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Modifieds, Sprint Cars Part Of Season Opener
At Southern Oregon Speedway
White City, Oregon...Southern Oregon Speedway is set to have it's season opener this Saturday night. The 24th season for the 3/10 mile clay oval will include the popular IMCA Modifieds, Kendall Oil Winged Sprint Cars, IMCA Sport Modifieds, Bobbio's Pizza Mini Stocks and JOAT Labs Hornets. This begins a season that will offer plenty of excitement for the fans.
Last Saturday, the speedway held a practice session where over 30 competitors took advantage of the opportunity to test their cars. Five of those racers are part of the Sprint Car roster. Three of them are new drivers to that division, led by last season's IMCA Sport Modified champion, David Marble. Having also won a Mini Stock title, Marble is excited about the move up and the challenge it presents. He has the car that was driven by Calvin Hibbard last season.
Jared Hood and Anissa Curtice were joined last week by Enrique Jaime and past Sprint Car champion TJ Winningham. Hood is the grandson of Southern Oregon Racing Hall of Famer Don Hood. Though he's a rookie in Sprint Cars, he's raced competitively in boats and motorcycles. Curtice has been racing in recent seasons on the Outlaw Kart circuit in California. All drivers looked good in practice, and Curtice and Jaime got around particularly well. Reigning champion David Hibbard and son Bailey Hibbard are among those anticipated for the opener this Saturday.
Only a couple of IMCA Modified racers took advantage of the practice session. Zach Fettinger and Brian Bowman both put their cars through their paces. Fettinger had a breakout season last year with three feature wins and a second place championship ranking. Several drivers are excited about racing this season, led by three-time reigning champion Albert Gill and seven-time champion Mark Wauge. Wauge has indicated that he is racing for points this year. The Modifieds have been a regular part of the roster at the speedway since it opened in 1996.
The best represented group at practice were the IMCA Sport Modifieds, and 10 drivers were on hand Saturday. It's an indication that this division is growing in numbers. Last season's championship finale had a strong 24 car field. The practice saw two of this year's likely front-runners in the point race, two-time champion Mike Medel and Branden Wilson. Medel isn't making any predictions, but he is excited about racing locally this year. Wilson was a feature winner last year in his second-place championship season, and he has a new car for this year's campaign.
Two-time champion Dwayne Melvin, Joby Shields and newcomer Wyatt Westfall made appearances last week. The division will be without one of last season's top drivers, Tony Bartell. Bartell sold his car to Austin Petrey and has purchased a Late Model for this season. The Late Models, who will be racing on May 11th, were represented at the practice by Bartell, Brian Bowman, Jason Schultz and Cliff Massey. That division will have a new look with several drivers joining the roster this year.
Only rookie Dylan Irving and Ashtin Hedges were representing the Mini Stocks for practice. Both drivers have moved up from the Hornets division. Irving had a bit of a rough start at practice, but he was getting around much better as the day went on. He was one of the top five point competitors last season, and both drivers were Hornet feature winners last year as well. Reigning champion David Steele, previous champion Kristopher Mix and Hunter Magnan are among those anticipated for this week's opener.
In the Hornet class, the Hedges Team will be well represented as 2016 champion Tim Hedges and wife Jenna Hedges both have new cars this year. Likewise, reigning champion Bree Tritchler has a new car, and she was joined in practice by teammate Lacey Sauer, who is making her first laps ever. The Nelson family was also on hand for practice with father Derrel Nelson Jr and son Zach Nelson. Ryan Nelson hopes to have his car ready to join his father and brother at the opener.
Drivers are excited about finally getting to go racing. Once things get going, the season runs all the way through September 14th with plenty of big events happening along the way. Gates open for this Saturday's five division show at 5 p.m. with racing starting at 7. Adult General Admission is $13 with Seniors, Veterans and Juniors 7 to 12 $7. Children 6 and under are free. For further information, check out the new website at www.southernoregonspeedway.com.
Killingsworth, Lenz, King Win At Siskiyou Speedway
Yreka, CA...April 27...Siskiyou Golden Speedway returned to action with Little League Night at the races and a good amount of cars were there to put on a show for the fans. After scoring several second place finishes in IMCA Sport Modified competition, Ethan Killingsworth won his first career 20 lap Main Event in convincing fashion. Killingsworth jumped into the lead at the start of what would be a non-stop race. Colt Boswell took up pursuit, but he fell to about a half-lap behind Killingsworth by the time the checkered flag waved. Ryder Boswell finished third, followed by Sean Hulsey, Donovan Rodgers, Gary Foster and Jack Walden III. Killingsworth also picked up the win in the four lap Trophy Dash.
Dr. Scott Lenz won the Calculated Comfort Outlaw Pro Stock Main Event. It was James Flowers charging out front at the waving of the green flag, while Lenz and Scott Flowers worked their way up from the back of the pack. Lenz was already in second by lap six and set about reeling in the nearly straightaway advantage held by James Flowers at the time. However, a yellow flag on lap 10 provided Lenz the opportunity he needed. On the restart, Lenz made a move on the inside as they exited Turn 4 to complete the lap and took over the lead. Lenz pulled away to about a half-straightaway advantage at the checkered flag. James Flowers settled for second, followed by his father Scott Flowers, Matt Harlow, John David Duffie, Bryan Hammond, Steve Borror, Colby Hammond, Julia Flowers and Ginny Flowers. Lenz also won the four lap Trophy Dash
Reigning Southern Oregon Dwarf Car Association champion Josh King won the 20 lap Main Event. It didn't take long before Camden Robustelli moved into the lead with an eye towards his third-straight Yreka victory. Robustelli was leading Josh King and Chad Cardoza when a backstretch crash on lap 13 brought out a yellow flag. Robustelli's run at the front of the pack ended in disappointment on lap 15. King would take over and hold off Cardoza for the satisfying win. Ryan Smith finished third ahead of Mason Lewman, ageless veteran Fred Hay, Joseph Sanders, Jesse Lorentz, Paul Haslow, Mitch Sheeler and Robustelli. Bret James picked up his first six lap A Dash win, and King won the B Dash.
After picking up successive feature wins at his home track in Susanville, Riley Simmons won the 20 lap IMCA Modified Main Event. The race went non-stop and was completed in 5:16.033 seconds. Simmons led the race from the outset and continued to stretch his advantage to over half a lap in front of second-place finisher Duane Orsburn. Not far behind Orsburn was Nick Trenchard as Medford champion Albert Gill and Jeremy Ohlde completed the Top 5. Rookie Jimmy Lipke was a Main Event scratch, and Simmons also won the four lap Trophy Dash.
Next week is the special Fifth Annual Billy Geyer Memorial Pro Stock race. It's also the first race of the five race Tri State Pro Stock Series. IMCA Sport Modifieds and Mini Stocks will also be competing. For further information, go to www.siskiyougoldenspeedway.com.
Siskiyou Speedway Hosts Billy Geyer Memorial
This Saturday Night
Yreka, CA...The racing community is still buzzing after last week's exciting four division show at Siskiyou Golden Speedway. However, the fans haven't seen anything yet. Promoter Kevin Barba has lined up an exciting program this Saturday night. It will be the Fifth Annual Billy Geyer Memorial race for the Pro Stocks. Also on the card will be the exciting IMCA Sport Modifieds and the always-entertaining Mini Stocks.
Yreka has hosted the previous four Billy Geyer events. This year's race promises to be bigger as it will be the kickoff race for the five race Tri State Pro Stock Series. Representatives from Oregon, Nevada and California worked out the series in a way in which drivers from all three states should be able to support all of the events.
The race honors Billy Geyer, who supported Pro Stock racing for several years before passing away. Good friend Arlen Heath of Calculated Comfort Heating And Air Conditioning in Medford was instrumental in getting this race added to the schedule and has come on board as a sponsor. As a result, the winner will receive $2,000 this Saturday night from the increased purse. The regulars of the Oregon based Pro Stock Association know that they will face some tough competition from out of the area.
Leading the charge of the regulars will be two-time reigning association champion Dr Scott Lenz. Lenz methodically worked his way from the back of the pack last week to beat James Flowers and father Scott Flowers in a good race up front. These three are hoping to keep the prize money in the area, and other top regulars include Steve Borror, Bryan Hammond, Matt Harlow and Julia Flowers. The #42 car normally driven by John David Duffie will be piloted by past Medford Pro Stock champion Dustin Knight.
One of the instigators in the series is Gordon Russell Jr, who is promoting the second event at Cedarville on the last Saturday of June. There should be several representatives from the Nevada Outlaw Pro Stock Association, including previous Billy Geyer Memorial winner Mike Learn, Blaine Hill and Donnie Richardson.
However, there figures to be several drivers coming from further down south in California, led by past Orland and Marysville champion Jerry Bartlett. Bartlett is another instigator of the series and helped secure two dates for the group at the Stockton Dirt Track. Another past champion from the Marysville area, Ryan McDaniel, is anticipated along with Bakersfield area competitor Dave King Jr., Brent Lawrence, Richard Workman and Chris Warner. The field should swell into the 20s and could even approach the 30s. This is shaping up to be the Pro Stock race of the year for Yreka.
As if the Pro Stocks aren't enough, the IMCA Sport Modifieds are back in action. Ethan Killingsworth has been knocking on the door to victory since joining the division halfway through last season. Last Saturday night, he kicked the door in with an impressive victory ahead of past champion Colt Boswell and his brother, Ryder Boswell. These three drivers are positioning themselves at the forefront of this season's championship battle. Other drivers anticipated this week include Donovan Rodgers, Gary Foster, Randy Wright and Jack Walden III.
"Magic" Mike Whitaker is hoping to match teammate Marilyn Yawnick as a three-time Mini Stock champion. At the opener, Yawnick vacated the seat of her fast #11 car for Whitaker, and he drove it to a Top 3 finish. Both drivers are anticipated this week, but some young guns in the field are making things interesting. Darek Alford also had a Top 3 finish at the opener after winning his heat race. He figures to be a threat to win this Saturday night along with last season's top rookie, Zak McMurry, multi division champion Terry Kendrick, Mike Kendrick and Tiffany Cobb.
If you're a fan of fendered Stock Car racing, Saturday night will be the night for you. The Billy Geyer Memorial race should have a talent filled field of Pro Stocks The IMCA Sport Modifieds and Mini Stocks will make this a great show from start to finish. For further information, go to www.siskiyougoldenspeedway.com.
First Responders Night At Mountain Valley Raceway
Hayfork, CA...First Responders Night at Mountain Valley Raceway in Hayfork is scheduled for the second round of racing this Saturday night. All First Responders with valid ID get in free with one guest. They will witness a show that will include the Hobby Stocks, Mini Stocks, B Modifieds and Enduro cars.
Fans at the opener witnessed Russ Newman thwart past champion Josh Smith's attempt to score a clean sweep in the Hobby Stock division. Newman will be going for two in a row. He can expect some competition from such notables as past Clyde Cordell Memorial winner Burl Richardson and Mike Ruth
Last time out, Orland competitor William Fogle came to town with his Mini Truck and picked up the win in the Mini Stock division. It was local ace Larry Richardson chasing him across the line in second. Richardson heads into this week as the man to beat as Fogle is expected to race at his local track. However, Ian Thulin hopes to present a challenge to Richardson. Thulin went to Orland last week and picked up a Top 5 finish. Other drivers to watch for this week include Ricky Berry, William Young and Richard Stewart.
Tressen Smith picked up from where he left off last time at the season opener with the B Modified feature win. However, Joe Short and Patrick's Solometo will be there to make things more challenging for him this week.
The wild and crazy Enduro race will wrap up the program. Bryan Gummerus has been practically unstoppable in Enduro competition during the past year or so. He won the opener, but it was bad luck for JD Hudman that opened the door for him. Hudman was leading when he got a flat tire. He'll be hoping to get his effort back on the right track, and other drivers to watch for include Joe Young, William Young and Ralph Thurman.
It's going to be another fun night at Mountain Valley Raceway. The racing will be exciting and the show will offer plenty of thrills and spills. General Admission 18 and older is $10 with Seniors 62 and older/Veterans $8. Youth 17 and younger are $5 with children 5 and under free. It's going to be a great night at the track that you won't want to miss. For further information, check out the Mountain Valley Raceway page on Facebook. For further information, go to the Mountain Valley Raceway Facebook page.
Rumble On The River To Open
Douglas County Speedway Season Saturday
Roseburg, Oregon...Racers and fans are eagerly anticipating the season opener at Douglas County Speedway this Saturday night. A great line-up of PRA sanctioned racing is part of the program. It's also Rumble On The River as the Speedway will debut its new Sport Modified class. The purse, sponsored by Winchester Pub, will be offering $1,000 to win with a minimum of $100 to start. Also on the card will be the popular Hardtops, Street Stocks, Mini Stocks, Hornets and the J Class.
PRA officials have taken notice of the trend on the West Coast. The Sport Modified division is continuing to gain momentum at several different venues. It was decided to add a similar class to the rotation this season. Making it stand out even more is that they are offering an increased purse for this race. It's practically unheard of for a new division to debut with such a big money event. There's been lots of talk about this race, and it will be interesting to see who shows up.
Only two of the five active Hardtop groups on the West Coast have championship seasons, and Roseburg is one of them. Last season saw the group that features old style Coup and Sedan bodies from the 1930s and 40s, come back strong. At the top of the list was the man winning most of the races, 2018 champion Harlan Cox. He will have a bull's-eye on him as he comes back this season. Such notables as 2016 champion Greg Hickman, Kyran Greene, Donni Fain, Troy Gasner and longtime competitor Mike Batman are anticipated this Saturday.
Last season, Jeff Solberg successfully defended his Street Stock championship in a close battle with Dale Roth. In the end, he won by just 15 points. Both drivers are tough to beat in this class, but other stars such as Bill Stewart, Chris Lemon and Monique Scevers make things interesting.
Roth was a double division racer last season as he also won the Mini Stock championship. Carl Smith was on a pace to win that title until missing a race. When the points were tallied, Roth won the title by just nine points over Smith. 2017 champions Chuck Jacobs finished third. These three drivers ran pretty regularly last season, and others, such as Gary Carnes and Kieri Smith, are anticipated this week.
The fastest growing division at the speedway is the Hornets. Pete Lemon won last year's Hornet division title, but Ron Johnson was fast all season in his second place campaign. If not for being absent from a pair of races in July, Johnson likely would have won the title. Drivers such as Jeremy Simms, Jeremy Mayfield, Cherish Wilson and Bart Pulse were among the top stars in the field last year as they averaged car count numbers in the double digits for most of the season.
The speedway is adding the J Class this year as a way to increase the numbers a little bit further in the pits. The lineup of racing offers a little bit of something for everybody. Rumble On The River kicks off the season, and it only gets better from there. For further information, go to www.douglascountyspeedway.com.
Loaded Program On Pepsi Night At Coos Bay Speedway
Coos Bay, Oregon...NASCAR Whelen All American Series racing action returns to Coos Bay Speedway this Saturday night. It's Pepsi Night at the races. On the heels of an exciting season opener, the America's Mattress Super Late Models return to headline a program that will include the Sportsman Late Models, Street Stocks, Hornets, Mini Outlaws and Junior Stingers. Not to be forgotten in the mix is the exciting Winged Sprint Cars, who got rained out in their first scheduled appearance.
Everybody was talking after the season opener produced an impressive 14 car field for the Super Late Models. The NASCAR prize money offered to the state and track champion amounts to $5,500 for the driver who can grab the honors. Willamette Speedway competitor Joey Tanner swept in and claimed the opener ahead of 2018 Cottage Grove champion Preston Luckman and 2015 Coos Bay titlist Toby McIntyre. While Tanner isn't anticipated for this show, Luckman and McIntyre are reportedly looking to dethrone Brody Montgomery as the champion. Those three competitors all finished in the Top 5 at the opener.
Though it's true that a few of the competitors seen at the opener may not be on hand for this race, others such as two-time point runner-up Thor Kristensen and Kristy Grout are expected at some point this season. Wayne Butler has dropped his Sportsman Late Model effort to focus primarily on the Super Late Models. He should be there this week as he sets his sights on his first win in this class. Roseburg star Tom Elam and 2012 Coos Bay champion Dave Foote were at the opener, but the race didn't go well for either of them. They'll be out to turn it around this week, and others to watch for include Chris Ray, Richard Wallace and Chris Kristensen.
The Winged Sprint Cars are back for a new season. Brett Hulsey won the championship last year, which may have come to some people as a surprise. He ran a very consistent season, but he would love to take it up a notch and get a victory this year. Usually, the road to wins goes through two-time champion Dave May and 2017 title winner Lawrence Van Hoof. Those two drivers may be the favorites going into Saturday night, but others to watch for include California transplant Kayla Green, Donovan Prather and Mike Crawford.
Reigning Sportsman Late Model champion Dyllan Siewell was reported to be missing some races before getting his season in gear, opening the door for a new champion to emerge. Hornet star Braden Fugate threw his hat into the ring by winning the opening event ahead of Mike Taylor. The steady Charlie Withers picked up from where his bad luck left him last season by missing the feature with mechanical issues. It's hoped that others will join the show, including 2017 Street Stock champion Justin Krossman, Tom Williams and Jeff Krossman.
Though the record shows that Justin Krossman and Ken Fox are the most recent Street Stock champions, the most impressive driver in the field during that time was probably Steve Dubisar. However, Dubisar elected not to compete for points. He did compete for victories and scored 15 of them in the previous two seasons. The question of whether or not he is interested in points this year may have been answered when Dubisar opened the season with a victory ahead of Tom Elam. Dubisar may be the driver to beat. However, 2018 runner up David Smith and Hornet graduate Peyton Reigard are others to watch for. Jeff Thurman, Josh Bearden and 2016 champion Daniel Land were not at the opener, but it's possible we could see them this week.
The Mini Outlaws only had two cars for their scheduled season-opener. One of them was the fast VW Beetle driven by Rob Lauver. Lauver wasn't seen very often last year, but he has been a force in previous seasons. Two-time reigning champion Sam Talon was the other competitor. Hopefully, there will be others this week, and drivers to keep an eye out for include Jason Kellam, Jason Berrier and Dan Daniels.
Another Mini Outlaw star, John Henry, moved down to the Hornet division and picked up a Top 5 finish in the opener. Tyler Tullos was on his way to victory that night when he was overtaken in the later stages by Hannah Robison. Tullos is the reigning champion, but Robison served notice that she hopes to unseat him. Other stars of the Hornet division to watch for this week include Leroy Rockwell, Stacy Robinson, Dusty Shingleton, Ray Marshall and Gabrielle Boles.
Last season's Junior Stringer champion, Griff Smith, won every Main Event held for the division. However, he was given his first taste of defeat at the opener two weeks ago as Alex Butler scored his first win ever. James Shingleton finished third. These three drivers are taking advantage of the class that offers the opportunity for kids 11 to 14 years old to get behind the wheel of Hornet race cars.
Pepsi Night will offer the fans a glimpse of every championship racing division that Coos Bay Speedway has to offer. It's certainly a night you won't want to miss. For further information, go to let's go www.coosbayspeedway.us.
Simmons Opens Diamond Mountain Speedway With Two Wins
Susanville, CA...April 20th and 26th... Diamond Mountain Speedway in Susanville opened their gates for the 2019 season on Saturday, April 20th. They followed that up with a special Friday Night Show on the 26th. It begins a new era for the track under the promotion of Jeff Olschowka. IMCA Modifieds headlined with strong fields on both occasions. When the checkered flag waved on each race, they had the same winner. It was Riley Simmons taking the glory. Simmons has been spending the last couple of seasons taking his show on the road, but he's throwing his hat into the ring this year as a championship contender.
On Saturday night, Simmons claimed the 20 lap feature win ahead of Nevin Kennemore and Chris Nieman. Nevada racer Gene Kay finished fourth, followed by Chris Olexiewcz, Matt Murphy, Larry McCracken, Mitch Murphy, Mark Skender and Jeff Chew. There were 19 competitors on Saturday, and 17 of them showed up for the Friday event. Once again, Simmons was the class of the field and claimed the victory ahead of a Kennemore. This time, however, it was Wade Kennemore finishing second with Olexiewcz in third. Rob Robles finished fourth as McCracken rounded out the Top 5. Chris Nieman settled for sixth with Yreka racer Jimmy Lipke, Steve Bejcek, Jeff Chew and Dave Sciaronni making up the balance of the Top 10.
The IMCA Sport Modifieds kicked things off with a wild season opener that saw reigning champion Jason Emmot end up on his lid in the infield after contact with Shayna Nieman. It was Craig Nieman winning that 20 lap event ahead of two of the top Hobby Stock racers in recent years, Richard Longacre and Nathan Howard. James Huffman finished fourth, followed by Shayna Nieman and Emmot. The field grew from six cars two 11 at the special Friday event. Antioch area competitor Keith Brown Jr made a surprise visit and left town with the victory. Shayna Nieman rebounded from her bad luck at the opener by holding off Longacre to finish second. Craig Nieman settled for fourth, followed by Howard, Rusty McMillan, Taylor Micone, Mini Stock graduate Colton Chew, Emmot and IMCA State point leader Guy Ahlwardt, who ended up needing to be towed off the track with a broken transmission.
Steve Gordon opened the season with a 15 lap Hobby Stock Main Event victory on Saturday. He won in impressive fashion ahead of Rick Higby. Seaton Montgomery finished third ahead of Jacob Hutson, Fred Kresge and Steve Buhr. The field fell to three for the Friday Night Main Event, and Hutson won that race after surprise entrant Shannon Collins from the Chico area slipped off the groove late and ended up second. Kresge finished third.
Colton Lawson scored an impressive victory in the season opening 15 lap Mini Stock feature. He scored that win ahead of Friday winner Cody Kennemore. Jacob Dias was third, followed by Bion Barr, multi-time champion Larry Whitebird, Wyatt Spalding, Anthony Hovland and Oliver Gibbons. Kennemore won the Friday race, but it looked to be in the hands of reigning Orland champion Tom Davis until he got a flat tire late. Davis has won several Main Events in the past couple of years in Susanville, but he fell to third in this race behind Whitebird. Barr finished fourth ahead of Billy Gibson and Randy Black.
The four division show returns on May 10th as the track will basically be running an every other week schedule. For further information, go to www.dmspeedway.com.
Pit Stops
It seems like when you get within a couple of weeks of the racing season beginning, the work seems to intensify. Racers need to make last-minute preparations on their cars. The track crew needs to make sure everything is ready for having the actual race. It's certainly been busy at Southern Oregon Speedway as we prepare for our 24th season, the fourth under KJE Enterprises and Mike McCann.
The weather has been merciful to us after a bit of rain eliminated the first scheduled practice day on April 13th. There was a good sunny week leading up to the next scheduled practice on April 27th. Despite that, there were still concerns about whether the track would be ready or whether the trailers would be able to make it through the pits okay. There were a few moments of concern for some of the drivers, but everybody made it in and out okay.
Almost every practice scheduled by Mike McCann has been rained out, but the shakedown run before the season opener this week went off without a hitch. Roughly three-dozen competitors in various classes took their turns on the Jim Rogers prepared 3/10 mile clay oval. It gave drivers an opportunity to find out if there were any problems they should fix before actual racing begins.
During the offseason, you hear many rumors. The beautiful thing about a day at the track is that the rumors get separated from the facts. One bit of news that didn't seem to travel very far was the fact that Tony Bartell has made a move up from the IMCA Sport Modified class after finishing in the Top 5 last season. Tony found a deal on a Late Model down in Bakersfield to be too good to pass up and has made the move back to fendered racing. His beautiful blue #27 car looked good on the track with the other Late Model competitors.
Brian Bowman was making the most of the practice opportunity as he brought both his Late Model and IMCA Modified. With longtime Southern Oregon Speedway competitor Jon DeBenedetti helping tune things up, Bowman looked good in both cars. Also taking the opportunity to make some laps were Jason Schultz and Cliff Massey. Massey is piloting the car driven by Eric Massey last season. Word from Dustin Knight is that both he and Eric Massey have new cars this year. Knight's old race car is now in the possession of Pro Stock racer John David Duffie.
Knight reported that they have been very busy at Rapp Racing as several racers have been getting their motors done by Rick Rapp. He further adds that Rapp Racing is happy to see things going as well as they have been at the track as it's good for business at the shop as well. Furthermore, because they have been so busy, Knight doesn't anticipate his Late Model seeing the track until June or July. When he gets there, you know he will be fast.
Knight is both a Modified and a Pro Stock champion at the speedway, and there were a few surprise Pro Stock competitors making practice laps. That would be three of the four cars from the Hackworth team. Tom Hackworth had his beautiful blue #34 car out there along with Dean Hackworth and Phil Pipgrass. The team has made no secret of their desire to see more Pro Stock races at the speedway and continues to speak up to try and rally other Medford area drivers to bring their cars to come support. In 2017, Dean Hackworth finished second in track points and supported every race that he could.
The only other IMCA Modified aside from Bowman was the fast #88 car of Zack Fettinger. Coming off of his strong runner-up season last year that saw him score three victories, Zach is excited to get back out there and see if he can take it up another notch. He looked very fast at practice and should be among the contenders to get the win at the season opener.
The big support came from the IMCA Sport Modifieds where ten drivers took advantage of the practice opportunity. Chris Silva has made the decision to move down from the Modified class and is piloting the former Tony Duste car. We haven't heard if Tony will be in another Sport Modified after his Top 5 season or whether he might actually move to the Modifieds. Austin Petrey was behind the wheel of the former Bartell car.
Mike Medel has spent last year on the road for several races, but he's planning to race regularly at his home track again. His beautiful #30 car was looking faster than ever, which may be a warning to the rest of the competitors. Branden Wilson needed no warning. He already purchased another car to up his game after his second place season and "Rookie Of The Year" effort last year. Branden intends to compete for more than just one win this year, and Medel will be one of those drivers up there at the front of the pack as well.
Medel wasn't the only two-time division champion at the speedway as Dwayne Melvin was a late arrival. Melvin likely enjoyed the dry slick conditions he saw for practice. However, he has shown in the last year that he can still run with the leaders when it's a hooked up track as well. Melvin should not be counted out.
Other drivers, such as AJ Parker, Steve Lysinger, Joby Shields and newcomer Wyatt Westfall, were out there making laps. Shields had kind of a rough start to his Sport Modified career last year, but he had his car hooked up on Saturday. Westfall is one of the rookies this year, but he certainly didn't look like it. From the moment the team had the car in the pits, it was up on jack stands as they made adjustments. It seemed to show as he had a good handle on things on the track.
We didn't see too many Bobbio's Pizza Mini Stock drivers making laps, but Ashtin Hedges and rookie Dylan Irving didn't waste the opportunity to come play. Irving looked like he was dealing with mechanical issues early on, but he got better as the afternoon progressed. If his time spent in the Hornets as a Top 5 driver is any indication, he will be a quick study. Being the son of two-time Pro Stock champion Ken Irving certainly helps as he has a good teacher to learn from. Hedges isn't a rookie and probably would have won the top rookie honors last season if he appeared at the start of the season. After winning two Hornet features last year, he has moved up.
However, his parents Tim Hedges and Jenna Hedges were both driving new Hornet race cars. Jenna was sporting a purple cage and lettering on her car and was pleased with the way it came out. Both of the Hedges team cars were fast as was reigning champion Bree Tritchler. We know that with Tim Hedges and Tritchler we have two champions in the field, but we haven't heard if 2017 title winner Jason Stoutenburgh will be back. We do know that rookie Lacey Sauer was there making her very first laps in a team car with Tritchler. Tritchler further reports that her championship winning car will be driven by her dad.
The Nelson team had two of their cars out there. 2016 point runner-up Derrel Nelson Jr was happy to report that his shoulder surgery went well and he will be back full-time. Nelson was a two-time winner in 2016, and he'd like to get back to the winner's circle again this year. One of the people who will be trying to stop him will be as own son, Zach Nelson. Zach was among the Top 10 drivers in points last season, and he's hoping to get his first win. We further heard two other tidbits from the team. Zach has a Sport Modified in the works for a debut in that class some time this year. Brother Ryan Nelson should have his Hornet ready to go soon, perhaps at the opener.
The Kindall Oil Winged Sprint Cars were well represented with five drivers turning laps on Saturday. We heard that Enrique Jaime might not be ready for a while, but that wasn't the case. Not only was he there, but he was turning the fastest laps of the five drivers on hand, which included 2004 champion TJ Winningham. Actually, all five drivers looked good.
The three other drivers were rookies. David Marble has already made some practice laps at Yreka a couple of weeks ago, but these were his first laps in his Sprint Car at the track in which he's won both IMCA Sport Modified and Mini Stock titles. Jared Hood was there as well. If his #A1 looks familiar, there's a reason for that. He is the grandson of Hall Of Famer Don Hood. Jared has competed in motorcycles and speed boats, but these were his first laps behind the wheel of a Sprint Car.
The other new driver was Eureka, California's Anissa Curtice. Anissa comes from the Outlaw Kart ranks, where she completed at such tracks as Red Bluff and Cycleland. Anissa actually did turn some laps in a Winged Sprint Car last season in California, but word is that she will be a regular in the Medford effort this year. She got around the track quite well and will definitely fit in nicely with the rest of the group.
After the rocky start they had at their opener, Siskiyou Golden Speedway head a good night of racing last Saturday. New Promoter Kevin Barba got good news going into the weekend just by knowing that the track would be able to sell beer to the fans and would also have the new souvenir t-shirts ready. The fence was fixed, the track prepared and a group from Lakeport was there to help make sure they had their scoring system worked out. All that was needed were the cars.
They welcomed both the Calculated Comfort Outlaw Pro Stock Association and the Southern Oregon Dwarf Cars. Having divisions like these come to town does take the pressure off of the locals, and the Mini Stock division was given the night off. The IMCA Sport Modifieds were back along with the second appearance of the IMCA Modifieds. If the rest of the scheduled IMCA Modified races go off, they will officially have an IMCA recognized champion again this year.
Barba appears to be looking at IMCA Modifieds, but he's trying to do so in a way that gives him the best chance to have enough cars to put on a race. Therefore, the two April races were scheduled because neighboring Southern Oregon Speedway wasn't running yet. A half dozen cars came to race, including surprise visitor Riley Simmons out of Susanville. One might have expected a showdown between Simmons and Nick Trenchard, a past champion who has a new car this year. However, Simmons pulled away before Trenchard could get anywhere close. In fact, Duane Orsburn was there to keep Trenchard out of second place. You could still call what happened with the IMCA Modifieds progress. Why? Both attempts to run this class had six cars. The fence accident kept the Main Event from happening at the opener, but the show went on last week. Management found out there are drivers interested in racing at Yreka, and drivers now know management is interested. Things can happen for the IMCA Modifieds.
The Southern Oregon Dwarf Car Association has the lion's share of their races at Southern Oregon Speedway, leaving Yreka to get whatever is left over. Originally, they had three dates scheduled, but the July 13th event had to be removed as other things are happening at the fairgrounds. This made Saturday night the first of two races for the group, and they brought 14 competitors. Fans got a dose of some serious action early on as there was a flip by Reggie Ayres. Ayers drives one of the three Mod Lites in the group. There has been some concern behind the scenes about the Mod Lites having an advantage, and a few rules have been looked at. However, Mod Lites have only managed to be driven to one Top 5 finish within the group in the last year.
Getting into the Top 5 in this Dwarf Car division isn't easy when you've got drivers like three-time reigning champion Josh King and perennial title contenders Chad Cardoza and Camden Robustelli running up there with you. Robustelli looked like he had the right combination as he led most of the race. He won the two races held for the group early last season and was looking for three Yreka wins in a row. Unfortunately, he was left to watch the finish as King held off Cardoza and Ryan Smith for the victory. The thing about the Dwarf Cars is they are fast and the competition tends to be very close at the front of the pack. This race was no exception. They left the fans enjoying the show and management hoping to see them back more often.
The IMCA Sport Modified drivers might have been tiptoeing around the track in a way. Their opener was not pretty as they had a car roll over and another car crash through the fence to end the night. On this occasion, they went without a yellow flag. Ethan Killingsworth has thrown his hat into the ring as one of the top championship contenders after his third place finish at the opener. Everybody's been saying he was due to get a win, and that happened this time as he took the checkered flag by a wide margin. It was the Boswell brothers chasing him with Colt in second and Ryder in third. It appears as if the brothers and Killingsworth are this year's top contenders. However, Donovan Rogers and Gary Foster have been at both races and it's too early to make predictions. It was nice to see Jack Walden III making his first appearance in over a year. Hopefully we'll see a few more faces that we didn't see last year in the weeks ahead. It could happen this week when the Sport Modifieds and Mini Stocks are part of the program.
The headliner this week will be the Fifth Annual Billy Geyer Memorial race. This event is sponsored by Calculated Comfort of Medford and is run by the Oregon Pro Stock group. However, it is the first race of a five-race point series for the newly-established Tri State Challenge Pro Stock Series. The idea is to get the Oregon drivers to compete against the Nevada drivers and the California drivers to make bigger and better races for the fans to enjoy. Roy Bain from the Oregon side, Gordon Russell Jr from the Nevada side and Jerry Bartlett from the California side put this thing together.
It actually started with Bain and Russell before Bartlett got wind of what was happening and wanted in. Bain had been hoping that the Geyer race would start the series and that a race would happen at the Medford track. Unfortunately, by the time management there was going to give them a date, Bartlett had already secured two dates in Stockton, one of them being on the date Medford offered. The second Stockton date in September is the $5,000 to win Al Miller Memorial race and the race on June 29th in Cedarville is the Third Annual Gordon Russell Sr Memorial race, hosted by the Nevada group. There's also a race in Reno Fernley on in August.
One of the hopes in getting involved with the series is that it would see an increase in car count for the Yreka race. With the purse money being offered, the association was a little bit disappointed that more drivers didn't come in to make a run for the money last year. Part of the problem is rules are a little bit different between the three groups. The leaders of the Pro Stock Challenge Series are trying to work around that by letting drivers bring their rules and run those while they try to figure out a consensus for what would work in the future. In the meantime, fans will be seeing more cars.
Last Saturday night, Dr Scott Lenz picked up where he left off with another Calculated Comfort Outlaw Pro Stock Association win. In doing so, he and chief rival Scott Flowers had to work through the pack to challenge Scott's son, James Flowers. Lentz got around for the lead, but James held off Scott Flowers to finish second. These three figure to be the top contenders from the association on Saturday along with 2016 champion Steve Borror and the #42 car, which will reportedly be driven by past Pro Stock champion Dustin Knight instead of John David Duffie, who reportedly has something else scheduled for the night.
It really isn't an overstatement to say that the fans will want to be in Yreka if they like Pro Stock style racing. There will be lots of cars that the fans won't see at every race. Fans wondering where the B Mains went will also take note. The car count may be such that one will be needed on Saturday. There will be quality competitors coming to town as drivers like reigning race champion Mike Learn, Richard Workman, Chris Warner, Jerry Bartlett, Ryan McDaniel, Dave King Jr and others plan to be there for the show.
When Coos Bay Speedway opened their NASCAR Whelen All American Series season a few weeks ago, there was some speculation as to how many America's Mattress Super Late Models would be there. The community was buzzing when 14 drivers came to town. There's a question this week. How many will be there? Cottage Grove Speedway has a Late Model show. Preston Luckman of Coos Bay won the title there last year. Is he going back or will he make a run at Coos Bay? Luckman enjoyed a Top 3 finish at the opener behind Willamette star Joey Tanner. Tanner isn't expected and a couple of other drivers aren't either. This will be the true test of where the Super Late Model effort in Coos Bay is.
One thing the racers know is that they're competing for a point fund that will pay the state and track champion somewhere around $5,500. Brody Montgomery won that prize last year and has a target on his back this year. Drivers such as 2015 champion Toby McIntyre, two-time Sportsman Late Model champion Wayne Butler and 2012 champion Dave Foote are gunning for him this year. With local support from people like Richard Wallace and Chris Ray, it's hoped that the numbers can reach double-digit more often. Saturday will be the first test in a loaded program that will feature every championship point earning division the speedway has, including Sprint Cars.
There are some questions about where the Sportsman Late Model division and Mini Outlaw class are. The Mini Outlaws didn't run a Mini Event at the opener because only two drivers showed up. The good news is they were the fastest two. Two-time reigning champion Sam Talon and the always fast VW Beetle of Rob Lauver were there. Lauver hasn't been seen in over a year. Talon was also running his new Street Stock. It's hoped that some of the other drivers come out there for the next race, but it's always been unpredictable as to who will come out and run their Mini Outlaws. The cars are too fast to run with the Hornets or even the Mini Stocks that run at Yreka and Medford.
The Sportsman Late Model division took a double hit when Wayne Butler announced that he's focusing primarily on Super Late Models instead of doing double division duties. Deven Brown has also moved up and reigning champion Dyllan Siewell said that he wouldn't be out there at the start of the season. Braden Fugate, who has won several Hornet Main Events, appears to be answering the call so far. He won the season opener. The steady Charlie Withers remains in the field. They only had three cars for the opener. How will things go for the second race?
That might be the bad news, but the good news is they had a 10 car turnout of Hornets in which Hannah Robison and Tyler Tullos remained the frontrunners. This time around, Robison held off the reigning champion for the victory. The Hornets seem to be doing well, and there are many more cars yet to debut.
The Street Stock division featured eight cars including Hornet graduate Peyton Reigard. Reigning champion Ken Fox was there, but nobody was a match for Steve Dubisar. Dubisar has been running purely for fun these past two years and has won 15 Main Events in a two-year span. If he's there every week, he will be difficult to beat. There are enough Street Stocks in Coos Bay to keep this division going.
Douglas County Speedway in Roseburg will be opening their season on Saturday night. It's Rumble On The River night and the fans get to meet the racers at the Friday practice session. On Saturday night, Winchester Pub has put up some sponsorship money for the debut of the Sport Modified division. Unknown at this time is who intends to run for the money. The PRA runs Roseburg and they are not sanctioning the Sport Modifieds under IMCA. The Oregon contingent is staunchly IMCA, so it's not known if anybody will convert from dirt to run pavement. It will be interesting to see what happens. The one thing about Roseburg is they will offer a variety of classes this Saturday night, including the beautiful Hardtops, Street Stocks, Hornets, Mini Stocks and the returning J Class.
Diamond Mountain Speedway in Susanville is back, and we got results finally. We put them up elsewhere. This is more to say that the track has held a pair of races in a one week span. They ran last Friday rather than Saturday to accommodate American Valley Speedway in Quincy, which was opening on Saturday. Several drivers like to go to both race tracks, and the two tracks generally do a good job of not running on top of each other.
From the moment Jeff Olschowka took over as promoter in mid March, he and his crew have been working hard. The track is in beautiful shape. Some have even remarked that it's been looking better than ever after these two races. A lot of good things are planned at the Susanville track. The one thing Jeff didn't want to do was make changes in what runs there. People have the cars that they have, and therefore IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Sport Modifieds, Hobby Stocks and Mini Stock will remain the regular divisions.
You never know what could be booked in the future. But for now, just having a race track is the main thing. Before March, people assumed that maybe racing was done for in Susanville. It's amazing how quickly you can go from not knowing to putting race cars on the track again.
Rich Hood of Orland Raceway found that out back in 2016. He didn't know until April of that year that he would be able to reopen the track that was abruptly shut down a couple of weeks before it was scheduled to open. By June, they were racing. It's gotten better each year with Hood in charge. They return this Saturday night with the core three classes, Pure Stocks, Mini Stocks and Mini Trucks. The two Micro Sprint divisions will be there as well. The Big Show comes up on the 17th and 18th. They will be running a program on Friday night that will include the popular B Modifieds and the Wingless Spec Sprints along with Pure Stocks, Mini Trucks and Mini Stocks. A night later, its Destruction Derby time. Things continue to look up at Orland Raceway.
Mountain Valley Raceway and Orland generally don't book on top of each other, but sometimes it can't be helped. The reason they try to avoid this is because there are Orland racers willing to go to Hayfork and vice versa. It will be First Responders Night at the races on Saturday in which first responders with ID get in with one guest. They're trying different things to get people to come and check out a show, and they're giving the fans more of a show these days as the program continues to grow. Hobby Stocks and Mini Stocks remain, but they have added a B Modified division and an Enduro class that you have to see to believe. When you see the other three classes run their races and the water truck get on the track before the Enduro, buckle up. It's going to be a wild ride. Saturday night in Hayfork should be lots of fun.
Siskiyou Golden Speedway Unofficial Race Results April 27, 2019
SODCA Dwarf Cars
Results are not official
1 #09 Josh King
2 #71 Chad Cardoza
3 #26s Ryan Smith
4 #9s Mason Lewman
5 #10 Fred Hay
6 #4 Joseph Sanders
7 #96 Jesse Lorentz
8 #7s Paul Haslow
9 #95s Mitch Scheeler
10 #25s Camden Robustelli
11 #46s Sean Trujillo
12 #14s Jerry Houck
13 #74 Brett James
Calculated Comfort Comfort Outlaw Pro Stocks
Results are not official
1 #51L Scott Lenz
2 #04 James Flowers
3 #21 Scott Flowers
4 #0m Matt Harlow
5 #42 John David Duffie
6 #55 Bryan Hammond
7 #B40 Steve Borror
8 #7 Colby Hammond
9 #20 Julia Flowers
10 #22 Ginny Flowers
IMCA Sport Modifieds
Results are not official
1 #7M Ethan Killingsworth
2 #12C Colt Boswell
3 #08 Ryder Boswell
4 #27s Sean Hulsey
5 #6R Donovan Rogers
6 #71 Gary Foster
7 #1$ Jack Walden III
IMCA Modifieds
Results are not official
1 #21R Riley Simmons
2 #0 Duane Orsburn
3 #54N Nick Trenchard
4 #89c Albert Gill
5 #21 Jeremy Ohlde
Placerville Speedway Unofficial Race Results April 20, 2019
Tilford Tribute
IMCA Modifieds
Main Event
Danny Wagner
Troy Foulger
Nick DeCarlo
Tim Balding
Ray Trimble
Buddy Kniss
Kellen Chadwick
Ryan Porter
Justin Foux
Freddie Plourde III
Harley Turner
Denny Robblee
Chester Kniss
Ryan McDaniel
Raymond Lindeman
Paul Gouglielmoni
Bobby Hogge IV
Anthony Slaney
Dillion Schriner
B Main
Denny Robblee
Harley Turner
Justin Foux
Chester Kniss
Dillion Schriner
IMCA Sport Modifieds
Main Event
Fred Ryland
Mark Garner
Guy Ahlwardt
Brian Cooper
Andrew Peckham
Todd Cooper
Tanner Thomas
Les Friend
Kenny Shrader
Mike Merritt
KC Keller
Jimmy Ford
Adrian Frost
Patti Ryland
Nick Caughman
Chuck Golden
Scott Savell
Jason Ferguson
Phillip Shelby
Timothy Allerdings
B Main
Timothy Allerdings
Kenny Shrader
Mike Merritt
Patti Ryland
Jason Ferguson
Jeremy Phillips
Jim Waller
Mike Smith
Limited Late Models
Bobby Hogge IV
Tyler Lightfoot
Dan Brown Jr
Ryan McDaniel
Jay Norton
Randy Shafer
Mike Lightfoot
Richard Vander Ploeg
Eddie Gardner
Ray Trimble
Jay's Mobile Welding Pure Stocks
Kevin Jinkerson
Dave Silva
Nick Baldwin
Mel Byers
John Ewing
Dennis Armstrong
Jesse Bryant
Tim Mchenry
Lonnie Lennard
Stephanie Hanson
Jason Leonard
Toby Merrifield
Dan Jinkerson
Jason Palmer
Clarence Holbrook III
Matthew Chacon
Jarred Beddow
Shannon Collins
William Merritt
Chase Grigsby
