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Siskiyou Golden Speedway Has Little League Night
This Saturday
Yreka, CA...Siskiyou Golden Speedway officials are working hard to get things ready to go for their second show this Saturday night. Promoter Kevin Barba announced on Monday that the materials needed to repair the damaged fence would be at the track on Thursday. He further added that the crew would work all night if need be to get things ready to go on Saturday.
The Saturday night program is being billed as Little League Night at the races. It's another example of the kid friendly approach that Barba is bringing to the speedway this year. The track will be having an Easter Egg Hunt for the kids and also raffling off two bikes. On the track, the fans will be treated to some exciting racing in the IMCA Sport Modifieds, Mini Stocks and IMCA Modifieds.
The IMCA Sport Modifieds had a wild season opener that came to a halt when Zac Potts crashed through the fencing on the front straightaway, destroying both that section of fencing and his car. Potts was in good spirits and joking after the races. He already has another car in the works and will be taking parts off of his damaged race car to get the other car ready to race.
When the race was halted, Matt Sanders was the leader ahead of Yuba City visitor Jimmy Ford and young gun Ethan Killingsworth. Killingsworth led several laps as he is still looking for his first career win in the division. Some insiders are saying that after an impressive Mini Stock career, he could very well be the driver to beat in the championship chase. However, there are still many weeks ahead.
Past Siskiyou Speedway champion Colt Boswell was a welcome sight in the pits. We didn't see him so much last season, but we did see his brother Ryder Boswell. Ryder finished second in the standings last year. He didn't do so well in the opener, but Colt managed to grab a fifth place finish. The Boswell Brothers are tough competitors anytime we see them at the speedway. Some of the drivers to watch for this week include last week's Trophy Dash winner, Randy Wright, Donovan Rodgers and Gary Foster. There are likely to be several visitors in the field, and locals such as reigning champion Trevor Tiffee and Merissa Henson in the Donny Bottoms car have yet to debut.
If you were to take the last 30 starts that David Steele had behind the wheel of his fast #67 Mini Stock, you'd be hard-pressed to find him not at least getting a podium finish at either Yreka or Medford. Usually, Steele is winning. He won again at the opener ahead of Mike Whitaker. With Whitaker having problems with his car, three-time reigning champion Marilyn Yawnick decided to put him behind the wheel of her fast #11 car after she won the Trophy Dash. Yawnick was smiling as she was the first trophy winner under the new management team at the speedway.
Whitaker has won his share of races through the years and is a two-time champion at the speedway in addition to being runner-up in last season's points. Terry Kendrick has a stable of cars again this year as he remains a staunch supporter of Mini Stocks. This includes Mike Kendrick and Zak McMurry. Young Darek Alford showed that his season-ending efforts last year were no fluke as he grabbed a heat race win and a third place feature finish last week. Some are saying this young racer could be a serious title contender.
The IMCA Modifieds have struggled to gain car count in recent seasons. A half-dozen racers, mostly from the Medford area, were in town to give the fans a show last week. Though they were unable to get their Main Event in, 2017 Medford champion Jesse Bailey and Hornbrook's Duane Orsburn were preliminary winners. Two-time Yreka champion Albert Gill, Brett Provost and Jeremy Ohlde were also in the field last week. Management is hoping to re-spark interest in the Modified division, which has been a staple class in Yreka since 1992.
Kevin Barbra says that everything will be ready to go when the gates open for racing this Saturday night. There are family-friendly things happening at the speedway and great racing set to happen on the track. For further information, go to www.siskiyougoldenspeedway.com.
24th Season At Southern Oregon Speedway Opens On May 4th
White City, Oregon...The 24th season of racing at Southern Oregon Speedway is set to begin on May 4th. The lineup offers some of the best racing the 3/10 mile clay oval track has to offer. Kendall Oil Winged Sprint Cars and IMCA Modifieds headline along with IMCA Sport Modifieds, Bobbio's Pizza Mini Stocks and JOAT Labs Hornets. The Practice Day scheduled for April 13th was cancelled due to wet grounds, but the track is hoping to get a practice in on April 27th ahead of the opener.
As he enters his fourth year as promoter of the speedway, Mike McCann of KJE Enterprises has offered a great schedule of racing that will bring the fans all of the great things they've been enjoying in recent years and more. The track will also have the Malicious Monster Truck Tour once again, presented by Dave's Carpet And Vinyl Liquidators of Medford. This time, however it happens on June 8th and 9th, giving the fins a great opportunity to see these gargantuan vehicles flying through the air and crushing cars beneath them.
The highlights on the schedule include such standards as The Iron Giant Street Stock Series visit on May 25th and the Seventh Annual Roger Haudenshild Tribute race on June 1st, which will feature the IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Sport Modifieds and Calculated Comfort Outlaw Pro Stocks, among other classes. IMCA Modifieds will roar into town as part of the IMCA Wild West Speedweek event on June 22nd, also featuring IMCA Sport Modifieds and Southern Oregon Dwarf Cars.
The Modifieds also get one of the signature events once again as the Third Annual R Charles Snyder Salute will happen on August 31st and September 1st. The Sunday portion of that event, which honors the popular local radio DJ and longtime voice of Southern Oregon racing, will pay $5,000 to win for the Modifieds. Sport Modifieds will pay $2,000 to win that night. The Southern Oregon Dwarf Cars will be there both days and the Pro Stocks will be a part of the September 1st program.
Sprint Cars will be shining brightly in August, starting with the 3rd Annual Cascade Wingless Sprint Car Challenge, presented by Herz Precision Parts. This event pays $3,500 to win and is the biggest paying Wingless Sprint race in Oregon. A week later, the Ironhead Nationals offers $2,000 to win for the local Winged Sprint racers. The track proudly offers a Stock Car oriented show as part of the Third Annual Hall Of Fame Night on August 17th.
Another big attraction has been added to the program on August 24th. This is the $4,000 to win Cottonwood Classic for the Late Models. It's the biggest paying race on the West Coast for Dirt Late Models and is already attracting interest from drivers up and down the coast. This is just a taste of what is to come at Southern Oregon Speedway this year.
On May 4th, reigning Winged Sprint Car champion David Hibbard and son Bailey Hibbard will make their presence known as the family tries to keep their name at the top of the list. Last year's IMCA Sport Modified champion, David Marble, is moving up to the Sprint Car ranks, joined by past 500 Open Kart champion Johnny Burke and California Kart racer Anissa Curtice. The new blood in the class will join such stars as past champions TJ Winningham and Charlie Thompson, Mike Wheeler, Merissa Henson, Blaine Cory, Aaron Miller and rising young star Tanner Holmes.
Mark Wauge announced that he's competing for an unprecedented eighth IMCA Modified championship. He is currently one win shy of 50 career IMCA Modified wins as he sits on top of that division's all time win list. Reigning champion Albert Gill has brought that championship trophy home in three of the past five years and remains a threat in the pursuit of a fourth title. Other stars, such as Zach Fettinger, Dave Duste Jr, Preston Jones and David Satterfield, will be out to put their names in the record books.
With Marble only running part-time in the IMCA Sport Modified ranks, two-time champion Mike Medel announced that he's coming back to race locally again. He puts his name at the top of the contender's list, but other such hard chargers as Branden Wilson, Willie McFall, Tony Duste and Doug Coffman, will be making this a wide-open battle that the fans are sure to enjoy.
David Steele has set the bar high in the Bobbio's Pizza Mini Stocks, but there are drivers gunning for his spot. Hunter Magnan comes off of a strong runner-up season and will be looking to get his first career win. Others, such as 2017 champion Kristopher Mix, 2014 champion Gary Anderson and 2013 champion Steve Goetz, will be battling fiercely at the front of the pack.
The Hedges family has been at the center of the JOAT Labs Hornets class trying to help it grow. With Ashtin Hedges moving up to Mini Stocks, his father Tim Hedges is out to see if he can capture his second division title. Last year, the honors went to the consistent Bree Tritchler, who will be back for a title defense. Other drivers to reckon with this year include Brandyn Wonsyld, Chris Boynton, Jenna Hedges and Darrel Nelson Jr.
There's a lot of excitement in the air as Southern Oregon Speedway gets ready to start a new season. Last season was the most successful the speedway has seen in about a decade, and efforts are underway to make it even better this year. For further information, go to www.southernoregonspeedway.com.
Carload Night Kicks Off 2019 Season At Coos Bay Speedway
Coos Bay, Oregon...Last Saturday night, Coos Bay Speedway had their hopes of getting the season kicked off thwarted by a pesky storm front that moved in on Saturday afternoon. Promoter Drake Nelson hoped to start things off for the NASCAR Whelen All American Series, but he had to make the unfortunate decision on Saturday morning to cancel. As it turned out, the forecast was right and it started raining that afternoon.
The good news is that racing will happen this Saturday night. The better news is that it will be South Coast Shopper Carload Night at the races. Get as many people as you can into your vehicle, and it's $23 total for everybody. On top of that, there will be lucky ridealongs for the kids during intermission, which has been another popular tradition seen at the speedway for years. The NASCAR lineup of racing will include the America's Mattress Super Late Models, Sportsman Late Models, Street Stocks, Mini Outlaws, Hornets and Jr Stingers.
Whether it's the fact that 2018 champion Brody Montgomery pocketed $5,500 for his effort at the end of the year or whatever it might be, word in Coos Bay is that there are several drivers gunning for the championship this year. Past Sportsman Late Model and 2015 Super Late Model champion Toby McIntyre will be racing this season as well.
2012 champion Dave Foote is returning home, and word is that 2018 Cottage Grove Speedway champion Preston Luckman will also be racing locally this year. If this holds true, Coos Bay will have quite a competitive show. Roseburg driver Tom Elam has a very fast car, formerly driven by 2017 champion Mike George. Thor Kristensen is coming off of his second runner-up ranking in the past three years. Chris Ray and Richard Wallace are others to keep an eye out for this week, and you never know who might show up.
In fact, we were informed recently that two-time Sportsman Late Model champion Wayne Butler, who is coming off of back-to-back runner-up rankings in that class, we'll be focusing primarily on the Super Late Models this year. This leaves the door wide open for Dyllan Siewell to repeat as champion, but the word is that he may not make the early goings of the season. After looking very impressive in Hornets with several wins to his credit, Braden Fugate is in a Sportsman Late Model and was a feature winner last year. He could emerge as the driver to beat, but racers such as Tom Williams, Justin Krossman, the steady Charlie Withers and Stacey Robison will be among those to watch.
Sam Talon was pretty dominant in winning his second straight Mini Outlaw division title. When the opportunity came for him to purchase a Monte Carlo to go Street Stock racing, he jumped at the chance. He still has his Mini Outlaw, but he's hoping to join reigning champion Ken Fox in being a double division racer in both classes. David Smith is coming off of a nice runner-up season last year, but he would certainly like to get his first feature win. Feature wins are nothing new to Steve Dubisar, but people are waiting to see if he starts at the beginning of the year and makes a run for points. He would certainly be the man to beat if that is the case. Daniel Land has gotten the job done before with a championship a few years ago.
Talon and Fox may be drivers to contend with in the Mini Outlaw ranks this year. However, there are other drivers that may be there to give it a go, including Jason Kellam, Tom Siewell, Dan Daniels, Jason Berrier and Carl Johnson. Still at large is that potent VW Beetle driven to many wins by Rob Lauver.
An amazing rookie season last year netted Tyler Tullos eight wins out of 21 starts and the Hornet division championship by a wide margin ahead of "Lady Venom" April Warmack. Both Warmack and "Hurricane" Hannah Robison were feature winners last season as Robison finished third with four wins to her credit. These three may be leading the charge this year, but others to contend with include Chris Parker, Chuck Peck, Leroy Rockwell, Dusty Shingleton and David Pellum. Word is that the McIntyre team will field a pair of cars this year as well.
Hornets are also what are driven in the Jr Stinger division. The division, launched by Nelson last season, was an initiative to get the young drivers out on the track. Kids 11 to 14 years old get behind the wheel to make their first laps at the speedway. With seven wins to his credit last year, Griff Smith was the champion by a wide margin ahead of Alex Butler. Butler could be one of the kids looking to get his first win, and others such a Sebastian Freedel, James Singleton and Hunter Berrier, were among last season's racers in this class.
Carload Night at Coos Bay and kids lucky ridealongs make this an affordable family option to come out and enjoy. It's NASCAR racing, and Coos Bay is the only track in Oregon offering up the popular sanctioning body for their racing program. If the weather holds, the fans will get a great show this Saturday night. For further information, go to www.coosbayspeedway.us.
Hardtops Set To Return To Placerville Speedway
Placerville, CA...Placerville Speedway has become a favorite among the racers in the California Hardtop Association. The tight bullring has produced some exciting battles in recent years. On Saturday night, the group makes their first of four scheduled appearances at the El Dorado County Fairgrounds facility.
It's a special place for the Armstrong family. Dennis Armstrong has raced at Placerville for years, as has his son Jason. In Hardtop competition, both have won Main Events there in the past, and Jason was a feature winner on the tour this past season. He's coming off of a disappointing non finish at Orland two weeks ago as there were still some bugs to be worked out of his car.
The driver of the moment at Orland is Ron Ruiz. Ron was a feature winner last season, and he reminded everybody at the opener that this wasn't a fluke. It was quite a battle between himself and past Orland Raceway champion Mario Romano. The two drivers came up on the battle for third place, and Ruiz made the move to the inside at just the right moment to keep Romano at bay.
The driver getting the people talking on social media is "The Rocketman" Ken Clifford. Every car at Orland had a GoPro as they were getting video footage, which would be used the following week in the various video releases that Clifford put out.
During the offseason, the Clifford Racing Team added another Hardtop to their stables. He purchased a car from the McCaslin Racing Team down in Bakersfield, giving him three cars. At some point during the season, we're likely to see Ken's son, Jason Clifford, behind the wheel of one of those cars. Jason has won multiple features with the Hardtops.
A welcome sight in the Orland pits was Joe Hopp. We haven't gotten the opportunity to see Joe do much racing in the past couple of years, but during that time he did manage to grab a feature victory at Roseville. Hopp looked good at Orland as he battled Joe Sheneield all race long and held on to the third position. Shenefield still brought home to a respectable fourth, and the most important thing was that the drivers were able to drive their cars back up on their trailers after a fun night at the speedway.
It's always a fun night at the speedway when these drivers bring their beautiful vintage race cars to Placerville. Some of the competitors who could make appearances on Saturday night include Tom Grady, Larry Wells, Roger MacShain and Dave Reed. For further information on the group, look up the California Hardtop Association page on Facebook.
Newman, Smith, Fogle Win Mountain Valley Raceway
Season Opener
Hayfork, CA...April 13...Mountain Valley Raceway in Hayfork finally had their 2019 season opener last Saturday night. It was also a special family gathering with an Easter Egg Hunt in the infield for the kids during intermission. Main Event checkered flags were grabbed by Russ Newman, Tressen Smith, William Fogle and Bryan Gummerus.
The Hobby Stock Main Event proved to be an exciting race between Russ Newman and past champion Josh Smith. Smith was hoping to grab a clean sweep after winning the heat race and Trophy Dash. He jumped out to the lead and had a good advantage when he spun. Newman had the lead at that point, but it wasn't long before Smith was nipping at his heels. When the checkered flag waved, however Newman prevailed ahead of Smith and Mikey Ruth.
Tressen Smith continues to be the driver to beat in the B Modified division. After winning the Trophy Dash, Smith drove to a rather sizable lead in the winning the Main Event ahead of Patrick Solomoto and Joe Short.
Orland Raceway star William Fogle paid Hayfork a visit and left with victories and both the Mini Stock Main Event and Trophy Dash. The division had a nice mixture of Mini Stocks and Mini Trucks, and Fogle brought his Truck for the occasion. Ricky Berry shared the front row of the Main Event in his Pinto, and the two did battle throughout the race. However, Fogle was just a bit quicker in winning ahead of Berry and Freddy Lieber.
The rough-and-tumble Enduro division closed the show with an exciting brand of racing not seen at most Speedways on the West Coast. The watered track before the race makes things that much more interesting. JD Hudman was looking good at the front of the pack until a flat tire sent him pit side. Bryan Gummerus showed why he's one of the biggest stars in the class as he won by a wide margin ahead of Joe Young and William Young.
It was a great night of racing entertainment for the fans, and it continues on May 4th with First Responders night at the races. All First Responders with ID get in free with one guest. For further information, check out the Mountain Valley Raceway Facebook page.
Crash Puts A Halt To Season Opener
At Siskiyou Golden Speedway
Yreka, CA...April 13...Saturday night was the inaugural event promoted by Kevin Barba at Siskiyou Golden Speedway. With rain causing the cancellation of the three scheduled practice days, the crew worked hard to get everything ready for the season opener. Fans noticed the difference with the various improvements that have been made.
Everything seemed to be going well. The pits swelled to roughly 50 cars across four divisions of racing, and there were some top name competitors in town to give the race track a go. Race track conditions held up nicely as the night went on. The racing went well throughout the heat races and into the Trophy Dashes. It was looking like an ideal night for racing. Then it happened.
As Ethan Killingsworth, Matt Sanders and Jimmy Ford battled at the front of the pack in the scheduled 20 lap IMCA Sport Modified Main Event, Gary Foster rolled on the front straightaway to bring out a red flag. He was not injured, but it took a few minutes to clean things up and get racing going again.
The green flag waved once again on the exciting battle at the front of the pack, but only a few more laps took place before the big crash happened. Zac Potts crashed into the front stretch fence near the flag stand and took out a big section of fencing. It was a hard crash that brought another red flag on the race. Neither Potts nor anybody else was injured, but his race car was totaled.
With a big section of fencing and some poles taken out, Barba was faced with the unfortunate decision of having to cancel the remainder of the program. It was the best decision for safety. The takeaway from this incident was the fact that the safety precautions put into place did their job. The fencing kept the crash from being worse, and IMCA safety precautions written into the rules for construction of the race cars did their job in protecting Potts.
Barba and his crew were already hard at work on Sunday getting the fencing back up so that next Saturday's scheduled event can still take place. As for the opener, the IMCA Sport Modified feature was called complete with about half of the laps in the books. Matt Sanders was the winner ahead of Jimmy Ford, Ethan Killingsworth, Brandon Hand and Colt Boswell. Isaac Sanders, Hand and Scott Savell won their respective eight lap heat races, and Randy Wright was the four lap Trophy Dash winner.
The Mini Stock division was able to complete their full program. 2015 champion and reigning Southern Oregon Speedway champ David Steele won the 20 lap Main Event. Mike Whitaker got to take a turn behind the wheel of the Marilyn Yawnick car after Yawnick picked up a win in the four lap Trophy Dash. He finished second to Steele in the Main Event as Darek Alford, Mike McLeod and Terry Kendrick completed the Top 5. Eight lap heat race wins went to Steele and Alford.
The Calculated Comfort Outlaw Pro Stock heat race wins went to reigning champion Dr Scott Lenz and John David Duffie. Lenz also won the four lap Trophy Dash. Jesse Bailey won the IMCA Modified eight lap heat race, and Duane Orsburn was the four lap Trophy Dash winner.
Next Saturday night is Little League Night at the races. There will be an Easter Egg hunt in the infield during intermission, and there will be two bikes raffled off. The IMCA Sport Modifieds and Mini Stocks will be on the card that night. For the latest information, go to www.siskiyougoldenspeedway.com or go to the Siskiyou Golden Speedway Facebook page.
All American Speedway Unofficial Race Results April 13, 2019
Southwest Tour SWT Main
Jeremy Doss
Derek Thorn
Jacob Gomes
Cole Moore
Linny White
Jace Hansen
John Moore
Tyler Fabozzi
Jeff Bischofberger
Justin Marks
Kyle Neveau
Matthew Wendt
Jason Gilbert
Scott Sanchez
Tracy Bolin
Michael Hite
Jesse Love
Eric Schmidt
Eric Nascimento Jr
Dylan Lupton
Bobby Hodges
Craig Raudman
Jack Wood
Mike Beeler
Blaine Rocha
