiley Grimes, Malachi Johnson, Shailene Horn.
4 Taylor Fuller, Jacob  James, Malachi Johnson, Shailene Horn, Adrian Richard.