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Robinson Wins Toller Memorial Race At Marysville Raceway

Marysville, CA...February 29...Second-generation racer Ryan Robinson won the Sherm and Loree Toller Memorial Winged 360 Sprint Car race Saturday night at Marysville Raceway. Robinson's win aboard the Todd Weiher owned Sprint Car was his second in as many weeks as he was the winner at Stockton last Saturday. This win paid $2,000.

When the green flag waved, Robinson sprinted into the lead ahead of reigning Placerville champion Andy Forsberg and  2018 Marysville champ Mike Monahan. With Forsberg shadowing his every move, Robinson had to hit his marks to remain in front. However, Robinson was doing an excellent job when the only yellow flag of the race flew for Monahan on lap 20. Forsberg gave Robinson some serious pressure on the restart. However, Robinson was not about to make a mistake as he kept his poise and brought it home to a well-earned victory. Forsberg settled for second ahead of Jesse Love, reigning track champion Michael Ing, Billy Wallace, Heath Hall, Brant Bjork, Jake Haulot, Korey Lovell and Kevin Lovell.

Forsberg set the fast time of 14 competitors with a lap of 12.645 around the quarter-mile clay oval. Ing was second quick at 12.704. Eight lap heat race wins went to Forsberg and Robinson.

Shane Hopkins won the 20 lap Wingless Spec Sprint Main Event. His win came aboard the Brian Sperry owned entry. Hopkins raced into the lead at the start ahead of Matt Streeter and past Petaluma champion Shayna Sylvia. Josh Young charged from fourth into second on the third lap with Streeter running third as Sylvia ran a close fourth. Hopkins steadily pulled away in the non-stop event, leaving the battle for second. Sylvia slipped past Streeter for the third position on lap 13, and Hopkins held a straightaway advantage over Young at that point. Hopkins went on to the impressive victory with Young holding off Sylvia in a much closer battle for second. Streeter settled for fourth, followed by Dennis Furia Jr, Terry Schank Jr and Rory McLaughlin. Sylvia won the eight lap heat race. Braden Moniz was a Main Event scratch.

Brett Youngman won the 12 lap Crate Sprint Main Event. The reigning champion went winless at Marysville last year, though he won the division's appearance in Chico. With Mike Ballantine and Jeff Macedo scratching after the heat race. David Sims led early with Cameron Haney Jr and Youngman in close pursuit. Haney led Youngman around Sims on the fifth lap. With Youngman following closely, Haney broke after completing the seventh lap for the only yellow flag of the race. Officials cut the race to 12 laps at that point. Youngman led Sims on the restart, and they finished in order with Haney credited in third. Haney won the eight lap heat race.

Championship point racing begins on March 21st with the Winged 360 Sprint Cars back in action along with the Pepsi IMCA Sport Modifieds and Hobby Stocks. For further information, go to www.marysvilleraceway.com.

New Schedule Announced For Outlaw Pro Stock Association

Klamath Falls, Oregon...The schedule for the ninth season of the Outlaw Pro Stock Association has been released, and the group will be busy as they pay visits to four different tracks during the course of a 14 race season. After the excitement of a championship battle that went down to the final race in Yreka in October last year, the drivers are excited about getting back on the race track again. 

Siskiyou Golden Speedway in Yreka will again be the home track for the group with eight championship point events, starting with visits on April 11th and 25th. The Annual Billy Geyer Memorial race on May 2nd will be a Tri State Pro Stock Series event, but the Outlaw Pro Stock Association will support it. It's two weeks later on May 16th when they pay tribute to the late Bryan Hammond, who passed away after a heart attack moments after the final race in Medford last year.

Speaking of Medford, the association gets to be a part of some of the biggest events at the track. This will include the Roger Haudenshild Tribute race on May 30th. They are back in Yreka on June 13th before supporting another Tri State Challenge event on June 27th. This will be in Cedarville and it's the Fourth Annual Gordon Russell Sr Memorial race. As it is with the Geyer race, the association will show their support in an event that won't count towards championship points.

The Pro Stocks get to be a part of the Fourth of July celebration event in Yreka on July 4th before heading back up north a week later to support the Tri State Series race in Medford. This will be another special event as it is the first ever Rocky Nash Memorial race. They return to Yreka on July 18th. On August 1st, what has become an annual event at Coos Bay Speedway will happen once again. The group goes head-to-head with the NASCAR Sportsman Late Models that night. They return to Yreka on August 22nd before running their final race of the year at Medford on September 6th. This is the second night of the R Charles Snyder Salute. Championship point racing concludes in Yreka on September 26th.

One of the originators of the association in 2012, Arlen Heath, returned last year to support the tour as the title sponsor with his Calculated Comfort Heating, Air Conditioning and Refrigerating company in Medford. The season started off on an extremely high note for two-time reigning series champion Dr Scott Lenz. Lenz won the first four races in Yreka, including the Billy Geyer race. He won the Gordon Russell Sr race in Cedarville and won the Roger Haudenshild Tribute race and another event in Medford as well. Lenz seemed well on his way to the championship with his August win in Coos Bay, and he also had a second place finish to Steve Borror at the sixth Yreka event. 

Unfortunately, the momentum went away from Lenz at that point. It appeared as if he made a charge from an early pit stop to finish second at the R Charles Snyder Salute in Medford, but association rules docked him a lap as he missed a restart. Though technically a lap hadn't been completed when he did return, it was clear in the bylaws that he was still a lap down. Following his win in Yreka, the consistent Scott Flowers gained the point lead. Lenz opted not to return for the final race, conceding the championship to Flowers. The win for Flowers in the first October race was his first victory in five years. Consistency was indeed the key as he had seven Top 5 finishes in the eight races held in Yreka. He also had second and third place finishes in the first two Medford races, finished fourth in the Russell Memorial in Cedarville and third in a visit to the Tri State Series event in Fernley, Nevada.

As it turned out, Flowers won the championship by just 51 points, but it was his son James Flowers who ended up claiming second in the standings after picking up the season-ending feature win in Yreka. James beat Lenz by just 26 points. The younger Flowers had five Top 5 finishes in Yreka and also had a fourth place finish at Coos Bay and a Top 5 finish in the Gordon Russell Sr race. James also won the Trophy Dash in July in Medford.

Matt Harlow came within four points of claiming third in the standings in the Maurie Skaggs owned entry. Harlow finished as high as third on two occasions in Yreka along with three additional Top 5 efforts. He also had a third place finish once in Medford. He beat John David Duffie by just seven points to claim fourth in the standings. Duffie finished as high as second once in Yreka along with three additional Top 5 finishes. Duffie had a fifth place finish in Coos Bay as well.

The balance of the Top 11 in the standings was made up by Ginny Flowers, Bryan Hammond, Colby Hammond, Kenneth LaPlant, Rick Lukens and Jeff Haudenshild. Season highlights for these six included a win for Haudenshild in the R Charles Snyder Salute in Medford as well as a third place finish in the Roger Haudenshild Tribute. Lukens, LaPlant and Bryan Hammond each had a season-high second place finish in Yreka. Ginny Flowers had a fifth place finish in a Main Event in Yreka. Also noteworthy was 2016 champion Steve Borror's two feature wins in Yreka, one second place finish in Medford and one second place finish in Coos Bay. Borror also picked up a Trophy Dash win in Yreka. Lenz, meanwhile, led the group with a total of five Trophy Dash wins.

The Outlaw Pro Stock Association has a roster of over 20 active competitors, and new drivers such as Mini Stock stars Darek Alfod and Mike McLeod have recently joined the division. Club President Scott Flowers is busy putting the finishing touches on an exciting season ahead, and there will be series sponsors announced soon. For further information, check out the Outlaw Pro Stock Association Facebook page.

2019 Outlaw Pro Stock Association Points

Scott Flowers 659

James Flowers 608

Scott Lenz 582

Matt Harlow 578

John Duffie 571

Ginny Flowers 436

Bryan Hammond 433

Colby Hammond 426

Kenneth LaPlant 396

Rick Lukens 328

Jeff Haudenshild 252

Bobbio's Pizza Mini Stocks Begin 25th Season 
At Southern Oregon Speedway

White City, Oregon...The Bobbio's Pizza Mini Stocks return as one of the featured divisions at Southern Oregon Speedway this season. Along with the IMCA Modifieds, they are the only division to crown a champion every season since the track opened in 1996. The division has served as an entry point into the racing scene, launching several racing careers through the years.

The four cylinder division has included cars from several different manufacturers through the years, including Toyotas, Nissans and Fords. Currently, the most popular model is the Ford Mustang, and it's not often you see a racer break that trend and score a feature win these days. Back in the early days, drivers like Brian Barns, Tracy Bradley, David Bishop, Rich McCoy and Mike Johnson counted themselves as champions at the speedway. Both McCoy and Johnson went on to compete in other classes, and Barns was the first Late Model Lites champion when that division was introduced. 

They didn't get much better then Jim Pope and John Derby. Both drivers had a knack for scoring feature wins and were track champions. In fact, Derby won four-consecutive titles before stepping away. It was around that time that two top notch competitors, Bob Burkett and David Steele, entered the scene. Burkett has won championships in both Mini Stocks and Late Model Lites before stepping away, and Steele has been on a major roll for the past few seasons.

You might as well put a big target on the fast #67 Mustang of Steele. Everybody is gunning for him. During the past two seasons, he's only failed to win the Main Event four times on his way to back-to-back championships. Along the way, Steele has written his name in the books as the all-time Main Event win leader in division history. In fact, he's also known to head down to Yreka on occasion and leave with the Main Event winner's hardware there as well. Simply put, Steele is the driver to beat anytime he's there.

It's the new stars who have joined this class in recent seasons who have gained valuable experience and become threats to Steele. The two Main Events he didn't win last year were won by 2018 championship runner-up Hunter Magnan and last season's point runner-up Ashtin Hedges. Hedges was a feature winner in the Hornet division prior to moving up to the Mini Stock class, and he topped the competitors with six runner-up finishes last season as the biggest threat to Steele on any given race night. Both drivers should be fast this year.

2013 champion Steve Goetz had a horrendous start to his season last year, which took him out of contention, but he'll be a threat to get back into the winner's column this year. Likewise, 2017 champion Kristopher Mix is hoping to grab another feature win this year. Though the third-generation racer Mix also had a rough start last year, he still climbed his way up the point ladder and held off Magnan to rank third in the standings. He plans to compete in both the Mini Stock and IMCA Sport Modified classes this year.

Teammates Dylan Irving and Brandyn Wonsyld were both top competitors in the Hornet division in the past, and both won Main Events in that class. Last season, Irving drove the former David Marble car to a fifth place season, which was good enough to earn him top rookie honors. He'll be out to get his first win in this class, while Wonsyld will be hoping to be a bigger threat to win races as well.

The division will gain the Hedges Racing Team in full force this year. 2016 Hornets champion Tim Hedges has a four-car team again this year. He will be behind the wheel of the 2014 division championship car of Gary Anderson. Wife Jenna Hedges has a car, although she's tentative as far as how much racing she will do. As a two-time Hornet point runner up and feature winner in that class, it stands to reason that she would get comfortable behind the wheel of a Mini Stock in short order. There's no word on who will drive the other Hedges car, and one of the cars is a championship winning machine from a little over a decade ago. 

Andrew Hall, who was a Top 5 competitor a few years ago, is hoping he will have his Ford Pinto dialed in just right this year. There are several other cars available, and there has been some speculation that we'll be seeing a few new or returning drivers in the field. Competitors such Garrett Fredrickson, Greg McDaniels and Scott Yergis could see some action this year. We might also see a visit or two from drivers in the Yreka area when scheduling allows.

The Mini Stock division serves an important role in getting new drivers on the track who eventually move up to other classes. Car count is expected to increase slightly this season during the 13 race schedule. The first race for the class will happen on May 2nd. Other races to look forward to include May 16th, May 30th as part of the Roger Haudenshild Tribute, June 13th, June 20th, June 27th, July 11th, July 25th, August 8th, August 22nd, August 29th and Championship Night on September 12th. For further information on this and other topics, go to www.southernoregonspeedway.com.

Late Model Lites Return For 16th Season 
At Southern Oregon Speedway

White City, Oregon...Southern Oregon Speedway continues to offer the pinnacle of four cylinder racing. This is the Late Model Lites division, and it returns for its 16th championship season on the 3/10 mile clay oval. The division first launched in 2003, and Mini Stock graduate Brian Barns won the first two titles. As this class has evolved, it's become one of the fastest race cars at the speedway.

Following the 2013 season with a bit of controversy behind the scenes, the division was discontinued. However, a few racers wouldn't give up on the dream, led by Lee Doty . Doty lobbied for a race in 2015, which he won. He then persuaded new Promoter Mike McCann to add the class in 2016, coming on board as the title sponsor for the class in 2017. Valley Store All Self Storage in Medford sponsored three seasons for the class, but 2016 champion Doty has since retired to Arizona after selling his car to Ross Payant.

If the Payant name sounds familiar, it's because Ross was a Late Model competitor at the old Medford Raceway. He was a multi-time Late Model Lites feature winner last year on his way to third in the standings behind new champion Greg Arnold and 2018 title winner Charlie Eaton. Arnold, who also won the 2002 Super Truck championship, has moved up to full Late Models this season, putting Payant and Eaton into the position of "drivers to beat".

Eaton would love to join Joe Guider, Brian Johnsen and Barns as a two-time champion, but he knows the competition will still be tough. In addition to Payant, the Hadley Racing team is anticipated with three cars this season. Nobody in the history of the division has more feature wins than past division championship runner-up Terry Hadley. Wife Krista Hadley had multiple Top 3 feature finishes last season, and she ranked fourth in the standings. Both drivers will be threats to win.

The Aos Racing Team should again be represented. Both Eric Aos and Dusty Aos have been Top 5 ranked in recent seasons, and Dusty was fifth last year. Last year was not the kindest to either one of them, but as feature winners in the past, they should both be considered threats to win again this season.

Following a season with horrendous luck, Jim Cunningham is hoping to dial out the bugs and become a factor in the battle for wins this season. One driver who has won Main Events in the past, Danny Prewitt, is expected to return this season. The 2018 championship car of Bob Burkett has been purchased by the Naramore Racing Team and is expected to return this season. The Naramore family competed in the old Thrill Car division and were champions. We're also hoping to see 2013 champion John Barger make an appearance or two this year as well.

For the Mini Stock racer looking to continue in four cylinder competition, these fast race cars are an attractive option. They will make their first 2020 appearance on May 9th, followed by visits on May 23rd, June 20th, July 4th, July 25th, August 1st, August 15th and Championship Night on September 17th. It's hoped that the car count will be assisted by the more relaxed eight race season. For further information on this and other topics, go to www.southernoregonspeedway.com.

Pro Stocks, Hardtops Make Three Appearances Each 
In 2020 At Southern Oregon Speedway

Medford, Oregon...There's quite the variety on the 2020 schedule once again at Southern Oregon Speedway. Every year since the track opened in 1996, the Pro Stocks have held at least one race, and that will continue again this year with three visits on three special occasions. The Old Time Racers of Oregon Hardtops will also be back with their vintage style of racing three times.

When the speedway opened in 1996, the Pro Stocks were instrumental in helping establish a solid foundation. Frequently during those early years, the Pro Stocks delivered the biggest car counts at the track. There would be over 30 competitors at times, and the field included some of the best drivers, including Jimmy Walker Jr, Scott Lenz, Brian Poppa, Frank Word III, Tony Walker and John David Duffie. The first four drivers count themselves as champions. Walker won three of the first championships at the speedway, and Word won an incredible eight titles in nine seasons, interrupted by Poppa after his first four-consecutive titles.

When the speedway went a different route with the introduction of the IMCA Sport Modifieds in 2012, a few drivers joined the class. However, others formed the Outlaw Pro Stock Association. The group enters their ninth season. They have had an impressive roster of their own, and this includes two-time champions Ken Irving and Scott Lenz, one-time champions Steve Borror and Dave Everson. The reigning champion will be Scott Flowers. Flowers like several drivers on the roster, hails from the Klamath Falls area. He broke a five-year winner's drought with his October win in Yreka last year. After second and third place finishes in Medford last year, he's hoping to grab a victory here this time around.

Jeff Haudenshild managed to score the surprise win in the R Charles Snyder Salute last season. In an effort to help the Pro Stocks get more of an opportunity to shine, Promoter Mike McCann has booked them as the third division for the Sunday portion of the Snyder race on September 6th. There will be no fourth division this time, meaning the Pro Stocks should have a great opportunity to shine. Haudenshild and Flowers will lead an impressive line-up of competitors which should include such stars as Irving, James Flowers, Matt Harlow, Kenneth LaPlant, Rick Lukens, Colby Hammond and Dean Hackworth. We could also see 2016 champion Steve Borror among the field as well. 

The Pro Stocks have become an important part of the Roger Haudenshild Tribute race, which happens again on May 30th. With two-time series champion Scott Lenz winning the last three big shows and moving up to Late Models this year, it opens the door for somebody else to get a winner's opportunity. Borror won the race in 2016. However, there is still one other Pro Stock race on the schedule that the association will be a part of.

On July 11th, Southern Oregon Speedway offers a $1,000 to win race with a special meaning behind it. This will be the Rocky Nash Memorial race. Nash was not only one of the top Pro Stock competitors and a longtime Medford area racer, he was also a winner on the prestigious NASCAR West Series circuit on multiple occasions. Nash passed away in 2017 following complications suffered from a crash in Yreka. This event will be promoted by the new Tri State Pro Stock Series.

Series organizer Roy Bain was excited to announce the event after negotiations fell through in the attempt to book a race in 2018. The Pro Stocks will be the headliner that night, and drivers from Oregon, California and Nevada are anticipated. Jesse Gonzalez has won the first two races held in Stockton, California this year. He figures to be a tough competitor, along with such crafty veterans as Bill Pearson, reigning series champion Mike Learn, Jerry Bartlett, Ryan Cherezian, Donny Richardson and some of the best drivers from the Oregon Outlaw Pro Stock Association.

The Vintage Coup and Sedan race cars from the Old Time Racers of Oregon will be back three times this year as well. The drivers compete in old 1930s and 1940s Ford, Chevy and Dodge bodied race cars. They have had several races each season since Promoter Mike McCann took over the track in 2016. Mark Minter counts himself as the only driver to win a feature in each of the four previous seasons. Bill Trotter has been the biggest supporter of the effort during that time, and both drivers are anticipated when the group comes to town on May 9th, May 23rd and June 13th. 

Among the drivers on the roster are Dan Fouts in the Dusty Trotter owned entry, Brian Weberg II, Matt Butler, Jay Smith, Chris Mehrer and Dean Cast. Cast was a feature winner last season, and Butler and Weberg were both preliminary race winners last year. The Hardtops are always fun to watch and are a throwback to a time when this division ruled the race tracks throughout the United States in the 1950s and 1960s. 

Special visits from the Pro Stocks and Hardtops give the fans a little bit more variety in addition to the regular divisions being offered. There's quite a bit to be excited about at Southern Oregon Speedway this year. For further information on this and other topics, go to www.southernoregonspeedway.com.

Editor's Viewpoint

This is literally a last-minute column. I had no plans to do a Jefferson Racing post today, and the future of the blog is still up in the air. However, I had enough content and it felt right to go ahead and do this one, so here it is. The weather has been so nice, even up in Oregon, that some tracks could have actually booked a practice day for Saturday if they wanted. Who knew that the weather would be this good though? If it continues to hold, Cottage Grove will have a practice on the 14th and open their season a week later.

One of the things that somehow escaped my attention was the fact that there are playdays scheduled for both Orland Raceway and Siskiyou Golden Speedway on Saturday. You don't usually have much chance of putting race cars on the track anywhere from Yreka through Oregon in early March. In talking with Mike McCann, he tells me that when he took over Riverside Speedway, now Cottage Grove Speedway, he went ahead and booked racing in March. This was back in 1985.

True story. Mike really had no idea how things were done in Oregon with scheduling. He'd been in California and was taking the leap to realize his dream of promoting a race track. Most of the promoting he'd done up to that point involved Micro Sprint racing, but few can doubt the positive impact he had on Cottage Grove. Promoters told him he was crazy, but he managed to pull it off that year. As he learned more, he realized that usually you don't get anything started until mid-April.

Siskiyou Golden Speedway released a revised schedule following the successful negotiations with the Outlaw Pro Stock Association. We all knew they would be getting dates, but we were waiting for those confirmed dates. I know there are some people cranky in Medford that the Pro Stock class doesn't have enough dates, and I'm certainly one of those people. However, Yreka has kept the gates open to bring them in anytime they can get them. It's a smart move on their part, and from a Klamath Falls perspective, it's just as easy for the drivers to tow from there to Yreka as it is Medford.

I noticed Kevin Barba hadn't put a date on the calendar for the Mike Caveye Memorial Mini Stock Blowout race. I hope that's just an oversight as this division does a lot of the heavy lifting as far as scheduling is concerned and does deserve this special race. It's not as if they have a huge purse anyway. All of the other things you would expect are on the schedule, including the John Arnberg, Bo Hittson, Rod Restad and the Rod Barba Memorial races. Lots of things in are happening in Yreka. 

I would like to see some effort made to add more to the local roster, and the reason is they need as many cars as they can get. They need to know that when they book something in-house, they can get cars. Bringing in the Pro Stocks or Dwarf Cars to make visits is a very smart move, but it's equally smart to have more in house stuff. I'm sure there's going to be some little last-minute adjustments to the schedule based on what Medford isn't booking, which can include Late Model and Sprint Car visits, but those divisions do have price tags to them. Medford has invested heavily in building those classes. 

I think it was a smart move to book more IMCA Modified races. It's still important, in my view, to reach out to anybody in the area who has a car that's been parked in the last few years to see if you can get them back. There are anywhere from a half-dozen to 10 cars that I know of that could probably get back out there in short order, and you need that in case the Medford drivers don't tow over the hill. I'm not so sure that booking 15 or 16 dates was wise. They've been booking four dates in recent seasons, and I think eight would have been a better number. I would advise the track to pay IMCA Modifieds what Medford pays them, regardless of car counts.

One thing about Mike McCann in Medford is that if he says he's going to pay something, he's damn well going to pay it. There was a race for IMCA Modifieds in 2016, won by Duane Orsburn. McCann paid the usual $500 to win and the $100 minimum to start. It's called consistency, and you'll get drivers if they know they're not going to get hosed at the pay window. McCann actually was prepared to pay the $700 to win and $500 for second guarantee for a Sprint Car race that year that only had two cars, but Jake Wheeler loaded up and left in a huff that night. Interesting that the $700 probably would have gone to him that night, but anyway. Guaranteed payouts is the way to go if you really want to build a car count.

I still believe that some new in-house divisions need to be established now. I understand that you won't have a big car count in those classes initially, but if you can give the fans another four or five cars to watch, it helps. What's going to get the fans to come spectate in Yreka? More race cars on any given night. With the media outlets willing to spread the word, when fans see a good car count after hearing about the show from the media, they'll keep coming back. The track should immediately start a Hornet division. It wouldn't be that hard to do, and they can get some cars. They can even go bold with an IMCA sanctioning for the class, although I don't think that's necessary.

Some sort of Hobby Stock, Street Stock or even IMCA Stock Car class should probably be started as well. They're not doing anything like this in Medford, and there's still interest in this style of racing. At least ways, the track should gamble on Hobby Stocks. I know it's work to do, but classes like Hobby Stocks and Hornets also help because you don't have to pay out big purses. High end divisions are another matter, because I know budget is tight unless they could get a big sponsor. I'll throw out two random thoughts. Yreka should look at Wingless Spec Sprints like they do at Orland and Antioch. It makes Sprint Car racing a possibility for people who might not have thought they could do it. I'd love to see the I4 Modifieds try the dirt in Yreka once or twice. Something tells me Kevin's tried to make that happen, but the guys aren't quite ready yet. 

Two easy booking scenarios on the schedule that could be done now are Hall of Fame Night and running on Friday during R Charles Snyder Salute weekend in Medford. As the Medford track does not do practice on Friday night, Yreka could probably get cars on their way to Medford. Furthermore, it might entice people to go up to Medford knowing that Yreka is taking a chance with their own special Friday date. Maybe $1,000 to win for Modifieds and $750 to win for Sport Modifieds? Just a thought. 

Hall of Fame night is a great way to sell the history of the track to the fans and also highlight how long the track has been there in the community. It's not that difficult to put together. Pick a few legends each year to induct into the Hall of Fame during intermission that night. You basically pay for the plaques and free tickets for the inductees and their families. You can put up clipping display boards by the grandstands so the fans can look at the old articles and pictures. This promotion wouldn't really cost that much to do, and you would benefit in many ways over time

Regardless, Yreka will be getting started with practice this Saturday night. They've also got the Sportsman Expo coming up that should have some cars on display once again. Car shows are a big thing to get people talking. Coos Bay Speedway will have the Pony Village Mall show coming up very soon, and Medford will be having a show at the mall as well as being a part of the Pear Blossom Parade. It's a way to get people excited about the coming racing season.

I don't have a lot to really talk about at the moment. I've heard through sources that Kevin Barba was interested in trying to do something between Yreka and Medford, in addition to the big Aces High Gambler Series that includes Coos Bay on June 26th through June 28th. This is a big IMCA Modified series which will have IMCA Sport Modified support at all three events. Yeah, I've heard Kevin might be interested in doing something, although I'm not aware that he's actually contacted Mike McCann to see if anything could be done or not. I'm not sure if there is any possibility, but you never know unless you ask.

Orland Raceway roars to life this weekend with practice, and I'm optimistic for another good year for them. The schedule they released recently looks nice with plenty of races for the core four divisions, Pure Stocks, Wingless Spec Sprints, Mini Trucks and Mini Stocks. I understand Mountain Valley Raceway will be having a practice in Hayfork within the next couple of weeks, and Jerm Smith has put out a proposition to try to get a Modified show this year. If they can get six visitors to join their locals, there is $1,000 in purse money for them. It's an interesting roll of the dice. I'm not sure they will get any takers, but you never know unless you try.

We are just under two months away from practice at Southern Oregon Speedway. By moving practice to the last week of April last year, we managed to accomplish what we hadn't the previous three years. We got a practice in, and everybody managed to get good laps. The way the weather is going right now, it looks like it should happen, but things will change on a dime around here. One of the projects that Mike McCann and the Jackson County Parks people are working on is paving the entrance road to the track. I'm sure everybody will like it much better.

Southern Oregon Speedway will manage to have several big races throughout the course of the season. The total divisions are a little bit lighter on any given race night, so now we'll find out a little bit more about where we stand with certain car counts. My frustration was that I personally believe the Pro Stocks could have been fit in there another three or four times, but I still think the schedule looks good. Every big race that was on the schedule last year is still there, and that means some big specials for IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Sport Modifieds, Late Models, Sprint Cars and the big appearance of The Iron Giant Street Stocks. I love that class, so I'm looking forward to a nice Memorial Day weekend so it can happen. 

My thinking is that the Iron Giant Street Stock Series is exactly what is needed to keep a strong presence in Oregon in light of the decision of certain tracks in recent years to add IMCA Stock Cars to the mix. Without this series, I fear Street Stocks could take a big hit. I think James Whitehouse has done well to keep it going, and though he's made some mistakes, I think he's learned from them. I am amazed that Oregon has held onto Street Stocks as we knew them in California. Plus, Oregon still has a thriving Late Model division. As much frustration as I have with this state, you can't ignore those two positives.

Mountain Valley Raceway recently made a pitch to get at least a half-dozen Modifieds to come to town to race against the three or four locals they have in the class. Jerm Smith has relocated from the Porterville-Bakersfield area and is excited about helping the Hayfork track step up to the next level. He has also been attempting to bring the Northern Nevada Sprint Cars to town for a visit, and those negotiations may still be ongoing. It's not a bad idea to try to add new and bigger attractions to the show, in my opinion.

I'm of the opinion that the track should be focused on Sport Modified rules while pursuing an IMCA sanctioning. The reason being every other track is sanctioned, and that could get some visitors to come to town in the name of IMCA points. However, what really should be the focus is shoring up the program they already have. The Hobby Stock, Mini Stock and Enduro classes all have potential, but there will apparently be no championship point race for them. I'm not sure what the official reason is, but if it's money for trophies, perhaps the $1,000 that would be offered for the six Modified drivers they are seeking could be spent there instead?

One of the ways a track markets itself is through championship points. Drivers may not be as committed to that as they were years ago, but they still care about it. A championship or a good point season still means something to some racers. It's also a way to make your racers bigger stars to the fans you are trying to get to come to the races. This guy is a champion, this driver was our top rookie, this guy was a career best second last year. It gets the fans engaged and committed to wanting to be there every week. I'm not saying don't think bigger, but I am saying champiosnship points is a way to build up your program.

I've noticed a Pacific Northwest writer kind of ripping on the struggling Sprint Car division in the state. Truthfully, it's a damn mess. Mike McCann was basically the guy who established Sprint Cars at Cottage Grove in the 1980s and also established Wingless Sprint Cars at Sunset Speedway. The Wingless Sprint Series has still managed to hold on. I am frustrated that they wouldn't talk to McCann about a date or two this year, but their schedule looks good, especially at Sunset. I know the columnist in question isn't paying much attention to Wingless Sprint racing.

The concern is the sorry state of Winged 360 Sprint Cars. I put a finger of blame at a certain individual who deals parts and engines and has his hands all over this class. He's basically guiding it with his influence on other promoters. When McCann came to Medford, I think the goal was to start a Winged 360 Sprint Car class there, but the budget was not as big as hoped at first. McCann left it open to see where the support came from, but this particular influential person rallied the troops to not support Medford. Thanks to Dave Hibbard, McCann was persuaded to go a different direction, and the class has been established with Limited Sprint rules. 

I will admit the 360 Sprint Cars are a mess in Oregon. Cottage Grove is the hub, and the only way they usually can fill out their field if they don't have a visiting group coming to town is by allowing Limited Sprints to join with an incentive for the highest finisher in that group. Madras is on an island unto themselves with a few Winged 360 Sprint races. Had this influencer let Medford get its legs underneath it, that track likely would have ended up running Winged 360s and the division would be much stronger in Oregon. However, it still has a fighting chance.

What you have to remember is Limited Sprints have a strong presence at Cottage Grove and Medford, while still getting by somehow in Coos Bay. At the former two tracks, we have new drivers still in their teens getting started, and I can guarantee you their desire is not to run Limited Sprints for years. They are just getting started. We've seen drivers like Tanner Holmes and Tyler Thompson already up in the Winged 360s, and that trend will continue. By still keeping the division on the schedule, Cottage Grove could see an increase in Winged 360s in the near future.

The columnist seems to indicate that Limited Sprints have harmed Sprint Car racing in Oregon, but it's quite the contrary. Limited Sprints have kept the division alive. Some Limited Sprint people see the potential of drivers moving up and are worried that their division could be hurt, but that's not the case either. I think the two divisions can have a symbiotic relationship where drivers get in through the Limited Sprints and move up to the Winged 360s. The Limited Sprints have some good things of their own including the ISCS Series and Week of Speed. There are people down in Medford panicking a little bit, thinking they need to raise the purse to keep people coming.

I personally don't like the idea, and I furthermore believe Medford is already over paying the division. While Cottage Grove sticks to its guns at $500 to win and $100 to start according to their website, you're getting about twice that money in Medford. It was believed by people who pushed for the purse increase that cars would start coming, and that hasn't been the case. It's almost as easy for Roseburg racers to go to Medford as Cottage Grove, and yet a majority of those drivers go to Cottage Grove for half the purse. Money ain't the answer to everything.

The real problem a promoter has when they start playing around with purse money is other divisions notice who's getting the money and who isn't. When you have multiple fast divisions and some of them are getting increases and some aren't, drivers can start getting a little bit grumpy about the whole thing. Furthermore, when you do this with purse money, you have to look for justification. In other words, how is the car count now that the purse money is up? How is the fan attendance based on that particular division? And if the numbers don't add up, you can put yourself on the hook for bigger payouts and not really benefit. It's an investment to pay out big purses.

That's a bit of a side issue. It definitely costs money to have faster divisions, but the point I started with is that although one can say the state of Sprint Car racing in Oregon is a mess, it's not dead. There is potential for more things to happen. At the moment, we've only got seven dirt tracks in operation, two of which aren't very popular with Winged Sprint Car racers and one which is seen as being a bit off the beaten path. There's still the possibility of a track or two opening in Oregon in the next couple of years, which could make this discussion more interesting.

The bigger mistake people in the Pacific Northwest make, and I will include Washington in this, is trying to compare Sprint Car racing in Oregon and Washington to California. You're not going to win that comparison. California is the superior state by far when it comes to Sprint Cars, just as Oregon is the superior state when it comes to Late Models. There were better days in the past for the other two states. There was a time when Speedweek for the Sprint Cars meant something and got big California names. They can still get some of that glory back, but they're going to have to work on it. Sprint Car racing is still alive in Washington and Oregon, but the people guiding the ship and the racers have to come together to build on it from here.

Anyway, it's time for me to shut up. I'm finding it more of a challenge to go through the whole editing process as I just don't enjoy it, especially when I'm on a time limit. The Editor's Viewpoint column becomes the biggest pain in the rear for me to deal with. It takes much more time than the average article. I very much want to cut back on the workload and try to reconnect with what it was that made this all fun for me. Admittedly, this hasn't always been fun in recent years, although I feel that I've helped the cause quite a bit with what I've done.

This particular posting doesn't necessarily mean that the Jefferson blog is going to be a regular occurrence. I just had enough content that I figured I'd do it this time. On that note, I'll end this column. Until next time...

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Schedule Released For 25th Season Of Racing 
At Southern Oregon Speedway

Medford, Oregon...The schedule has been released for what will be the 25th championship season at Southern Oregon Speedway. Promoter Mike McCann of KJE Enterprises has kept most of the big attractions the fans enjoyed last season, but he's added a few nice touches that will make the coming season on the Jim Rodgers prepared 3/10 mile clay oval even better.

One of the big announcements at the awards banquet was the addition of Bob Valencia as the race director. Valencia has served in the capacity of race director and even flagman at various other tracks throughout his career, but the Medford racing community may be more familiar with him as the race director for the popular Speedweek Series. The announcement of him being added to the team was met with enthusiasm at the banquet. Bob will be the Southern Oregon Speedway race director and flagman in 2020.

The Kendall Oil Winged Sprint Cars will compete several times during the season. The Ironhead Nationals is on the schedule as a $2,000 to win race on August 15th. Last season, unseasonable rain in August caused the cancellation of the highly-anticipated race. Just two weeks prior on August 1st, the 4th Annual Herz Precision Parts Cascade Wingless 360 Sprint Car Challenge race will happen. Drivers from throughout the West Coast will be competing for $3,500 to win that night. The Kendall Oil Winged Sprint Cars will be a part of the May 2nd Spring Buster season opener along with the IMCA Modifieds, Mini Stocks and Southern Oregon Dwarf Cars. They will also close the season on September 19th. The Championship Night #2 event will also include the IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Sport Modifieds and Southern Oregon Dwarf Cars.

Once again, the IMCA Modifieds and Sport Modifieds will be featured prominently throughout the season. The Sport Modifieds produced the some of the biggest car counts seen throughout the season last year. Again, both the Modified divisions will be a part of the Roger Haudenshild Tribute Race on May 30th. Both divisions along with the Outlaw Pro Stocks compete for bigger prize money that night. They will be joined by the Mini Stocks. On September 5th and 6th, it's the Fourth Annual R Charles Snyder Salute, which pays tribute to the popular long-time announcer and radio DJ. Modifieds will be competing for $5,000 to win on September 6th, while the Sport Modifieds get a $2,000 to win prize. Southern Oregon Dwarf Cars will be there on the 5th, while the Outlaw Pro Stocks will be there on the 6th.

At the awards banquet, McCann announced the addition of the Timber Cup for the IMCA Sport Modifieds. This race will happen on June 20th, and they will be competing for $2,000 to win. Late Model Lites, Mini Stocks and Southern Oregon Dwarf Cars will also compete that night. Southern Oregon Speedway will be teaming up with Coos Bay and Yreka to create a three-race weekend event the following week. It will be the Gambler Aces High Series. The IMCA Modifieds will compete for $1,000 to win that night, and the IMCA Sport Modifieds will race for $500 to win. Kendall Oil Winged Sprint Cars and Mini Stocks will also be on the card. The IMCA Sport Modifieds will begin their season on May 9th, joined by the Late Models, Late Model Lites and OTRO Hardtops.

The popular Late Model division will be entering its fifth season with much momentum established last year. They have several races throughout the season, but the highlight may be the Second Annual Cottonwood Classic on August 22nd. This event pays $4,000 to win, making it the biggest dirt Late Model race on the West Coast. Southern Oregon Dwarf Cars and Mini Stocks join them that night. The Southern Oregon Dwarf Cars will call the Medford track home this year with the majority of their races happening here. The popular Bobbio's Pizza Mini Stock and Late Model Lites divisions will also compete several times throughout the season

There are several other noteworthy races on the schedule, starting with the Memorial Day Weekend event on May 23rd. Last season this race got rained out. The Iron Giant Street Stock Series is scheduled to headline this event with their Third Annual Disorder on the Southern Border race. Joining them will be the IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Sport Modifieds, Late Model Lites and OTRO Hardtops. The Malicious Monster Truck Insanity Tour will have a two-day event on June 6th and 7th. The track will also have Pepsi Kid's Bike Night on July 11th. This will be a $1,000 to win event for the Tri State Pro Stock Series, joined by the Southern Oregon Dwarf Cars and Mini Stocks. A Jet Car will be on and on July 25th to burn a car to the ground. IMCA Sport Modifieds, Mini Stocks and Late Model Lites will be competing that night.

The track will salute those in the armed service with Veteran's Night on July 4th, headlined by the Kendall Oil Winged Sprint Cars, Late Models, Late Model Lites and Southern Oregon Dwarf Cars. Willamette Valley Bank Night has proven to be a popular event at the speedway since starting in 2017, and Kendall Oil Winged Sprint Cars, Late Models, IMCA Modifieds and IMCA Sport Modifieds will make this a can't miss Event. The Fourth Annual Hall of Fame night pays tribute to past Southern Oregon racing greats on August 8th. Late Models, IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Sport Modifieds and Mini Stocks will be competing on that occasion.

The 2020 season at Southern Oregon Speedway is stacked with great events from the season opener on May 2nd all the way to the finale on September 19th. There are several big events happening throughout the season with the heavily rotated schedule helping to create big car counts in whatever divisions are featured on any given night. McCann and his team has worked very hard to rebuild a racing program that the fans and racers can be proud of, and the numbers have continued to grow. For further information on the happenings at the speedway, go to www.southernoregonspeedway.com.

2020 Southern Oregon Speedway Schedule

April 25th - Play Day Test And Tune 4:00PM-7:00PM

May 2nd - Spring Buster - IMCA Modifieds, Kendall Oil Winged Sprint Cars, Mini Stocks, Southern Oregon Dwarf Cars

May 9th - Late Models, IMCA Sport Modifieds, Late Model Lites, OTRO Hardtops

May 16th - Kendell Oil Winged Sprint Cars, Late Models, Mini Stocks, Southern Oregon Dwarf Cars

May 23rd - Disorder On The Southern Border 3 - Iron Giant Street Stocks, IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Sport Modifieds, Late Model Lites, OTRO Hardtops

May 30th - 8th Annual Roger Haudenshild Tribute - IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Sport Modifieds, Outlaw Pro Stocks, Mini Stocks

June 6th - Malicious Monster Truck Insanity Tour - Monster Trucks

June 7th - Malicious Monster Truck Insanity Tour - Monster Trucks

June 13th - Kendall Oil Winged Sprint Cars, IMCA Modifieds, Late Models, Mini Stocks, OTRO Hardtops

June 20th - Timber Cup - $2,000 to win IMCA Sport Modifieds, Late Model Lites, Mini Stocks, Southern Oregon Dwarf Cars

June 27th - Gambler Aces High Series - $1,000 to win IMCA Modifieds, $500 to win IMCA Sport Modifieds, Mini Stocks

July 4th - Veteran's Night - Late Models, Kendall Oil Winged Sprint Cars, Late Model Lites, Southern Oregon Dwarf Cars

July 11th - Pepsi Kid's Bike Night - Tri State Pro Stock Series $1,000 to win, Mini Stocks, Southern Oregon Dwarf Cars

July 18th - Willamette Valley Bank Night - Kendall Oil Winged Sprint Cars, Late Models, IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Sport Modifieds

July 25th -  Jet Car Meltdown - IMCA Sport Modifieds, Late Model Lites, Mini Stocks

August 1st - 4th Annual Herz Precision Parts Cascade Wingless Sprint Car Challenge - $3,500 to win Wingless 360 Sprint Cars, Late Models, Late Model Lites, Southern Oregon Dwarf Cars

August 8th - 4th Annual Hall of Fame Night - Late Models, IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Sport Modifieds, Mini Stocks

August 15th - 2nd Annual Ironhead Nationals - $2,000 to win Kendall Oil Winged Sprint Cars, Late Model Lites, Southern Oregon Dwarf Cars

August 22nd - 2nd Annual Cottonwood Classic - $4,000 to win Late Models, Southern Oregon Dwarf Cars, Mini Stocks

August 29th - Late Models, Kendall Oil Winged Sprint Cars, Mini Stocks

September 5th - 4th Annual R Charles Snyder Salute - IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Sport Modifieds, Southern Oregon Dwarf Cars

September 6th - 4th Annual R Charles Snyder Salute - $5,000 to win IMCA Modifieds, $2,000 to win IMCA Sport Modifieds, Outlaw Pro Stocks

September 12th - Championship Night #1 - Kendall Oil Winged Sprint Cars, Late Models, Late Model Lites, Mini Stocks

September 19th - Championship Night #2 - Kendall Oil Winged Sprint Cars, IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Sport Modifieds, Southern Oregon Dwarf Cars

Pit Gates Open At 3:00PM, Mud Packing 5:30 PM, Hot Laps at 6:00 PM, Racing At 7:00PM

Schedule subject to change

Plenty Of Excitement In 24th Season 
At Southern Oregon Speedway

White City, Oregon...Under the promotion of KJE Enterprises and Mike McCann, Southern Oregon Speedway continued to gather momentum it's 24th season of operation. McCann put together an exciting schedule that was filled with a wide variety of different things to entertain the crowd. The Kendall Oil Winged Sprint Cars and Late Models have become established top-tier divisions, while the IMCA Modifieds remain a crowd favorite. The speedway also saw big increases in car counts for both the IMCA Sport Modifieds and Southern Oregon Dwarf Cars, while the Valley Store All Late Model Lites, Bobbio's Pizza Mini Stocks and JOAT Labs Hornets offered the fans some exciting four cylinder powered racing.

The season was sprinkled with several marquee events, including the Eighth Annual Roger Haudenshild Tribute, the Third Annual Cascade Wingless Sprint Car Challenge race, the new Cottonwood Classic Late Model event and the Third Annual R Charles Snyder Salute. There was something for everybody to enjoy, and more people were coming to the races then in previous seasons. This has people feeling more optimistic about the future of the speedway as the tradition of great racing in the Medford area continues.

This turned out to be the most competitive Sprint Car championship battle since the division was revived at the speedway in 2016. It was also a good year for the Wheeler family. Outlaw Kart superstar Mike Wheeler made an attempt to go Sprint Car racing a few seasons back, but with brother Vern Wheeler Jr as his crew chief, he was a force on the speedway. Wheeler still found himself in a battle to the end of the season with Bailey Hibbard and Charlie Thompson. It was anticipated that David Hibbard might make another run, but he made a choice early on when son Bailey had motor issues to let him drive his car and keep his point effort alive. 

Rising young star Tanner Holmes made an appearance at the season opener and posted an impressive victory. However, Holmes elected to compete for and won the ISCS Sprint Car and Week of Speed championships. Wheeler was there to take command by winning three consecutive Main Events and followed that up with a second place feature finish. By then, Mike had built a big enough point lead to enable him to skip a race and still be in the lead. This was fortunate as he and his family had booked a Hawaii vacation on August 24th. This also wasn't a very good night for either Charlie Thompson or Bailey Hibbard, but Mike Wheeler's lead was still roughly 20 points with two races remaining.

However, when Mike Wheeler returned, motor problems put him out of the Main Event early, and past division champion Thompson seized the opportunity to score a feature win ahead of Bailey Hibbard in his second runner-up finish of the season. Hibbard emerged with a slim lead over Wheeler and Thompson. Unfortunately, Bailey would crash into a tire exiting Turn 4 to take the green flag in his heat race. It was a night that seemed like a setup for him to win the title as he had started on the front row, and suddenly the crew was left scrambling to get his front end repaired for the Main Event.

Mike Wheeler wasn't the only member of his family looking very impressive on the race track. 2016 champion Jake Wheeler, the nephew of Mike, returned thanks to Ron Osborne putting him behind the wheel of his car. Jake won the season finale ahead of Mike. It was the second win of the season for Jake, who also had a second and third and two Scramble victories. With his second place finish, Mike Wheeler managed to hold off Bailey Hibbard by just seven points for the championship. Thompson, who didn't finish the final race, was still a respectable third. 

Season highlights for Mike Wheeler included three wins, a pair of seconds, a Scramble win and a heat race victory. Bailey Hibbard's stats included his two second place finishes and a third, one Scramble triumph and two heat race victories. Thompson's one win came from his four Top 5 finishes, and he also had a Scramble win and a heat win.

Enrique Jaime wasn't far behind Thompson in the final run down as he settled for fourth. He had one third place among three Top 5 finishes. He also had a heat race win and a Scramble victory. Despite a bit of bad luck as well as surrendering his car to son Bailey on one occasion, 2018 champion David Hibbard counted three third place finishes out of his four Top 5 efforts as season-highs. He also won two Scrambles and one heat race. This put him fifth in the standings. 

Even after a late start, past Outlaw Kart champion Johnny Burke used his two Top 5 finishes and two heat race wins to move into sixth in the standings and win top rookie honors ahead of Anissa Curtice and David Marble. Those two drivers finished eighth and ninth, respectively. Curtice had a season-high third place finish and a heat race win, while Marble had a season-high fifth and a heat race win after a thrilling battle with uncle TJ Winningham in the season opener. 

Winningham, who is a past Sprint Car champion at the speedway, had two season high second place finishes among his three Top 5 efforts. He also had a heat race win to put him seventh in the final standings. Despite his late start, Jake Wheeler had two wins, a second and a third along with his Scramble victory. Wheeler also impressed at the $3,500 to win Cascade Wingless Sprint Car Challenge race, presented by Herz Precision Parts. He had a thrilling duel for the lead with eventual winner Jeff Ensign before settling for a strong $1,500 second place finish. Cottage Grove star Kinzer Cox made a visit during the season and had a victory. Blaine Cory took a year off from running for points, but he still had a season-high second and a Scramble victory. Due to unseasonable rain in August, the $2,000 to win Ironhead Nationals race was canceled.

The popular Late Model division held their fourth-straight championship season, and it's interesting to note that over 30 drivers competed at different times during the season. Trent Elliott has become one of the top Late Model drivers in the state of Oregon, but he hasn't really been chasing points. For 2019, he and his team decided to zero in on Southern Oregon Speedway as did another Oregon Late Model star, Darren Coffell. What followed was one of the more dominant efforts from any driver at the speedway for the season. 

Following his Cottage Grove championship, Preston Luckman decided to make a successful run at the Coos Bay Speedway Late Model championship, but he made a visit at the season opener at Southern Oregon Speedway and outran Elliott for the victory. The Late Models had an interesting start as Bobby Hogge IV won the Late Model portion of the Roger Haudenshild Tribute race. Elliott won the next race, while Coffell was the fourth-straight different winner. However, Elliott's championship bid wasn't seriously in doubt as he collected five victories and three second place finishes in eight starts. He also led the class with four Trophy Dash wins while also having two heat wins and a Scramble victory. The clear highlight for Elliott in his championship effort was his dominant victory in the $4,000 to win Cottonwood Classic.

With Elliott hitting the afterburners, there was a good battle for second between Coffell and 2013 Pro Stock champion Dave Everson. Coffell had some impressive moments, which included two victories and three second place finishes. However, Everson remained very consistent down the stretch. Highlights included two third place finishes and the second he earned in the season finale. Everson also had two heat race wins and his second Trophy Dash win in the finale. Everson's impressive run in the finale, coupled with mechanical issues for Coffell, earned him runner-up honors in the point battle ahead of Coffell.

Past Coos Bay champion Dave Foote was coming off of a season with two feature victories, but he didn't have quite the same luck as the previous season. However, his season-high second place finish out of two Top 5s and his heat race win enabled him to grab fourth in the standings ahead of Miles Deubert, who had a pair of fifth place finishes. Seven-time IMCA Modified champion Mark Wauge bought a car from Trent Elliott and joined the Late Model ranks starting on the second week. Unfortunately, motor issues plagued him for a few races, eliminating any shot he had at finishing second in the standings. With four third place finishes, a Dash win and four heat triumphs, Wauge finished just a point behind Deubert to settle for sixth.

2016 champion Bob Dees had a season-high third out of three Top 5 finishes to rank seventh ahead of 2018 champion Nathan Augustine. Augustine ran a limited schedule that saw him finish fourth three times. Both Chris Biggs and Eric Massey collected one Top 5 finish to end up ninth and tenth, respectively. Another of the top Oregon Late Model stars, Rob Mayea, had a respectable showing in second in the Cottonwood Classic ahead of Hogge. Following the momentum established in 2019, optimism is high for an even better season ahead for the Late Models.

The IMCA Modified championship was decided between Jesse Bailey and Zach Fettinger. One of the interesting concerns that local stars have when they're running for the points is the fact that the track has two big events that attract some of the top drivers from the West Coast. These two events tend to shake up the standings, but Fettinger was not about to let that impact his effort. In recent seasons, we've seen that getting a second win in the IMCA Modified division isn't so easy. 2015 Pro Stock champion Jeffrey Hudson kicked things off with a victory behind the wheel of the Don Roemer car. Bobby Hogge IV had an impressive double win night on the Roger Haudenshild Tribute night with his $2,000 victory. Bailey won the third event, while Willamette star Collen Winebarger won the Speedweek race. Fettinger finally grabbed his victory in the fifth event. By then, the slightly more consistent Fettinger led Bailey in the standings, but things got interesting in August.

On Hall of Fame night, Fettinger had his worst performance of the season, while Bailey became the only two-time winner of the year. This enabled Bailey to close the gap on Fettinger, but that would prove to be his high-water mark. Bailey was unable to make it into the R Charles Snyder Salute and suffered mechanical issues in the Trophy Dash at the finale, which meant he didn't receive any points from IMCA in the finale. That dropped from second to fourth. Fettinger had a win, a second and a third out of six Top 5 finishes. He also had four heat race triumphs and two Dash victories as he scored a well-earned division championship.

Despite a late start, 2016 Yreka Sport Modified champion Jimmy Lipke used a season-high third place finish to help him finish second in the standings and win top rookie honors. Ray Kniffen Jr was fielding a new car, and getting the set up just right was a bit of a struggle. However, he made all of the races and earned two season-high sixth place finishes out of four Top 10s. He also had a heat race win to earn him a career-best third in the standings. With two wins to go with a heat race win and Trophy Dash victory, Bailey settled for fourth ahead of Justin Foux. Foux had been leading the rookie race until missing the finale. He had two season-high third-place finishes out of three Top 5s to settle for fifth in the standings.

It was a challenging season for two-time Street Stock champion Duane Orsburn. He flipped his new car early in the season, but he was back without missing too many races. Orsburn turned in an impressive performance to close the season as he won the Main Event and the Trophy Dash. He also had two heat race wins during the season. He missed fifth in the standings by just four points. Three-time champion Albert Gill had a hit and miss season. Motor issues prevented him from being a title contender, but he did have two seconds, a Dash win and a heat race victory to end up seventh in the standings ahead of the steady David Satterfield. Satterfield had two season-high eighth place finishes out of three Top 10s.

Nick Trenchard didn't really pursue points. He did finish second in the Third Annual R Charles Snyder Salute behind unlikely winner Kellen Chadwick. Chadwick had started last on the grid to score the $5,000 victory. Trenchard, meanwhile, had a second and a third out of four Top 5 finishes along with two heat race wins to finish ninth in the standings ahead of Jeremy Ohlde. Ohlde had one fourth and three sixth place finishes to secure 10th in the standings. Troy Foulger won the Preliminary Feature at the R Charles Snyder Salute ahead of 2018 California State champion Shane DeVolder. DeVolder led several laps in both events that weekend, but traffic eliminated his chance of winning the big money. Dave Duste Jr and Andy Freeman both had season-high second place finishes.

The IMCA Sport Modified division continued to grow by leaps and bounds. This made things a bit challenging for Jorddon Braaten as the high point man usually found himself starting in the sixth row in the Main Event. However, Braaten was never really seriously challenged for the championship. He led the class with three feature wins, a second and three thirds on the way to his third division championship. He also had three Trophy Dash wins and five heat race triumphs. The Sanders brothers, Isaac and Matt, tried to stay in the hunt with Braaten, but eventually Matt Sanders would skip the season finale to race elsewhere as he competed for the lucrative Pacific Sport Mod championship, which he won. 

The absence of both Sanders brothers in the season finale opened the door for two-time champion Mike Medel and Branden Wilson to battle it out for second in the standings. On that occasion, Wilson scored his season-high second place finish, but Medel's third Top 5 finish of the year meant he would get runner-up honors while Wilson settled for third. Wilson did have three Top 5 finishes and two heat race wins, while Medel had three heat race triumphs. Meanwhile, Isaac Sanders ended up fourth in the standings with one win and one second out of four Top 5 finishes as well as four heat race victories. Matt Sanders also had a win and a second with five total Top 5 finishes and a heat race win to end up fifth.

Second year racer Steve Lysinger showed marked improvement with two 10th place finishes as well as a late-season heat race victory, giving him sixth in the standings by only five points over Joby Shields. Shields came close on the strength of his season-high third place finish in the finale. Second-year racer Brian Knorr also had a better season with a season-high seventh place finish out of two Top 10s. He ended up eighth ahead of Austin Petray. Petray had a season-high second place finish, and Willie McFall managed to grab 10th in the standings despite a difficult season. He had a season-high 10th place effort.

The big car count meant getting a win was challenging as there were so many good drivers that you never knew who would win on any given week. At the $2,000 to win R Charles Snyder Salute, past Mini Stock and Sprint Car star Merissa Henson turned in a very impressive performance in driving the Donny Bottoms car to victory ahead of Braaten. In the final race, it was newcomer Bartley Foster getting the win. Other drivers adding their names to the winner's list included Braxton Possinger and R Charles Snyder Salute Preliminary Feature winner Andrew Peckham. Among other highlights were season-high second place finishes for Justin McCreadie, Tyler Rodgers and Chase Thomas. One of the victories for Braaten was in the $1,000 to win Roger Haudenshild Tribute race.

The Bobbio's Pizza Mini Stock division saw the emergence of Ashtin Hedges as a star. Hedges put up numbers that might have won him a championship in another division. Unfortunately, he happened to be competing against the division's all-time feature win leader, David Steele. Steele, who was also the incoming champion, was a hard driver to beat. If he wasn't winning the Main Event, he was finishing second. Steele racked up seven feature wins and two second place finishes to make him the most dominant driver at the speedway in 2019. He also won seven heat races and five Trophy Dashes. Because Hedges had a penchant for finishing second, the point race stayed close during the first half of the season. Hedges led the division with six second place finishes, but he also had a win. He also scored five heat race triumphs and two Trophy Dash victories. In the end, Steele won the championship and Hedges was a respectable second.

Coming off of a disappointing season, 2017 champion Kristopher Mix had high hopes of being a championship contender. He never quite hit his stride, and he found his hands full trying to hold onto third in another close battle. Mix had two season-high third place finishes out of six Top 5s and two heat race wins. With his Trophy Dash win at the season finale, he managed to clinch third in the standings, which was a good thing. He blew a motor while leading the other Trophy Dash held at night. Motor issues also hurt Hunter Magnan, who seemed poised to make a championship run himself. However, the 2018 runner-up had a win, a second and two thirds and a heat race win, which kept him within seven points of Mix in the final rundown. 

Dylan Irving topped the rookies list and finished fifth overall on the strength of two 4th place finishes out of three Top 5s. He rolled his car off the back stretch one night, but he was still able to finish the race. Motor issues sidelined Steve Goetz from the first two races. He earned two season-high third-place finishes among his five Top 5 efforts and also won two heat races to end up sixth in the standings ahead of Michael McCleod. McCleod had one third out of four Top 5 finishes. Rookie Brandyn Wonsyld ended up eighth with one Top 5 finish. Andrew Hall returned In a Ford Pinto to finish ninth in the standings ahead of 2014 champion Gary Anderson. Both drivers had a season-high fifth place finish.

Charlie Eaton came into the season as the reigning Valley Store All Late Model Lites champion, but he was about to get some serious competition from past Super Truck champion Greg Arnold. Arnold put up numbers that made him very difficult to beat as he only failed to get a Top 3 finish in the seventh and final race. It was still the closest battle at the speedway as Arnold held off Eaton by a mere eight points to claim championship honors. Arnold had four wins, a second and a third along with three heat race wins and a Trophy Dash victory. As he had taken his four cylinder motor out of his car to run the Cottonwood Classic, Arnold borrowed the Lee Doty car and won with it. Eaton won the season opener and had two seconds and two thirds along with a pair of Trophy Dash wins and a heat race victory. He would settle for second in the standings. 

Since 2016 champion Doty retired from driving, he brought past Stock Car driver Ross Payant out of retirement to wheel his fast #7 car. Payant responded with two feature wins, a second and a third to secure third in the standings. He also had a pair of Dash wins and two heat race victories. The Hadley team returned, and Krista Hadley wasn't too far behind Payant in fourth. She impressed with three-straight second place finishes to close out the season and also had a third. Krista scored a popular Trophy Dash win and a heat race victory.

Dusty Aos managed to finished fifth in the standings with a third out of three Top 5 finishes, while Eric Aos had two fourth place finishes out of four Top 5s. The division's all-time Main Event win leader, Terry Hadley, had a season-high fourth out of two Top 5s and also won two heat races. Jim Cunningham had a rough start to his season with four-straight non-starts before picking up any kind of momentum with a pair of sixth place finishes. He settled for eighth in the standings ahead of past Mini Stock racer Pete Bowne. Bowne had a third place finish at the season opener. Mike Cloud ended up 10th.

The JOAT Labs Hornets division featured a spirited duel between and Dylan Sauer and 2016 champion Tim Hedges during the first half of the season. However, a rough eighth race of the season led to the ninth race being canceled and the division being discontinued for 2020. Dylan Sauer kicked things off with four-straight feature wins, but when Hedges rattled off back-to-back victories, he stayed in the hunt. Unfortunately for Hedges, his final two starts were anything but good, and he actually didn't start the final race after contact put him hard into the front wall in the heat race. Dylan Sauer won those two races, and the second and third place finishes he had meant he had all Top 3 feature finishes. He also won four Trophy Dashes to claim the championship in impressive fashion.

Tim Hedges spent most of his time at the final race fixing the front end of wife Jenna Hedges' car to get her back out. She responded with her third season-high second place finish that night. She also had a pair of thirds, and this enabled her to beat her husband by just eight points in the race for second in the standings. In addition to his two victories, Tim Hedges had two seconds and two Trophy Dash wins. Jenna had one Trophy Dash victory. Not too far behind Tim Hedges was rookie Quentin Tritchler. Tritchler had two season-high second place finishes and one third and would claim the division's top rookie honors.

Chris Boynton ended the season with back-to-back third place finishes to give him three for the season as he maintained fifth in the final rundown. The balance of the Top 10 in the standings with made up by rookies Shawn Nelson and Lacey Sauer, Ryan Nelson, Derrel Nelson Jr and Zach Nelson. Several of the drivers have already purchased Mini Stocks or Sport Modifieds to move up in classes and continue racing in 2020.

The Southern Oregon Dwarf Cars had the majority of their races at Southern Oregon Speedway once again. Incoming champion Josh King and perennial title contender Camden Robustelli were once again the top competitors. The Dwarf Cars produced the biggest car counts at the speedway as they consistently had around 24 cars. The official point list was not made available at press time, but his four wins, two seconds and a third along with four Scramble victories helped get King the overall championship. Robustelli couldn't overcome some early-season bad luck, but he still had three wins and a second to finish second in the standings ahead of the consistent Chad Cardoza. Cardoza had a season-high second place finish along with five straight third place efforts to wrap up the season. He also had a Scramble victory. Fred Hay had a season-high third place finish to end up fourth in points.

Two-time series champion Brock Peters had one win and two seconds during the first three races, which were his best efforts at the group's home track. Cody Peters and Ryan Smith each had season-high second place finishes, while Smith also had a third. Cody Peters picked up a pair of Scramble wins. The Dwarf Cars are expected to have most of their races at Southern Oregon Speedway again next year.

The Old Time Racers of Oregon Hardtops made five visits to the speedway as they lost two visits due to rain outs. Dean Cast and Mark Minter both had a pair of feature wins, while Cast had a second and two thirds. Driving the Dusty Trotter car, Dan Fouts also had a win and a second along with one Trophy Dash win. Season-high second place finishes were earned by division mainstay Bill Trotter, Justin Krossman and Matt Butler, while Daryl Haugh and Jay Smith each had a third place finish. Bill Trotter also had a third place finish. Other Trophy Dash wins were earned by Butler, Haugh and Brian Weberg II. The group that brings vintage Coup and Sedan race cars to the speedway will be back for several appearances again in 2020.

The Calculated Comfort Outlaw Pro Stocks made three appearances. This included their annual visits for the Roger Haudenshild Tribute and R Charles Snyder Salute. They also headlined Pepsi Kid's Bike Night on July 13th, which was perhaps their highlight of the season. Dr Scott Lenz won the first two visits, but association bylaws stripped an apparent second place finish from him at their final Medford race. Lenz ultimately lost the championship to Scott Flowers, who won the second to last race of the season in Yreka. That was the first win for Flowers in five years. His highlights in Medford included a second and a third.

Tragedy struck the group at the R Charles Snyder Salute. Following a Top 10 finish that maintained the Top 5 point status he had going into the night, Bryan Hammond suffered a heart attack moments later in the pits. He would not recover. Jeff Haudenshild won that Main Event ahead of 2015 champion Jeffrey Hudson and Matt Harlow. Haudenshild had a third place finish earlier in the season, while 2016 champion Steve Borror finished second at the July event. Trophy Dash wins went to Scott Lenz and James Flowers. The Pro Stocks will again make visits to the speedway in 2020.

As mentioned above, the 2019 season had several big events. There was a huge car count of over 80 competitors at the Roger Haudenshild Tribute, and the R Charles Snyder Salute had well over 100 racers once again. The track continued to honor Southern Oregon racing heritage with Hall of Fame night in August, and there was once again a big Monster Truck event in June. Several big events have been established in recent seasons at the speedway, and that's expected to continue heading into 2020 and beyond. There's lots of reasons to be excited about racing at Southern Oregon Speedway.

2020 Schedule Released For Siskiyou Golden Speedway

Yreka, CA...The 2020 schedule for Siskiyou Golden Speedway was released on the first week of February.  Following a successful first season as promoter, which ended with the track having its first show with both Late Models and Sprint Cars in several years, Promoter Kevin Barba was given two more years to continue the turnaround process for the Siskiyou Golden Fairgrounds based facility. Barba again took note of what was going on at other area tracks before planning the 2020 events for the Yreka track and came up with an attractive schedule.

A few other possibilities are still being negotiated for this season as of this writing, but local racers can take note that their divisions will still be heavy in the rotation. This means fans will get to watch the IMCA Sport Modifieds and Mini Stocks on most weeks, joined by various classes. This will include the Jefferson State Jalopies, Outlaw Pro Stock Association and Southern Oregon Dwarf Cars, among other classes. Furthermore, Barba has booked the busiest IMCA Modified schedule for the speedway in several seasons in the hopes of re-establishing the class in Yreka.

Some top area competitors have been inquiring about more IMCA Modified events, leading to a season with 16 race dates, almost all of them booked on nights in which the nearest track in Medford, Oregon is not scheduling that particular division. This begins with the scheduled April 11th opener. The Easter themed event will include an Easter Egg Hunt for the kids in the infield during intermission. The IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Sport Modifieds, Outlaw Pro Stocks, Mini Stocks and Jefferson State Jalopies will all compete that night.

The IMCA Modifieds are a part of most of the big events spread throughout the season, starting with the Memorial Day Weekend John Arnberg Memorial race. The May 23rd show will feature the annual 38 lap IMCA Modified race, joined by the IMCA Sport Modifieds, Mini Stocks and Southern Oregon Dwarf Cars. The doubleheader weekend also gives the fans an added treat. The Iron Giant Street Stocks will be on hand for a visit on Sunday, joined by the IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Sport Modifieds and Mini Stocks. Last season, the Oregon-based Street Stock Tour came to Yreka during the holiday weekend with 16 competitors, only to see that show rained out during heat races. In recent seasons, the IMCA Sport Modifieds have held the annual Bo Hittson Memorial race on Memorial Day Weekend as well, but this event will have its own night on August 22nd with the IMCA Modifieds, Outlaw Pro Stocks, Mini Stocks and Jefferson State Jalopies also on the card.

The big IMCA Modified Events continue with the special Fourth of July Weekend two-day show. The IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Sport Modifieds and Mini Stocks will all compete on both July 3rd and July 4th with the Outlaw Pro Stocks and Jefferson State Jalopies also on the July 4th card. There will also be a fireworks display and remote control cars on July 3rd. With the recent announcement of the Wild West Speedweek event going further north this year, Yreka has joined forces with Coos Bay and Southern Oregon Speedway for a three-day weekend event billed as the Gambler Aces High Series. This event happens on June 26th with IMCA Modifieds headlining along with IMCA Sport Modifieds and Mini Stocks.

Point racing concludes with the annual Rod Restad Memorial show on September 26th. IMCA Modifieds and IMCA Sport Modifieds will run for increased purses, joined by the Mini Stocks, Outlaw Pro Stocks and Jefferson State Jalopies. There will be lots of great racing sprinkled throughout the season, and Barba will again have postseason racing throughout October. There are four races during that month with the three regular divisions active for most of that. The Track or Treat season-ending event has a Halloween theme for the kids. The October 31st race will feature IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Sport Modifieds, Sprint Cars and a special Outlaw Kart race.

Fans will get a couple of opportunities to watch the Sprint Cars during the season. Since Medford doesn't start their season until May 2nd, the Sprint Cars will be competing on April 25th along with the IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Sport Modifieds, Mini Stocks, Outlaw Pro Stocks and Southern Oregon Dwarf Cars. On July 31st, the ISCS Sprint Car Series invades Yreka, joined by the IMCA Sport Modifieds and the Mini Stocks.

Yreka hosts one of the biggest Pro Stock events of the year in California on May 2nd. It's the annual Billy Geyer Memorial race. This will be a Tri State Pro Stock Challenge race with IMCA Sport Modifieds and Mini Stocks also competing that night. The Outlaw Pro Stock Association has a majority of their races on the Yreka schedule again this year. They will make eight visits this season, including the Bryan Hammond Memorial race on May 16th.They are part of the April 11th season opener and the loaded six division show on April 25th.

There are several other special occasions listed on the schedule, led by the June 20th Rod Barba Memorial Bike Raffle Night. Rod, the father of Kevin Barba, did track maintenance at Siskiyou Speedway and other places and was the inspiration for Kevin to get involved in the sport. The IMCA Modifieds, Mini Stocks and Jefferson State Jalopies will be competing that night. Barba has graciously dropped the IMCA Sport Modifieds from that event to allow his Sport Modified racers to compete at a special race up north. April 18th will be Little League Nght for the kids, led by the IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Sport Modifieds, Mini Stocks and Jefferson State Jalopies. 

Fan Appreciation Night happens on June 6th with IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Sport Modifieds, Mini Stocks, Southern Oregon Dwarf Cars and Jefferson State Jalopies all part of an action-packed lineup. The popular Kid's Rides Night happens on July 18th with IMCA Sport Modifieds, Mini Stocks, Pro Stocks and Jefferson State Jalopies all competing. Driver Appreciation Night happens on September 19th with IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Sport Modifieds, Mini Stocks and Jefferson State Jalopies also listed. The track will have several test n tune nights to allow the drivers to work out any bugs in their cars prior to race night, and there are still some adjustments expected to be made to the schedule going forward to make it even better. 

The goal is to give the fans more cars and more exciting racing on any given night in which the track is open. Fans will have an opportunity to check out some of the race cars as Siskiyou Golden Speedway takes part in the annual Sportsman's Expo at the fairgrounds on March 28th and 29th. The April 11th Easter Egg Hunt Night opens the season, and if the weather holds, April will be an excellent month to check out racing in Yreka. With neighboring Medford not opening until May, car count should be even bigger. For further information on the schedule and other happenings, go to www.siskiyougoldenspeedway.com.

Siskiyou Golden Speedway 2020 Tentative Schedule
3/7/2020    Test and Tune
3/14/2020    Test and Tune
3/21/2020    Test and Tune
3/28/2020    Sportsmens Expo/Carshow/Test and tune
3/29/2020    Sportsmens Expo/Carshow
4/4/2020    Test and Tune
4/11/2020    Easter Egg Hunt/Opener  Sport mods, Amods, Prostocks,Mini, Jalopies
4/18/2020    Little League Night/ Sport mods, Amods, mini, Jalopies
4/25/2020    Amods, Sport Mods, Minis, Sprints, SODCA Dwarfs, Prostocks
5/1/2020    Test and Tune
5/2/2020    Billy Geyer Memorial  Tri State Challenge Prostocks, Sport Mods, Minis
5/8-10/2020    Dark No Racing Fairgrounds Event
5/16/2020    Moms Night Sport Mods, Honoring Bryan Hammond Prostocks Minis
5/22/2020    Test and Tune
5/23/2020    John Arnberg Memorial Sports Mods, Amods, Dwarfs, minis
5/24/2020    Iron Giants, Sport Mods, amods, Minis
5/29/2020    Test and Tune
5/30/2020    Dark Montague jr rodeo
6/6/2020    Fan Appreciation  Sports Mods, Amods, Minis, Dwarfs, Jalopies
6/13/2020    Sports Mods, Prostocks, Mini
6/19/2020    Test and Tune
6/20/2020    Rod Barba Memorial Bike Raffle Amods, Minis, Jalopies
6/26/2020    Gamblers Modified Tour. Amods, Sport Mods, Minis
7/3/2020    Fireworks, Remote Control cars, Qualifying races Sport Mods, Amods, Mini  2 day event
7/4/2020    Sport Mods, Amods,Prostocks, Min,i Jalopies  2 day event
7/11/2020    Sport Mods, Amods, Minis
7/17/2020    Test and Tune
7/18/2020    Kids Rides, Sport Mods, Prostocks, Minis, Jalopies
7/25/2020    Sport Mods, Amods, Mini, Jalopies
7/31/2020    ISCS  Sprints, Sport Mods, Minis
8/21/2020    Test and Tune
8/22/2020    Bo Hittson Memorial Sports Mods, A Mods, Prostocks, mini, Jalopies
8/28/2020    Test and Tune
8/29/2020    Dark  For Montague Stampede
9/5/2020    Dark for R charles
9/11/2020    Sport mods, Amods, Mini
9/12/2020    Dark    Little League Fundraiser.. Please go support
9/19/2020    Drivers appreciation Sports Mods, A Mods, Mini, Jalopies
9/25/2020    Test and Tune
9/26/2020    Last Points Race Rod Restad Memorial Amods, Sports Mods, Prostocks,  Mini, Jalopies
10/3/2020    Sport Mods, Amods, Mini, Jalopies  Non Points
10/10-11/2020    Dark No Racing Fairgrounds Event
10/17/2020    Sports Mods, Amods, Minis Non Points
10/24/2020    Modified open, Minis Non Points
10/31/2020    Track or Treat  Season closing Sport Mod, A Mod, Karts, Sprints

New Era Begins At Siskiyou Golden Speedway In 2019

Yreka, CA...A new era began at Siskiyou Golden Speedway in 2019 as 2018 SCMA President Kevin Barba became the new promoter of the facility. The speedway has had continuous seasons for almost 30 years. Though Barba had served as president of the SCMA, which had operated the speedway for several years, this was his first go at being a race track promoter. He has been involved in the sport in various different capacities for several years and was excited at the opportunity to begin work on rebuilding a program that had been in decline in recent seasons.

Because the final decision on Barba becoming the promoter didn't occur until early in 2019, he got off to a late start. He and his crew didn't even get a shot at the race track itself until March, meaning some of the improvements they had planned for the future would have to wait until the next year. However, Kevin wasted little time giving a status report to the racers with a special meeting. He also attended various promoters meetings late in 2018. He booked a nice schedule for the season.  Though adjustments were made on the fly for various reasons, the show continued to go on.

Barba kept the big traditional races that had been established, such as the John Arnberg Memorial, Bo Hittson Memorial, Mike Caveye Memorial, Rod Restad Memorial, Sprint Car and IMCA Modified Speedweek and the 4th of July race. He also added a few new touches, but it was mostly a year to learn what needed to be done for the future. It was a trial by fire for Barba who saw a race early in the season end abruptly before the completion of the program as an IMCA Sport Modified crashed through the spectator fence. Fortunately, nobody was injured, and they bounced back for the next race.

The IMCA Sport Modifieds have emerged as the headliner for the program. Though car count started off a little bit sluggish, more local drivers were fielding cars in the closing weeks of the season. The division also featured a close battle between young gun Ethan Killingsworth, brothers Ryder and Colt Roswell and Sean Hulsey. Hulsey missed a couple of races to take himself out of contention, but the three Mini Stock graduates battled fiercely throughout the year. 

Killingsworth was a powerhouse throughout the season. It was at the Speedweek race in June when he failed a tech inspection. The infraction was enough to cost him his high finishing position, but IMCA officially gave him last place rather than a complete disqualification. He ended up falling out of the point lead behind both Boswell brothers, but Killingsworth remained tenacious in the battle. Down the stretch, both Boswell brothers had problems, but Ryder Boswell still had a shot at the title going into the final race. His bad night on that occasion ultimately cost him the championship. Killingsworth led the division with three wins during the point season among seven Top 5 finishes. He also scored one of the postseason feature wins and picked up a division leading seven Trophy Dash wins.

For Ryder Boswell, the feature win eluded him throughout the season. He had a season-high second among seven Top 5 finishes. Colt Boswell had two season-high seconds during the season among eight Top 5 finishes. He also won a postseason Main Event as he settled for third in the standings. This was the second-straight season for Ryder Boswell to finish runner-up in points. Randy Wright finally won his first two career Main Events as he rapidly climbed the point ladder after a sluggish start. He had five Top 5 finishes during the season along with two Trophy Dash wins. Hulsey ended up fifth in the standings with a pair of season-high fourth place finishes.

Having enjoyed success through the years in the Outlaw Kart ranks, Mini Stocks and Sprint Cars, Merissa Henson got the opportunity to drive a Sport Modified for past Siskiyou Speedway champion Donny Bottoms. Henson had a late start, but as one of the Top 10 drivers in the standings, she ended up winning Rookie of the Year honors. She scored a pair of feature wins and two second place finishes among her best efforts and also had a Trophy Dash victory. Rich McCoy was a three-time winner with his third victory occurring in the postseason. He also had a Trophy Dash win. Matt Sanders won a pair of Main Events with brother Isaac Sanders, Jason Ferguson and Todd Cooper winning the other Main Events. Cooper's win came on Rod Restad Memorial night, and Matt Sanders won the Bo Hittson Memorial. Season-high second place finishes were earned by Jimmy Ford, Scott Savell, Fred Ryland, Brent Curran, Austin Petray and Mike Medel.

The Mini Stock championship battle was closely competitive the whole season, but you wouldn't have known that. We didn't see very many point updates throughout the season, but several drivers decided to go for it. Incoming champion Marilyn Yawnick was not one of them. Though she ran much of the season, she skipped some races and even allowed teammate Mike Whitaker to drive her car on multiple occasions to keep his own championship effort alive. One of the drivers who was quite fast and is always in the hunt for wins, Terry Kendrick, won several times, but a two-week stretch of bad luck took him out of contention. Relative newcomers Zak McMurry, Darek Alford and Mike Kendrick also made a run for the honors. 

In the end, it came down to the consistency of Alford and Whitaker. When Whitaker needed it the most, he stepped up with back-to-back feature wins to close the season. In doing so, he overtook Alford to win the championship. Whitaker scored his first of three second place finishes in Yawnick's car at the season opener and got his third runner-up finish prior to winning the last two races of the season. In addition to those finishes, he earned another five Top 5 finishes in 13 Main Events. Alford, meanwhile, had three season-high second place finishes and three third place efforts. He had an additional two Top 5 finishes and two Trophy Dash wins. It was close in the end, but the strong finish for Whitaker was enough to win him the honors.

If not for a late-season disqualification, McMurry was on a pace that could have won him the championship. He had two feature wins and two second place finishes among his nine Top 5 finishes. He also had a Trophy Dash win. He settled for third ahead of the steady Michael Kendrick. Kendrick had four Top 5 finishes including three season-high fourth place finishes. Terry Kendrick had a season-high four Main Event wins, and if not for his bad luck, he surely would have won the championship. He had a total of eight Top 5 finishes. He also led the division with three Trophy Dash wins.

Medford champion David Steele won two of the first three races and had three total feature wins, including the Mike Caveye Memorial. Kassidy Wilkinson and the division's top rookie, Terry Alford, both won Main Events during the season. Yawnick won the season-opening Trophy Dash and also outran teammate Whitaker to win the postseason Main Event. Medford visitor and Ashtin Hedges and Dan Borror both had season-best second place finishes. Wilkinson also had a pair of second place finishes. Medford visitor Kristopher Mix had a season-high third place finish. Mix, Borror and Terry Alford each had one Trophy Dash win.

The IMCA Modifieds had a four-race championship season. Though two-time champion Nick Trenchard scored impressive wins in the Speedweek race and the Rod Restad Memorial and finished third in the season opener, his absence from the John Arnberg Memorial ultimately cost him the championship. Duane Orsburn was at all of the events with a season-high second and third place finish. He also had a Trophy Dash win. Orsburn beat Trenchard by 23 points for the championship. Jimmy Lipke was the top rookie in the field and finished third in the standings ahead of Albert Gill and Steve Borror.

Susanville star Riley Simmons won the season opener. Past Yreka Sport Modified champion Lipke scored his first career feature win in the John Arnberg Memorial race ahead of Medford champion Zach Fettinger and Orsburn. Trenchard's Speedweek win came ahead of Danny Lauer and Jerry Schram, and his win in the Restad Memorial came ahead of Travis Peery and Ryan McDaniel. 

The Jefferson State Jalopies come from the shop of Karl Bernstein and JJ Smith. They built the first four cars and had their very first exhibition races in 2018. Having competed eight times, management decided to make a point race for the Jalopies, and three-time Mini Stock champion Marilyn Yawnick won the honors with three feature wins and three second place finishes. JJ Smith won the season opener and a pair of Trophy Dashes to rank second in the standings, and Michael Colson had three wins to finish third. Bernstein ranked fourth in the standings. Kassidy Wilkinson was also a feature winner on one occasion. Wilkinson had a pair of Trophy Dash wins, and Colson had one Dash victory as well.

The Calculated Comfort Outlaw Pro Stocks raced in Yreka more than any other track once again with eight races. Incoming series and Yreka champion Dr Scott Lenz kicked off the season with four-straight victories and seemed a sure bet to win the championship. He had a second place finish in the sixth event of the season, but a disqualification in the seventh race cost him the point lead. Lenz elected not to run the final race, conceding the championship to Scott Flowers. Flowers won the seventh race and had two second place finishes and two third places among his best finishes. Lenz had four Trophy Dash wins. In addition to being the series champion, Flowers was also crowned the Yreka champion. 

Scott's son James Flowers closed the season with a feature win. This helped him slip past Lenz for second in the final standings. James also had a pair of second place finishes. John David Duffie and Matt Harlow were both Top 5 ranked in the series. Duffie had two second place finishes and a third as his best efforts. Harlow had two third place finishes among his five Top 5 finishes. 2016 series champion Steve Borror picked up a pair of feature wins and one Trophy Dash victory. Other season-best efforts included second place finishes for Kenneth LaPlant, Derek Rauscher, Bryan Hammond and Rick Lukens once each. Rauscher had his second place finish behind Lenz in the annual Billy Geyer Memorial race. Tri State Pro Stock Series champion Mike Learn finished third that night.

The Southern Oregon Dwarf Car Association made one appearance, won by series champion Josh King ahead of Chad Cardoza and Ryan Smith. The Western Sprint Tour Speedweek visit went to Mitchell Faccinto ahead of Seth Bergman and Justin Sanders. The Iron Giant Street Stock Series had to reschedule after a rain out earlier in the season. Unfortunately, car count wasn't as good as it would have been for the Memorial Day Weekend visit as there were 14 cars that night before the rain hit. Jeff Cluff won the race ahead of Ken Bernstein.

Late Models made a pair of visits in the postseason. Eric Massey scored his first career win at the first visit ahead of his father, Cliff Massey, and past Late Model Lites racer Nick Camus. The second visit closed the season on Halloween weekend. The night was big for Yreka as it was the first time in recent memory that both Late Models and Sprint Cars competed. Bruce Rayburn Jr won the Late Model show that night in the Pete Bowne car, followed by Chris Biggs and Mark Wauge. In the Sprint Car portion, which was an ISCS race, past Medford champion Jake Wheeler drove the Ron Osborne car to victory ahead of TJ Winningham and Scott Fox.

Though it was definitely a challenge for Barba to come in, give the track some sense of stability and begin to build the car count up, he did a respectable job. More local Sport Modified drivers started bringing cars back to the track as the season hit the stretch run. The big Sprint Car/Late Model visit, which was only added two weeks prior, was another indication of the commitment Kevin has to bringing better things to the speedway. Barba also continued and expanded the track's commitment to fan-friendly activities and began making some improvements to the facility. He also signed a two-year lease to continue running the track.

There is a lot of pride in this race track among the competitors who support it. The Yreka racing lineage stretches back to the 1950s, and it's been open for continuous seasons for almost 30 years now. Barba's goal is to strengthen the track's ties with the community and build support among the racers and the fans to ensure this track has a bright future for years to come.

2020 Schedule Released For Coos Bay Speedway

Coos Bay, Oregon...On the final Sunday of January, Coos Bay Speedway released an exciting 2020 schedule of events. Once again there will be lots of racing happening on the oval track with an eye towards fan-friendly activities. Coos Bay Speedway has had a presence at the Pony Village Mall  with their car show for years, and that will continue this year. From March 13th through the 15th, several cars across multiple divisions will be on display. The track enters its fourth-straight year under the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series banner, and that season kicks off on April 11th.

As the only track in Oregon under NASCAR sanctioning, America's Mattress Super Late Model drivers compete for lucrative track and State championship point fund monies.  The Sportsman Late Models, Street Stocks and Hornets also compete for NASCAR point prize money among the Top 5 finishers in each class. In addition to these four divisions, the track will also feature the Mini Outlaws and the Junior Stingers divisions. The Junior Stingers are Hornet cars for kids 11 to 14 years old, and car count in this class grew noticeably during the second half of last season.

The track also has its own Winged Sprint car division, which will be a part of the season opener along with Super Late Models, Sportsman Late Models, Street Stocks, Mini Outlaws, Hornets and Junior Stingers. Winged Sprints will be competing an additional six times. The track will host Interstate Sprint Car Series point races on June 9th and August 17th, which is also a Week Of Speed race. Interstate Sprint Car drivers will be a part of the annual Battle At The Bay race on September 26th as well.

Special attractions highlight the season. April 18th will be one such occasion. It's South Coast Shopper Carload Night, which is a very affordable night to bring the family. It also offers Lucky Rides for the kids during intermission and is a Tri State Pro Stock Series event. Top Pro Stock drivers from Oregon, California and Nevada will be on hand for this race, which will also feature the Super Late Models, Street Stocks, Mini Outlaws, Hornets and Junior Stingers. The local Sportsman Late Model drivers will go head-to-head with the Pro Stock racers that night. The Interstate Sprint Car Series show on May 9th will include the popular Mega Bike Giveaway for the kids. In addition to a big field of Sprint Cars, Super Late Models, Sportsman Late Models, Street Stocks, Mini Outlaws and Hornets will make this a must-see event for the fans.

The Kid's Night Penny Gold Rush will happen on May 23rd with all of the track's core divisions, with exception of the Winged Sprint Cars, in action. The final Saturday of May the following week has The Beast Jett Car Burn Down as a featured attraction along with the same core six divisions from the previous week. June 12th and 13th will be the McDonald's Malicious Monster Truck Insanity Tour and Tuff Trucks, and June 20th will be a perfect night to bring a date as it's Ladies Night. The core six divisions will be there that week. Southern Oregon Dwarf Cars invade on June 27th, joined by the Super Late Models, Sportsman Late Models, Street Stocks, Mini Outlaws and Hornets, and the track has penciled in the Third Annual IMCA Modified Gambler event that next Sunday. IMCA Sport Modifieds will also be there along with the regular five divisions from the night before.

On July 11th, it's Eve Of Destruction 11, featuring American Daredevil Mister Dizzy and the Oregon Coast's Best Fireworks Show. Super Late Models will headline along with Sportsman Late Models, Street Stocks, Mini Outlaws, Hornets and Junior Stingers. Just three days later on the 14th will be the Western Sprint Tour Winged 360 Sprint Car Speedweek event, also featuring Street Stocks and Junior Stingers. Ken Ware Chevrolet Night on July 25th features every one of the track's championship point earning divisions, minus the Winged Sprint Cars, but including the Southern Oregon Dwarf Cars.

August heats up on the 1st with Whelen Fan Appreciation Night. This show will feature the annual head-to-head battle between the Outlaw Pro Stock Association and the local Sportsman Late Models. Winged Sprint Cars will be there along with the Super Late Models, Street Stocks, Mini Outlaws, Hornets and Junior Stingers. The Fourth Annual Tidal Wave 50 lap Late Model race moves to August 15th, joined by the Sportsman Late Models, Street Stocks, Mini Outlaws, Hornets and Junior Stingers. Two days later, on the 17th, Week of Speed for the ISCS Winged Sprint Cars will also include the support of the Northwest, PHRA and Southern Oregon Dwarf Cars. Sponsorship Appreciation Night the following Saturday features the track's core six divisions without the Winged Sprint Cars, and the very popular Street Stock Battle at the Beach Iron Giant Street Stock Show closes August on the 29th. With Super Late Models, Sportsman Late Models, Mini Outlaws, Hornets and Junior Stingers, this will be a night you won't want to miss.

Ladies Night on September 5th will be the championship night for the Winged Sprint Cars as all seven of the track's championship earning divisions will be competing. It is NASCAR Championship Night on September 12th with the other six championships to be determined. The ISCS Winged Sprint Cars Battle at the Bay on September 26th includes the Street Stocks, Mini Outlaws, Hornets, IMCA Modifieds and IMCA Sport Modifieds. A Coos Bay tradition continues on October 3rd with the final oval track race of the year. It will be the Prather Family Lucas Oil Open Show. A big prize will be on the line for the America's Mattress Super Late Models with increased purse money anticipated for IMCA Modifieds, Sportsman Late Models, Street Stock, Mini Outlaws and Hornets as well.

2020 is expected to be a big year for Coos Bay Speedway. Under the leadership of Promoter Drake Nelson with the addition of NASCAR sanctioning, the America's Mattress Super Late Models are getting some of their biggest car counts in years. Street Stock car count began growing last year, the Hornets are producing some of the biggest car counts every week and the Junior Stingers are growing and introducing new racers to the speedway. With the Winged Sprint Car excitement, fan friendly attractions and other great things on the schedule, Coos Bay Speedway will be the place you'll want to be in 2020. For further information, go to www.coosbayspeedway.us.

2020 - Coos Bay Speedway Schedule
3/7/2020   
Mud Drags
Mud Drags
   
3/13/2020   
Car Show Pony Village Mall
   
3/14/2020   
Car Show Pony Village Mall
   
3/15/2020   
Car Show Pony Village Mall
   
3/21/2020   
Mud Drags
Mud Drags
   
3/28/2020   
ET Summit Series NHRA Drags
Super Pro, Pro, Sportsman, Motorcycle, Jr Dragster
   
3/29/2020   
ET Summit Series NHRA Drags
Super Pro, Pro, Sportsman, Motorcycle, Jr Dragster
   
4/3/2020   
Malicious Monster Truck Insanity Tour & Tuff Trucks (Douglas County Fairgrounds-Roseburg, OR)
Monster Trucks
   
4/4/2020   
Malicious Monster Truck Insanity Tour & Tuff Trucks (Douglas County Fairgrounds-Roseburg, OR)
Monster Trucks
   
4/11/2020   
NASCAR Season Opener
Winged Sprints, America's Mattress Super Late Models, Sportsman Late Models, Street Stocks, Mini Outlaws, Hornets, JR Stingers
   
4/12/2020   
ET Summit Series Sunday Drags
Super Pro, Pro, Sportsman, Motorcycle, Jr Dragster
   
4/18/2020   
South Coast Shopper Car Load Night "Lucky Rides For The Kids" Tri-State Pro Stock Challenge
America's Mattress Super Late Models, Sportsman Late Models, Street Stocks, Mini Outlaws, Hornets, JR Stingers
   
4/19/2020   
ET Summit Series Sunday Drags
Super Pro, Pro, Sportsman, Motorcycle, Jr Dragster
   
4/24/2020   
Midnight Street Drags With NHRA Test & Tune
   
4/25/2020   
ET Summit Series NHRA Drags
Super Pro, Pro, Sportsman, Motorcycle, Jr Dragster
   
4/26/2020   
ET Summit Series NHRA Drags "Land Of The Leaders Challenge"
Super Pro, Pro, Sportsman, Motorcycle, Jr Dragster
   
5/2/2020   
Pepsi Night
Winged Sprints, America's Mattress Super Late Models, Sportsman Late Models, Street Stocks, Mini Outlaws, Hornets, JR Stingers
   
5/3/2020   
Mud Drags Oregon State Championship
Mud Drags
   
5/9/2020   
Mega Bike Giveaway ISCS Winged Sprint Cars
Winged Sprints, America's Mattress Super Late Models, Sportsman Late Models, Street Stocks, Mini Outlaws, Hornets
   
5/15/2020   
Midnight Street Drags With NHRA Test & Tune
   
5/16/2020   
ET Summit Series NHRA Drags
Super Pro, Pro, Sportsman, Motorcycle, Jr Dragster
   
5/17/2020   
ET Summit Series Nhra Drags "Land Of The Leaders Challenge"
Super Pro, Pro, Sportsman, Motorcycle, Jr Dragster
   
5/23/2020   
Kids Night Penny Gold Rush
America's Mattress Super Late Models, Sportsman Late Models, Street Stocks, Mini Outlaws, Hornets, JR Stingers
   
5/24/2020   
ET Summit Series NHRA Sunday Drags
Super Pro, Pro, Sportsman, Motorcycle, Jr Dragster
   
5/30/2020   
Beast Jett Car Burndown
America's Mattress Super Late Models, Sportsman Late Models, Street Stocks, Mini Outlaws, Hornets, JR Stingers
   
6/5/2020   
Midnight Street Drags With NHRA Test & Tune
   
6/6/2020   
John Berry Classic Drags - Big Tire, Small Tire, & Bracket Race $5000 To Win Each Division
Super Pro, Pro, Sportsman, Motorcycle, Jr Dragster
   
6/7/2020   
ET Summit Series NHRA Drags "Land Of The Leaders Challenge"
Super Pro, Pro, Sportsman, Motorcycle, Jr Dragster
   
6/12/2020   
McDonalds Malicious Monster Truck Insanity Tour & Tuff Trucks
Monster Trucks
   
6/13/2020   
McDonalds Malicious Monster Truck Insanity Tour & Tuff Trucks
Monster Trucks
   
6/19/2020   
Midnight Street Drags With NHRA Test & Tune
   
6/20/2020   
Ladies Night
America's Mattress Super Late Models, Sportsman Late Models, Street Stocks, Mini Outlaws, Hornets, JR Stingers
   
6/21/2020   
ET Summit Series NHRA Sunday Drags
Super Pro, Pro, Sportsman, Motorcycle, Jr Dragster
   
6/27/2020   
NASCAR Weekly Racing Featuring Southern Oregon Dwarf Carss
America's Mattress Super Late Models, Sportsman Late Models, Street Stocks, Mini Outlaws, Hornets, Dwarf Cars Pro
   
6/28/2020   
IMCA Modified Gambler 2pm
America's Mattress Super Late Models, Sportsman Late Models, Street Stocks, Mini Outlaws, Hornets, IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Sportmod
   
7/4/2020   
ET Summit Series NHRA Drags
Super Pro, Pro, Sportsman, Motorcycle, Jr Dragster
   
7/5/2020   
ET Summit Series NHRA Drags "Land Of The Leaders Challenge"
Super Pro, Pro, Sportsman, Motorcycle, Jr Dragster
   
7/11/2020   
Eve of Destruction XI American Dare Devil Mr. Dizzy & Oregon Coast's Best FIREWORKS
America's Mattress Super Late Models, Sportsman Late Models, Street Stocks, Mini Outlaws, Hornets, JR Stingers
   
7/14/2020   
Western Sprint Tour 360 Speedweek
Street Stocks, JR Stingers, 360 Sprints - Winged
   
7/17/2020   
Midnight Street Drags With NHRA Test & Tune
   
7/18/2020   
ET Summit Series NHRA Drags WALLY WEEKEND
Super Pro, Pro, Sportsman, Motorcycle, Jr Dragster
   
7/19/2020   
ET Summit Series NHRA Drags WALLY WEEKEND
Super Pro, Pro, Sportsman, Motorcycle, Jr Dragster
   
7/25/2020   
Ken Ware Chevrolet Night
America's Mattress Super Late Models, Sportsman Late Models, Street Stocks, Mini Outlaws, Hornets, JR Stingers, Dwarf Cars Pro
   
7/31/2020   
Midnight Street Drags With NHRA Test & Tune
   
8/1/2020   
Whelen Fan Appreciation Night Outlaw Pro Stock Challenge
Winged Sprints, America's Mattress Super Late Models, Sportsman Late Models, Street Stocks, Mini Outlaws, Hornets, JR Stingers
   
8/7/2020   
Midnight Street Drags With NHRA Test & Tune
   
8/8/2020   
ET Summit Series NHRA Drags + Bikes & Bugs Show & Shine With The Battle At The Bay III
Super Pro, Pro, Sportsman, Motorcycle, Jr Dragster
   
8/9/2020   
ET Summit Series NHRA Drags "Bikes & Bugs Challenge"
Super Pro, Pro, Sportsman, Motorcycle, Jr Dragster
   
8/15/2020   
Super Late Model Tidal Wave 50
America's Mattress Super Late Models, Sportsman Late Models, Street Stocks, Mini Outlaws, Hornets, JR Stingers
   
8/17/2020   
Week Of Speed ISCS Winged Sprint Cars
Winged Sprints, Hornets, Dwarf Cars Pro
   
8/21/2020   
Midnight Street Drags With NHRA Test & Tune
   
8/22/2020   
Sponsor Appreciation Night
America's Mattress Super Late Models, Sportsman Late Models, Street Stocks, Mini Outlaws, Hornets, JR Stingers
   
8/29/2020   
Street Stock Battle At The Beach - "Lucky Rides For The Kids"
America's Mattress Super Late Models, Sportsman Late Models, Street Stocks, Mini Outlaws, Hornets, JR Stingers
   
8/30/2020   
Mud Drags
Mud Drags
   
9/5/2020   
Ladies Night
Winged Sprints, America's Mattress Super Late Models, Sportsman Late Models, Street Stocks, Mini Outlaws, Hornets, JR Stingers
   
9/12/2020   
NASCAR Championship Night
America's Mattress Super Late Models, Sportsman Late Models, Street Stocks, Mini Outlaws, Hornets, JR Stingers
   
9/18/2020   
Midnight Street Drags With NHRA Test & Tune
   
9/19/2020   
ET Summit Series NHRA Drags KING OF THE TRACK
Super Pro, Pro, Sportsman, Motorcycle, Jr Dragster
   
9/20/2020   
ET Summit Series NHRA Drags KING OF THE TRACK
Super Pro, Pro, Sportsman, Motorcycle, Jr Dragster
   
9/26/2020   
Winged Sprint Cars Battle At The Bay
Winged Sprints, Street Stocks, Mini Outlaws, Hornets, IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Sportmod
   
10/3/2020   
Prather Family Lucas Oil Open Show
America's Mattress Super Late Models, Sportsman Late Models, Street Stocks, Mini Outlaws, Hornets, IMCA Modifieds
   
10/10/2020   
Mud Drags
Mud Drags
   
10/17/2020   
Mud Drags
Mud Drags
   
10/24/2020   
Mud Drags
Mud Drags
   
11/14/2020   
NHRA Gobbler Gambler Drags
Super Pro, Pro, Sportsman, Motorcycle, Jr Dragster

NASCAR Program Grows In Third Season 
At Coos Bay Speedway

Coos Bay, Oregon...2019 was a year to be proud of for Coos Bay Speedway. This was the third year for Drake Nelson as promoter with NASCAR Whelen All American Series sanctioning, and there was an upturn in driver support in some of the classes. The headliner America's Mattress Super Late Models saw their car count maintain 10 or more with the attractive NASCAR point fund money as an incentive for drivers to make every race. The track generally offered at least one Sprint Car event every month, and there was lots of family-friendly activity throughout the season.

Knowing that the speedway needs new drivers who will eventually move up and be a part of the other divisions, Nelson had introduced the Junior Stingers class in 2018. Numbers slowly grew, but during the second half of 2019, the class hit double-digits in this Hornet division for 11 to 14 year olds on multiple occasions. There was always something exciting going on at Coos Bay Speedway, and the winners were the fans.

Coming off of a successful championship season at Cottage Grove Speedway the previous year, Coos Bay resident Preston Luckman came home to attempt to dethrone 2018 champion Brody Montgomery. The two had a nip-and-tuck battle that was broken open in favor of Luckman when the speedway held the annual Tidal Wave 50 in July. Due to bad luck on one of the nights, Montgomery lost enough ground to give Luckman a better advantage. Luckman never faltered and picked up championship prize money in excess of $5,000 for the season.

Luckman had seven wins out of 15 Top 5 finishes. Montgomery put up numbers that might have won him the championship had Luckman not been there. He had four wins out of 12 Top 5s, but he trailed Luckman by 42 points in the end. Wayne Butler had been focusing on both the Super Late Models and Sportsmen Late Models the previous season, but he ditched the Sportsman Late model to make a better run at Super Late Model points. Though he didn't win, he had 11 Top 5s and managed to beat 2015 champion Toby McIntyre by over 50 tallies. McIntyre had eight Top 5 finishes to hold off Thor Kristensen by 38 points. Thor and Chris Kristensen each had four Top 5 finishes as season best efforts. Thor had 10 Top 10s to nine for Chris, who ended up sixth.

Chris Ray had a lone Top 5 finish to nail down seventh in the standings by just six points over 2013 champion Trina Post. Post had seven Top 10 finishes in her seven starts. Sportsman Late Model racer Mike Taylor made a few Super Late Model starts. With one Top 5 finish and out of four Top 10s, he finished ninth ahead of Richard Wallace. Wallace only competed five times, but three Top 5 finishes secured him tenth in the standings. Willamette champion Joey Tanner had one win. Kyle Frick won the opening night of the Tidal Wave 50 weekend with Rob Mayea winning the money on the second night. Mayea returned for the annual Prather Family Lucas Oil Open and collected the victory ahead of Luckman and Tanner.

The speedway held five regular Sprint Car shows in addition to special visits for the Interstate Sprint Car Series and the Wingless Sprint Car Series. For the local point race, Donovan Prather won the championship by a mere two points ahead of Austin Sause. Prather had one win and led the division with four Top 5 finishes in his five starts. Sause had three Top 5s in a runner-up effort. Third went to Ricky Hulsey, who had two Top 5 finishes and trailed the champion by 20 points. Past champion Lawrence Van Hoof settled for fourth after missing one race. He had two wins in four starts.

Kyle Oaks ended up fifth in the standings by two points ahead of previous champion Brett Hulsey. Oaks and Hulsey both had three Top 5 finishes, but Hulsey also had one victory. Medford racer David Marble made two appearances with Top 5 finishes on both occasions, netting him seventh in the standings ahead of the tied Michael Cinollo, Cottage Grove champion Shane Forte and Steven Snawder. All three had Top 5 finishes in their lone appearances, and Forte won the night he was there.

The early-season appearance for the ISCS was lost due to rain, but they made their Week of Speed visit in August. The win that night went to Week of Speed and ISCS champion Tanner Holmes ahead of Ashley Johnson and Tyrell Mead. The ISCS had a September visit after their championship season had been completed, and it was Forte winning that race ahead of Snawder and Truman Winningham.  The Western Sprint Tour Speedweek race was rained out, but the Wingless Sprint Series Ironman Race was won by Trent Carter ahead of Lindsay Barney and Rob Lindsey.

The Sportsman Late Model division is a springboard into the faster Super Late Model class. Drivers continue to move up, but fortunately There were enough Sportsman Late Models to at least do some racing. After having quite a bit of success in a handful of Hornet starts in 2018, Braden Fugate set his sights on the Sportsman Late Model championship. He was shadowed through most of the season by Mike Taylor. Though Fugate won an impressive 12 times out of 15 Top 5 finishes, Taylor had mostly seconds and stayed close until some bad luck down the stretch kept him from starting a race. Fugate beat Taylor by 66 points in the end to win the $1,000 championship. Taylor had three wins out of 14 top 5s. A distant third in the standings was Garrett Smith. Smith had eight Top 5 finishes in nine starts.

Fourth-ranked Jared Simmons made seven starts, and six of those were Top 5 efforts. He ended up fourth in the standings by a comfortable margin ahead of Tom Williams. Williams had five Top 5 finishes in five starts. Previous champion Dyllan Siewell had one Top 5 finish in his only start. The Outlaw Pro Stock Association made their one head-to-head appearance against the Sportsman Late Models with that group's two-time champion Scott Lenz scoring the victory, which secured him seventh over 2016 Pro Stock champion Steve Borror. Like ninth-ranked Ryan Emry and tenth ranked Josh Kralicek, Borror scored one Top 5 finish in his one start. Taylor won the Prather Family Open Show in October.

The numbers grew slightly in the Street Stock division, and though Steve Dubisar was rather dominant, there were still ten different winners throughout the season. Dubisar had a knack for winning Main Events during the previous two seasons but didn't chase points. This time, he turned in an impressive effort with nine wins and 13 Top 5 finishes in 13 starts. His $700 championship was never in doubt. The battle was for second and changed hands a few times before the final checkered flag. Leroy Rockwell managed to get one win out of eight top 5s in his eight starts, giving him a 50 point advantage over previous champion Ken Fox. Fox had six Top 5 finishes in eight starts. He beat the steady Charlie Withers by just two points. Withers scored a very popular win out of four Top 5 finishes in his eight starts.

Mini Outlaw star Sam Talon started out the season with four Top 5 finishes in five starts. He stopped racing at that point but still had a 70 point advantage over fellow division rookie Payton Reigard. Reigard had three Top 5 finishes. Second-year competitor David Smith had one win and three Top 5 finishes to secure seventh in the standings ahead of Josh Bearden. Bearden had one win out of two Top 5 finishes. Modified and Late Model star Tom Elam had two Top 5 finishes to rank ninth by two points over Jeff Krossman. Krosman had one win and out of two Top 5s.

Other feature wins during the course of the season went to past champion Daniel Land, Kelly McIntyre, Toby McEntire and Kelly McDonald. McDonald won the Iron Giant Series Battle At The Beach event in August. There was were an impressive 30 cars that night. Iron Giant Series champion McDonald won that race ahead of David Cronk and Dubisar. Dubisar had to come from the B Main to get his feature finish. The Street Stocks also competed at the Prather Family Lucas Oil Open race, and it was Dubisar winning the extra money in that race ahead of Bernie Lujen and Danny O'Neil.

When Rob Lauver returned early in the season, it looked like the Mini Outlaw battle could be a showdown between he and incoming champion Sam Talon. However, Lauver had too many mechanical issues early in the season and was never really a threat in the standings. Talon had 11 wins and 14 Top 5 finishes, giving him a commanding lead over Jason Kellam in the final point rundown. Kellam had eight Top 5 finishes in eight starts. However, Lauver made things very interesting down the stretch as he picked up three wins once he got his mechanical bugs sorted out and wound up third in the standings. He had a total of five Top 5 finishes. Dan Daniels ended up fourth with five Top 5s in his five starts.

Jason Berrier had four Top 5 finishes to edge Kelly Rhealyn by just six points. Realyn also had four Top 5 finishes. Hunter Berrier ranked seventh in the standings with three Top 5 finishes. Tahlen Rogers ended up eighth with one Top 5 as Ken Fox and Scott Beaudoin completed the Top 10. The Mini Outlaws got an extra money race as part of the Prather Family Open, and Beaudoin won that race after mechanical issues sidelined Lauver.

The Hornet division saw things cycle back to popular Myrtle Point competitor Hannah Robison. Robison led early on but missed races, putting Steven Parker in the lead briefly. However, Robison had a knack for winning. She scored eight wins out of 14 Top 5 finishes in her 16 starts and ended up beating Parker by 92 points in the end on her way to the $500 championship. Parker had four Top 5 finishes and 14 Top 10s, giving him a 40 point lead over previous champion Tyler Tullos. Tullos had four wins out of 12 Top 5s. Gabrielle Boles didn't win, but she had multiple second place finishes out of 10 Top 5s to secure fourth in the standings. She trailed Tullos by just 28 markers.

Jesse McIntyre ended up fifth in the standings with one win out of eight Top 5 finishes. Next came Dusty Shingleton with four Top 5s out of ten Top 10s. He beat Kris Parker by only 12 points to finish sixth in the standings. Parker had four Top 5 finishes out of nine Top 10s. Ray Marshall picked up one win out of five Top 5 finishes and nine Top 10s to end up eighth. Next came two-time winner Trace Fugate, who had six Top 5s and eight Top 10s. Rounding out the Top 10 was Alyssa Johnson with three Top 5 finishes.

Other Hornet winners included Payton Reigard twice and Seth Christensen once. The Hornets were included in the annual Prather Family Open show, and it was Robison winning that race ahead of Tullos and Don Briggs Jr.

The Junior Stingers division is the Hornet class designed for kids 11 to 14 years old. The speedway is looking at ways to get new drivers involved. Though the numbers started off slowly again, they achieved double-digit car counts on multiple occasions down the stretch. Previous champion Griff Smith was the most confident driver in the field and dominated with 12 wins out of 14 Top 5s. He beat Alex Butler by 62 points. Butler surprised Smith with an early-season win out of 11 Top 5s. Smith is expected to move up to the Hornet class for the coming season.

Third went to Drake Vincent who had nine Top 5 finishes in his nine starts. James Shingleton managed to grab a win out of seven Top 5s, giving him a comfortable hold on fourth. Tegan Montgomery finished fifth with four Top 5 finishes out of six Top 10s. Kelsee Workmann was sixth with one Top 5 out of five Top 10s, beating Anne-Marie Johnson by 28 points. Johnson had three Top 5s and four Top 10s. Cameron Metzgus had two Top 5 finishes out of four Top 10s and only trailed Johnson by four points. Heather Burton and Mary Vincent completed the Top 10. Burton had two Top 5s and Vincent had one.

Coos Bay Speedway had two occasions in which they welcomed the IMCA Modifieds. The first was the annual Gambler Modified race. Colin Winebarger won the race comfortably ahead of Speedweek champion Kellen Chadwick and Travis Peery. They were also a part of the Prather Family Open, and the $1,000 prize was earned by Peery ahead of Andy Freeman and Kinzer Cox.

All in all, it was an exciting season that kept the fans entertained with good racing and other special nights like the Mister Dizzy Thrill Show, Kid's Rides and the annual fireworks display. Nelson has been adding new things to the schedule every year, and the NASCAR sanctioning is another factor in helping make Coos Bay a fan-friendly attraction on any given Saturday night. This trend is expected to continue in 2020 and beyond.

2020 Schedule Released For Marysville Raceway

Marysville, CA...The 2020 schedule has been released for Marysville Raceway, and it's a good one. Promoter Dennis Gage has lined up another exciting season that will offer all of the usual attractions the fans have come to expect from the speedway in recent years. The Winged 360 Sprint Cars will be featured prominently throughout the season along with the Winged Crate Sprints. Fendered Stock Car fans will see plenty of Hobby Stock and Limited Late Model racing throughout the season, and the Pepsi IMCA Sport Modifieds are back as well. The speedway will also see some visits from the NorCal Dwarf Cars, California Hardtops, Wingless Spec Sprints and more.

As is tradition, the season will kick off on February 29th with the annual Sherm and Loree Toller Memorial race. Winged 360 Sprint Cars headline that event along with the Wingless Spec Sprints and Crate Sprints. The Winged 360 Sprint Cars headline the Memorial Day Weekend event on May 23rd. This is the annual Mel Hall Memorial race, and it's the first ever Marysville appearance of the Elk Grove Ford Sprint Car Challenge Tour, presented by Abreu Vineyards. The IMCA Sport Modifieds will run in support that night. The July 3rd Special is being billed as Fast Cars and Freedom. In addition to a big fireworks display at the conclusion of the show, Winged 360 Sprint Cars, Hobby Stocks, Crate Sprints and IMCA Sport Modifieds will be competing. The season closes with the annual Gold Fever H&H Trenching Sprint Car Spooktacular on October 31st. Winged 360 Sprint Cars, Wingless Spec Sprints, Crate Sprints and IMCA Sport Modifieds will be competing that night.

Another big event on the card is the annual visit by the All Star Series IMCA Modifieds on March 28th. It's the one appearance scheduled for the division, and they are joined by the Limited Late Models, Crate Sprints and NorCal Dwarf Cars. Dwarf Cars will be featured prominently at the end of September, as has been a speedway tradition for more than two decades. It's the annual Western States Dwarf Car Association Nationals event, hosted by the NorCal Dwarf Cars. After a practice on September 24th, Friday and Saturday will offer two full nights of exciting Dwarf Car racing. The oldest race on the schedule is the Gold Fever Taxi Cab Open on October 17th. The show features Limited Late Models, Street Stocks, Super Stocks, Pure Stocks and Hobby Stocks.

There are other specials dotted throughout the season, including the Monster Truck and Megasaurus event on June 19th and 20th. Fan Appreciation happens on July 11th with $1 ticket night into the grandstands. Winged 360 Sprint Cars, IMCA Sport Modifieds, NorCal Dwarf Cars and Limited Late Models compete that night. Kid's Bike Night takes place on August 1st, featuring Winged 360 Sprint Cars, Hobby Stocks, IMCA Sport Modifieds and Limited Late Models.

The actual point season kicks off on March 21st with Winged 360 Sprint Cars headlining along with Pepsi IMCA Sport Modifieds and Hobby Stocks. The point season wraps up on August 29th with Championship Night, featuring Winged 360 Sprint Cars, IMCA Sport Modifieds, NorCal Dwarf Cars and California Hardtops. The California Hardtops will also appear on June 27th along with Winged 360 Sprint Cars, Hobby Stocks and Limited Late Models. It promises to be an exciting season.

Looking back at last season, Michael Ing turned in a stellar performance in claiming the Winged 360 Sprint Car championship. Ing was a beast at times with six wins and eight Top 5 finishes in his 13 starts. He beat past champion Korey Lovell by 48 points for the title. Lovell counted seven Top 5 finishes among his best efforts in his 13 starts. He managed to hold off previous champion Mike Monahan by 36 points. Monahan counted two Top 5s and seven Top 10s among his best efforts. The steady Pat Harvey ended up fourth in the standings with four Top 10 finishes. He beat past Wingless Spec Sprint champion Jimmy Steward by 34 points. Steward counted six Top 10 finishes among his best efforts. Other feature winners throughout the season included Placerville champion Andy Forsberg twice and Billy Wallace, Steel Powell, Cole Macedo and Kalib Henry once each.

Driving for David Pierce, Todd Cooper had a stellar performance of his own in the IMCA Sport Modified ranks. Cooper had five wins and 11 Top 5 finishes in his 12 starts, giving him a 43 point lead at season's end ahead of Scott Savell. Savell counted four Top 5s and eight Top 10s among his best efforts, putting him 25 points ahead of Jim Waller, who settled for third. Much like previous champion and fourth ranked Mike Merritt, Waller had two Top 5 finishes and seven Top 10s among his best efforts. Andrew Peckham picked up three wins and seven Top 5 finishes in his nine starts to claim fifth in the final rundown. Other feature winners for the season included Jeremy Phillips twice and Brian Cooper and Keith Brown Jr once each. The track held the two-day Peachtree Nationals. The $750 opening night win went to Brian Cooper, and the $1,250 win the next night was earned by Jeremy Phillips.

The closest championship battle was had in the Hobby Stock division, and they had so many cars at times that they needed a B Main. Jesse Van Roekel won the championship by just five points ahead of Devin Ryan. Van Roekel had seven Top 5 finishes among his nine starts. Ryan had seven Top five efforts as well, two of them being feature wins. Mike Stoeckle ended up third in the standings by just 16 points ahead of previous champions Shannon Collins. Stoeckle counted one win out of four Top 5 finishes among his best efforts, while Collins had five Top 5 finishes. David Caluya ended up fifth in the standings with one Top 5 finish and five Top 10s. Other winners throughout the season included Brian Compton twice and Zach Lindgren, Eric Phillips and Chico champion Kyle Allen once each.

The Winged Crate Sprint division had its strongest start ever with multiple double-digit car count nights. Darren Johnson shot out of the gate like a beast with four wins in five starts before dropping out of competition. This opened the door for past Wingless Spec Sprint competitor Brett Youngman to take over. Youngman had nine Top 5 finishes in his nine starts to beat Kiely Ricardo by 24 points. Ricardo had seven Top 5 finishes of his own. Only eight points behind Ricardo was Cameron Haney Jr, who had four Top 5 finishes. Nick Larson had an impressive four wins out of eight Top 5 finishes, but his absence from one event left him forth in the standings ahead of fifth-ranked Chad Thompson. Thompson had two Top 5 finishes among his best efforts. Jeff Macedo was the other feature winner.

Rules were adjusted in the Limited Late Model division in an effort to get car count up, and it seemed to be a step in the right direction. In eight races, Chico champion Matt Micheli had five wins and seven Top 5s to win the championship by a wide margin over past champion George Magenheimer. Magenheimer had six Top 5 finishes among his best efforts and beat Richard Vander Ploeg by 31 points. Vander Ploeg used five Top 5 finishes to secure third ahead of Brent Lawrence, who also had five Top 5 efforts. Rod Oliver settled for fifth with four Top 5 finishes. Ryan McDaniel picked up a pair of victories, while Tyler Lightfoot was the other winner during the season.

The Sherm and Loree Toller Memorial race ran under threatening skies with a reduced Civil War Sprint Car turn out. Andy Forsberg won that night ahead of Koen Shaw and Blake Carrick. The Mel Hall Memorial race was rained out and rescheduled for November. This was the swan song for the Civil War Series, which has been put on hiatus. They had a big turnout with Forsberg winning that race ahead of Justyn Cox and Michael Ing. The Hunt Wingless Spec Sprint Series ran in support, and Bradley Terrell won that night ahead of Jake Morgan and Dan Gonderman. Roughly 80 Dwarf Cars competed in the annual Western States Dwarf Car Nationals in September. Preliminary Feature wins went to Shawn Jones in the Pro class, Kevin Miraglio in the Veteran class and Sean Catucci in the Sportsman division. The money Main Events the next night went to Joe Frock in the Pro class, Brain Quility in the Veteran class and Travis Hensley in the Sportsman class.

The annual Gold Fever Taxi Cab Open was a night for the fendered divisions to shine in October. It was Matt Micheli winning the Limited Late Model race ahead of Jay Norton. Jesse Gonzalez won the Super Stock race ahead of Steve Studebaker, and Richard Brace Jr outran Studebaker to win the Street Stock feature. Jason Palmer outran Les Friend to win the Pure Stock race, and Rick Etchieson capped the night with a Hobby Stock win over Palmer and Jacob Johnson. Hobby Stocks had the biggest turnout of all of the classes that night. The H&H Trenching Halloween Sprint Car Spooktacular Winged 360 Sprint Car win went to Andy Forsberg ahead of Shane Hopkins and Cole Macedo. It was Terry Schank Jr outrunning Josh Young to win the Wingless Spec Sprint race, while Cameron Haney Jr won the Crate Sprint race ahead of Brandon Dozier. Jimmy Ford wrapped-up the IMCA Sport Modified season on a high note by beating PSM South champion Todd Cooper and Brian Cooper.

There's lots of excitement to look forward to at Marysville Raceway this season. For further information, go to www.marysvilleraceway.com.

2020 Marysville Raceway Tentative Schedule
Saturday
February 22
Play Day
All Divisions.  12:00pm – 4:00pm – Pit Gate opens at 11/$30.00. Main Granstand is FREE!
   
Saturday
February 29
Loree and Sherm Toller Memorial Twilight show
Winged 360 sprints, Wingless Sprints and Crate Sprints.
   
Saturday
March 21
Marysville Raceway Point Race #1
360 winged sprints, IMCA Pepsi Sport Modifieds, Hobby Stocks
   
Saturday
March 28
All Star Modified Tour / Point Race #2
All Star Modifieds, L.Late Models, Crate Sprints, Dwarf Cars
   
Saturday
April 4
Marysville Raceway Point Race #3
360 winged sprints, IMCA Pepsi Sport Modifieds, crate sprints, L. Late Models
   
Saturday
April 18
Marysville Raceway Point Race #4
360 winged sprints, crate sprints, Hobby stocks, L.Late Models
   
Saturday
April 25
Marysville Raceway Point Race #5
Wingless Spec. Sprints, Hobby Stocks, Crate sprints, Dwarf Cars
   
Saturday
May 9
Marysville Raceway Point Race #6
360 winged sprints, IMCA Pepsi sport mods, Crate sprints, Hobby Stocks (Mother’s Day Discount Grandstands)
   
Saturday
May 16
Marysville Raceway Point Race #7
360 winged sprints, IMCA Pepsi sport mods, Dwarf Cars
   
Saturday
May 23
Mel Hall Memorial / Sprint Car Challenge Tour / Mod Point Race
SCCT Sprint Car series, IMCA Pepsi sport mods-points
   
Saturday
June 13
Marysville Raceway Point Race #9
360 winged sprints, Hobby stocks, IMCA Pepsi sport mods, Crate sprints
   
Friday
June 19   
Monster Trucks and Mega-Saurus Night 1
Discount tickets for Friday night only.  Buy on-line and save.  Adult ($16), Juniors ($12), Kids ($6)
Purchase at front gate. Adult ($20), Juniors ($16), Kids ($8)
Children ages 2 and under are FREE
Free Parking. Front gate opens 5 PM.  Show starts at 7 PM. Pit Party/Monster Truck rides @5:30

Saturday
June 20
Monster Trucks and Mega-Saurus Night 2
Saturday night ticket prices on-line or at front gate – Adult ($20), Juniors ($16), Kids ($8)
Children ages 2 and under are FREE
Free Parking
Front Gate opens at 5 PM.  Show starts at 7 PM. Monster Truck rides @ 5:30

Saturday
June 27
Marysville Raceway Point Race #10
360 Winged sprints, Hobby stocks, L. Late models, Vintage Hardtops
   
Friday
July 3
Fast Cars and Freedom July 3rd / Friday Night / Gigantic Fireworks / Point Race #11
360 Winged Sprints, hobby stocks, Crate sprints, Sport mods
Gigantic aerial post race Fireworks!
Kids 11 and under FREE when accompanied by an adult.
   
Saturday
July 11
$1.00 Dollar Night On All Grandstand Tickets! Point Race #12
$1.00 Dollar Night, all tickets! – 360 winged sprints, L. Late models, IMCA Pepsi sport mods, Dwarf Cars
   
Saturday
July 25
Marysville Raceway Point Race #13
360 winged sprints, Crate sprints, Hobby stocks, Dwarf cars.
   
Saturday
August 1
Marysville Raceway Point Race #14 / Kids Bike Night
Kids Night-360 winged sprints, hobby stock, IMCA Pepsi sport modifieds, L. Late Models
Bike races for kids 11 and under on the front stretch of track during intermission. Don’t forget to bring your kids bikes!
Kids 11 and under are FREE when accompanied by adult.
   
Saturday
August 15
Marysville Raceway Points Race #15
360 winged sprints, crate sprints, hobby stock, IMCA Pepsi Sport mods

Saturday
August 29
Championship Night / Point Race #16
Championship night! 360 winged sprints, IMCA Pepsi sport mods, Dwarf Cars, Vintage Hardtops
   
Thursday
September 24
Dwarf Car Nationals Night 1
   
Friday
September 25
Dwarf Car Nationals Night 2. $1 Admission!
All Tickets Just $1.00!
   
Saturday
September 26
Dwarf Car Nationals Night 3
Dwarf Car Nationals-L. Late Model Final
   
Saturday
October 17
Gold Fever Taxi Cab Open
Lm late models, Street stocks, Super stocks, Pure stocks, Hobby stks.
   
Saturday
October 31
Gold Fever H & H Tr. Sprint Spooktacular
360 sprints, Wingless spec sprints, Crate sprint, Sport mods. Spooky fun, great racing & candy 4 the kids!

Plenty Of Excitement On Tap In 2020 
At Silver Dollar Speedway

Chico, CA...The schedule has been released at Silver Dollar Speedway, and it promises plenty of thrills and excitement for the fans throughout the year. Silver Dollar Speedway has been known to offer some of the most exciting Sprint Car racing you'll find anywhere in California, and that will continue to be the case again this season. The track also gives the fans some great IMCA Sport Modified, Street Stock and Hobby Stock races along with other special visiting attractions and some signature events.

If you are a fan of Winged Sprint Car racing, you'll have something to look forward to at the very start of the season. March 13th and 14th will see the annual Silver Cup Winged 360 Sprint Car show with NorCal Dwarf Cars in support. The 13th offers a $2,000 winner's prize for the Sprint Cars and the next night sees an increase to $3,500 to win. May kicks off with another big event. May 1st will see the annual Bill Brownell Memorial Winged 410 Sprint Car race with IMCA Sport Modifieds and Hobby Stocks running in support. On May 2nd, it's the annual NARC/King of the West Fujitsu Winged 410 Sprint Car race known as the Dave Bradway Jr. Memorial. Hobby Stocks will be there in support.

On June 19th, the Elk Grove Ford Sprint Car Challenge Tour, presented by Abreu Vineyards makes their inaugural Chico visit. This will be the David Tarter Memorial race, and the IMCA Sport Modifieds will run in support. On August 21st, it's the Tyler Wolfe Memorial race for the Winged 360 Sprint Cars. It's also Pepsi Big Trophy Night with IMCA Sport Modifieds, Hobby Stocks and Street Stocks running in support.

September 9th through 12th will be the annual Gold Cup Race of Champions four-day event. The 9th and 10th will be the Platinum Cup for the Winged 360 Sprint Cars with $2,500 to win on each night. Hobby Stocks will have a big event both nights in support. On the 11th and 12th, it's the annual visit by the World of Outlaw Winged 410 Sprint Cars. This will include a preliminary night for the Winged 360 Sprint Car Platinum Cup on the 11th and the $5,000 to win Platinum Cup feature on the 12th. To close the season in style, October 2nd and 3rd will be the annual Fall Nationals Winged 360 Sprint Car show with the Pepsi IMCA Sport Modified Fall Invitational also on the bill for both nights.

Several other fan-friendly attractions dot the schedule, including the Monster Trucks and Megasaurus visit on April 10th and 11th. July 4th will be the annual big fireworks display show, featuring Winged 360 Sprint Cars, Street Stocks, IMCA Sport Modifieds and Hobby Stocks. On July 10th, it's Fan Appreciation Night. Fans get into the grandstands for $1 and get to watch Winged 360 Sprint Cars, NorCal Dwarf Cars and California Hardtops. Hardtops also race on June 12th along with the Winged 360 Sprint Cars, IMCA Modifieds, Hobby Stocks and Street Stocks. Kid's Bike night takes place on July 31st with Winged 360 Sprint Cars, Street Stocks, IMCA Sport Modifieds and Hobby Stocks all on the card. That night will also see a Kid's Bike Race during intermission.

The actual point season is scheduled to begin on March 20th with Winged 360 Sprint Cars, IMCA Sport Modifieds and Hobby Stocks all In action. The aforementioned Pepsi Big Trophy Night on August 21st closes the championship battle. The great tradition of Friday night racing is alive and well at Silver Dollar Speedway this year.

A look back at last season saw an interesting championship battle develop in the Winged 360 Sprint Cars. Shortly after grabbing her first-career feature win, Chelsea Blevins vacated the point lead, giving the advantage to Kyle Offill. However, the combination of car owner Dan Menne and Sean Becker proved to be too difficult to deny. On the strength of four wins and seven Top 5 finishes in nine starts, Becker staked his claim on his fifth championship ahead of Placerville champion Andy Forsberg. Forsberg counted five Top 5 finishes among his best efforts. Offill had a win of his own out of four Top 5 finishes as his best efforts of the year, giving him third in final rundown. He trailed Forsberg by just five tallies. 

Blake Carrick had two Top 5 finishes among his best efforts to finish fourth ahead of Angelo Cornet, who had one Top 5 finish. Blevins, Chase Majdic, Shane Golobic, Kyle Hirst and Tanner Carrick each had one feature triumph.

Matt Micheli had one of those seasons racers dream of. He was a double division racer with two championships to show for it. In the IMCA Sport Modifieds, Micheli had three wins and seven Top 5 finishes in his 10 starts, giving him a 69 point advantage over Scott Savell in the title chase. With four Top 5 finishes among his best efforts, Savell held onto second by 21 points over Tyler Rodgers. Rodgers had one win out of five five Top 5 finishes. With five Top 10 efforts, Timothy Allerdings secured fourth in the standings by 19 points over Andrew Peckham. Peckham had one win out of six Top 5 finishes as his best efforts for the season. Other feature winners included Brian Cooper, Todd Cooper, State Champion Guy Ahlwardt and two-time winner Jeremy Phillips.

Micheli's success didn't end there. In the Street Stock division, he was practically unstoppable. He had five wins and six Top 5 finishes in his seven starts. He still beat his father Ken Micheli by just 28 points in the final rundown. Ken Micheli had three Top 5 finishes among his best efforts. Ken Micheli and Gary Newman continued to be the two oldest drivers in the field. Newman lost a close battle to Ken Micheli by just 14 points, though he had four Top 5 finishes. Richard Workman was only 23 points behind Newman in fourth with four Top 5 finishes. Brent Lawrence rounded out the Top 5 on the strength of one win out of his four Top 5 finishes. Richard Brace Jr was the other feature winner.

Kyle Allen was perhaps the most dominant driver at the speedway. The incoming Hobby Stock champion scored some improbable victories during the season. In nine starts, he had eight wins and never finished outside the Top 5. Despite that, his advantage over James West in the end was only 39 tallies. West and third-ranked Shannon Collins each had six Top 5 finishes among their best efforts, and Collins only trailed West by 11 points in the end. Nine points behind Collins was Jeremiah Creedon on the strength of four Top 5 finishes. Completing the Top 5 in the final point rundown was Zach Lindgren with one win out of five Top 5 efforts.

There were some big races held during the season, including the annual Mini Gold Cup in March. This was a World of Outlaws event with Carson Macedo winning ahead of champion Brad Sweet and Ian Madsen. Michael "Spanky" Grenert won the NorCal Dwarf Car race ahead of Ryan Winter and Danny Wagner. The NARC/King of the West Fujitsu Winged Sprint Cars made two appearances during the season. The first was the Dave Bradway Jr Memorial race, won by Justin Sanders ahead of Shane Golobic and Tim Kaeding. The next race in August was won by Tim Kaeding ahead of Mitchell Faccinto and Andy Forsberg. Crate Sprints supported the Bradway Memorial with Marysville champion Brett Youngman getting his lone victory of the year ahead of Nick Larson and Jeff Macedo. The night before the Bradway also included an unsanctioned 410 Sprint Car race, won by Sanders ahead of Golobic and Tim Kaeding.

In early September, the Gold Cup Race of Champions kicked off with the big money Platinum Cup races on Wednesday and Thursday for the Winged 360 Sprint Cars. The first race was won by Andy Forsberg ahead of Kalib Henry and Shane Golobic. The next night went to Golobic in front of Willie Croft and Colby Copeland. The World of Outlaws headlined the next two nights with Brad Sweet winning the first race ahead of Tim Kaeding and Shane Golobic. Daryn Pittman outran Sweet and Logan Shuchart to win the next night. NorCal Dwarf Cars supported both nights with Ben Wiesz winning the first race ahead of Jeremy Blackshere and Brian Quilty. The next night went to Shawn Jones ahead of Shawn Whitney and Mike Reeder.

The season was capped by the 27th Annual Fall Nationals in October. The big Winged 360 Sprint Car event had the hugest turn out of the season, and Justyn Cox won the first night ahead of Shane Golobic and Willie Croft. It was Tim Kaeding winning the next night ahead of Justin Sanders and Bud Kaeding.

The great racing tradition will continued at Silver Dollar Speedway. Fans of Sprint Cars and Stock Cars can find it all in Chico on any given Friday night. For further information, go to www.silverdollarspeedway.com.

2020 Silver Dollar Speedway Tentative Schedule
Sunday
February 23
Play Day 12-4
Playday/practice Sunday 2/23 12-4. Pit Gate opens @ 11, $30. Grandstands FREE, open all day until 4ish / All Divisions welcomed!

Friday
March 13
39th Silver Cup Night 1
360 Sprints $2,000 to win, Dwarf Cars
   
Saturday
March 14
39th Silver Cup Night 2
360 Sprints $3,500 to win,  Dwarf Cars
   
Friday
March 20
SDS Weekly Racing Series Point Race #1
360 Sprints, IMCA Sport Modifieds, Hobby Stock
   
Friday
March 27
SDS Weekly Racing Series Point Race #2
360 Sprints, IMCA Sport Modifieds, Hobby Stocks
   
Friday
April 3
SDS Weekly Racing Series Point Race #3
360 Sprints, Street Stock, IMCA Sport Modifieds
   
Friday
April 10   
Monster Trucks w/Mega-Saurus
Discount tickets for Friday night only. Buy on-line and save. Adult ($16) ages 15 and up, Juniors ($12) ages 12-15, Kids ($6) ages 3-11
Purchase at front gate. Adult ($20), Juniors ($16), Kids ($8)
Children ages 2 and under are FREE
Front gate opens 5 PM. Show starts at 7 PM. Pit Party & Monster Truck rides @ 5:30
   
Saturday
April 11
Monster Trucks w/Mega-Saurus
Discount tickets for Saturday night only. Buy on-line and save. Adult ($20) ages 15 and up, Juniors ($16) ages 12-15, Kids ($8) ages 3-11
Purchase at front gate. Adult ($22), Juniors ($18), Kids ($10)
Children ages 2 and under are FREE
Front gate opens 5 PM. Show starts at 7 PM. Pit party/Monster Truck rides @ 5:30
   
Friday
April 17
SDS Weekly Racing Series Point Race #4
360 Sprints, IMCA Sport Modifieds, Hobby Stocks
   
Friday
April 24   
SDS Weekly Racing Series Point Race #5
360 Sprints, IMCA Sport Mod’s, Street Stocks
   
Friday
May 1
13th Annual Bill Brownell Memorial
 410 Sprints, Hobby Stock, IMCA Sport Mod (Frys Metals Night)
   
Saturday
May 2
30th Annual Dave Bradway Jr. Memorial
NARC / King Of The West 410 Sprints, and Hobby Stocks Point Race
   
Friday
May 8
SDS Weekly Racing Series Point Race #7
360 Sprints, IMCA Sport Mod, Street Stocks(Mother’s Day Discount $10.00)
   
Friday
June 5
Monster Trucks-Medford, Southern Oregon Speedway
Monster Trucks action! Pit party/Monster Truck rides @5:30pm
   
Saturday
June 6   
Monster Trucks, Medford-Southern Oregon Speedway
Monster Truck action! Pit party & Monster Truck rides @5:30pm
   
Friday
June 12   
SDS Weekly Racing Series Point Race #8
360 winged sprints,  Mods, Hobby Stocks, Street Stocks, Vintage Hardtops
   
Friday
June 19   
8th Annual David Tarter Memorial w/ Sprint Car Challenge Tour
Sprint Car Challenge Tour (SCCT) first time ever at SDS and the IMCA Sport Mods Point Race.
   
Friday
June 26
SDS Weekly Racing Series Point Race #10
360 Sprints, Hobby Stocks, Street Stocks
   
Saturday
July 4   
Fast Cars and Freedom July 4th Celebration / Fireworks / Point Race #11
4th of July Giant Fireworks Display! 360 winged sprints, Street Stocks, IMCA Sport Mods, Hobby Stocks
   
Friday
July 10
Point Race #12 /Dollar Night. All Tickets $1!
360 sprints,  Dwarf Cars, Vintage Hardtops
The best deal in Chico, CA! All grandstand tickets just $1.
   
Friday
July 31
Kids Bike Night! Point Race #13
360 Sprints, Street Stocks, Sport Mods, Hobby Stocks (Kids Bike Races) Kids bring your bikes!
Kids 11 and under FREE!
   
Friday
August 7   
SDS Weekly Racing Series Point Race #14
360 Sprints, Street Stocks, Hobby Stocks
   
Friday
August 14
Hot August Monster Trucks @ SDS/Chico
Hot August Monster Trucks Madness! Front Gate @ 5. Pit party/Monster Truck rides @ 5;30
   
Saturday
August 15
Hot August Monster Trucks @ Chico
Hot August Monster Trucks @ Chico/SDS. Pit party & Monster Truck rides @ 5:30!
   
Friday
August 21
8th Annual Tyler Wolf Memorial / Championship Night!
360 Sprints, IMCA Sport Mod., Hobby Stock, Street Stocks (Pepsi Trophy Night)
This is it! The Finale. Champions will be crowned!
   
Wednesday
September 9
Gold Cup Night 1 / Platinum Cup / Hobby Stock Cup
Single Day Tickets Go On Sale August 15, 2020
Reserved Seating – $25   (530) 350-7275
General Admission- Row I & below in bleachers, $15  Kids 11 & under FREE!
 Reserved Seating: Entire Grandstand & Row J & above in the bleachers
General Admission:  Row I and below in the bleachers ONLY
Racing: Gold Cup Platinum Cup, 360 Winged Sprints. $2,500 to win. Hobby stocks
   
Thursday
September 10
Gold Cup Night 2 / Platinum Cup / Hobby Stock Cup
Single Day Tickets Go On Sale August 15, 2020
Reserved Seating – $30 For tickets please call (530) 350-7275
General Admission- $20 Kids 11 & under FREE!
Reserved Seating: Entire Grandstand & Row J & above in the bleachers
General Admission: Row I and below in the bleachers ONLY
Racing: Gold Cup Platinum Cup, 360 Winged Sprints. $2,500 to win. And Hobby Stocks

Friday
September 11
Gold Cup Night 3 / World of Outlaws / Platinum Cup D, C, B Mains
Single Day Tickets Go On Sale August 15, 2020
Reserved Seating – $45  For tickets please call (530) 350-7275
General Admission – $30   Kids 11 & under $15
Reserved Seating: Entire Grandstand & Row J & above in the bleachers
General Admission: Row I & below in the bleachers ONLY
Racing: Gold Cup WoO 410 Winged Sprints & 360 Sprints/Platinum Cup D, C, B
   
Saturday
September 12   
Gold Cup Night 4 / World of Outlaws / Platinum Cup A Main $5,00 to win
Single Day Tickets Go On Sale August 15, 2020
Reserved Seating – $55    For Tickets Please call (530) 350-7275
General Admission- $40   Kids 11 & under $15
Reserved seating: Entire Grandstand & Row J & above in the bleachers
General Admission: Row I & below in the bleachers ONLY
Racing: Gold Cup WoO 410 Winged Sprints, Dwarf Cars
   
Friday
October 2
Fall Nationals: Night 1 - 7th Annual Tribute to Stephen Allard
Winged 360 Sprints/IMCA Pepsi Sport Modified Fall Nationals-non point
   
Saturday
October 3
Fall Nationals: Night 2 - 7th Annual Tribute to Stephen Allard
Winged 360 Sprints/IMCA Pepsi Sport Modified Fall Nationals Invitational

Exciting Lineup Of Races 
At Douglas County Speedway In 2020

Roseburg, Oregon...Quietly, Douglas County Speedway enjoyed one of its better seasons in recent years in 2019. Oregon's oldest racing association, the Pacific Racing Association, has put together another exciting lineup that is sure to delight the fans at the Roseburg Fairgrounds based facility this year. Last season, the track added a Sport Modified division, which started off very well. The Outlaw 100 races had an interesting mixture of different race cars for these special shows.

One of the cornerstone divisions of the PRA, the Hardtops, continue to be one of the featured classes along with the rapidly-growing Hornets class. Admittedly, the Super Stocks and Mini Stocks aren't doing as well as they have in the past, but it's hoped that with a reduced schedule, those numbers might rise again this year. Roseburg will again host one of the NASCAR/ARCA West Series races as well as an NSRA Sprint Car show. There will also be visits from the touring Modifieds, Northwest Mini Stocks and Big Rigs. There will be lots of excitement in Roseburg this year.

Once again, the speedway will open and close with big Enduro events. These races have increased in popularity and car count in recent years, and it starts on March 21st with the annual Chili Cook Off and Enduro race. On October 24th, the season goes out with a bang as it's time for the Track N Treat Enduro. After a pair of play days on April 18th and 25th, May 2nd is when PRA championship racing begins. It starts on May 1st with a practice session and BBQ. Rumble On The River will open things up the next night, and double points will be on the line. Hardtops, Hornets, Mini Stocks, Super Stocks and Sport Modifieds will all be competing. In addition to that, the Hornets will run a Figure 8 on a special track constructed on the front straightaway. This will be the first of six of Figure 8 races, which have proven to be very popular with the fans.

The NSRA Sprint Cars make their annual appearance with the Rick Brown Super Shoe race on May 9th. Joining the Sprint Cars that night will be the Sport Modifieds, Hardtops and Hornets. A week later, the ARCA/NASCAR West Series event comes to town. Northwest Mini Stocks are a tour that began in Washington. They race one event each at select tracks, and Roseburg gets the May 30th show along with Hardtops, Hornet and Super Stocks.

If you like watching various cars from Late Models to Street Stocks to Hardtops and so on compete against each other, the first of four Outlaw Series races happens on June 13th. Sport Modifieds, Super Stocks and a Hornet Figure 8 will happen along with the FCCU Junior Fan Club Penny Dash. The hits keep on coming on June 20th with the annual Street Stock Smackdown show. Oregon's premier Street Stock series, the Iron Giant Series, competes against the local Super Stock stars. Sport Modifieds, Hornets and a Hornet Figure 8 round out what should be an exciting program.

Another Roseburg tradition continues on the July 10th. It's the Graffiti Night Hardtop Challenge pitting the top Canadian competitors against the PRA's best. Joining them that night will be the Sport Modifieds and Hornets. The Hornet's Nest 50 race will happen on July 18th. The Outlaw Series will be competing along with the Washington Midget Racing Association and Mini Stocks. The County Fair on August 4th will feature a double point show with Hardtops, Sport Modifieds, Hornets and a Hornet Figure 8 on the bill. Umpqua Valley Transportation Sector Partnership North American Big Rigs take to the track on August 15th, joined by Hornets, Super Stocks and Mini Stocks. Following a program headlined by the third Outlaw Series race on August 22nd, the Modified Shootout race on August 29th will include Hardtops, Hornets and a Hornet Figure 8.

The championships will be decided in September, and the September 12th event will be Outlaw Series and Mini Stock Championship Night. Hardtops and Super Stocks will also be competing on Family Fun Night, which will include a bike giveaway for the kids. On September 19th, the rest of the championships will be decided. It's Upset On The Umpqua Championship Night. The double point event features Hardtops, Sport Modifieds, Hornets, Street Stocks and the Hornet Figure 8. Two rainout makeup dates are included in July and September in the event that they are needed. 

The PRA has worked very hard to make sure that something special will be happening for the fans on any given race night. People have been talking about the great racing happening at Southern Oregon's only paved oval track. The variety of different classes listed ensures that there is something for everybody to enjoy all season long.

In the Hardtop division last season, Harlan Cox was once again a powerhouse in the division. Cox was a five-time winner during the season, but his absence from the third event put Kyron Greene into the lead. Greene won the race that night, but a four-race win streak for Cox meant it was very close going into the finale. However, Cox got disqualified that night, and Greene scored the victory. Greene ended up winning the championship by 108 points over 2016 champion Greg Hickman. Greene had a pair of second place finishes, and Hickman had one second and one third among his best efforts. Ranking fourth behind Cox was Chuck Jacobs, who missed the first two races before picking up two thirds and a second in the final three races. Donni Fain ended up fifth in the standings. One of the wins for Cox came in the Can-Am Challenge race during Graffiti Weekend.

The Sport Modified division was new to the speedway, but they started off pretty well as the Watson and Harvey families were strong supporters. They had a six race season, and Tom Ford proved to be too much to overcome with four wins and two additional Top 5 finishes. Ford beat Kalob Watson by 87 points. Watson counted three seconds and a third among his best finishes to hold a 28 point advantage over third-ranked John Harvey in the end. Harvey had a win and a third among his best finishes. Pete Tyree had two Top 5 finishes to secure fourth in the standings ahead of 2018 Street Stock champion Jeff Solberg. Solberg had a season-best second place finish. Tom Durant was the other feature winner.

 

The Hornet division had the busiest schedule with 12 events, but they produced double-digit car counts on a regular basis. The championship was never really in doubt as Rich Dickenson dominated the show. Dickenson won three races and finished second twice in the first five events. In fact, he never finished worse than third throughout the season as he added two thirds, three seconds and two additional wins to his record by season's end. He won the championship by 149 points over Michael Kennerly. Kennerly won four times during the season in addition to a pair of seconds and two thirds. Finishing a solid third was Ron Johnson. Johnson skipped a pair of races early on to take himself out of the title chase, but he earned three seconds and four thirds among his best efforts. Zack Adumendi finished 4th, trailing Johnson by 45 points. Asumendi earned eight Top 5 finishes with a season-best third. Burnie Bryant collected the fifth place hardware with three victories and a pair of seconds among his best efforts. Completing the Top 10 in the standings were Bart Pulse, Paul Corbett, Tyler Organ, Dylan Grichar and Cherish Wilson. One of the wins for Kennerly happened in the Hornet's Nest 50 ahead of Dickinson and Johnson.

The Outlaw division ran four 100 lap races during the season and crowned a champion. Dale Roth won a pair of races to come out 63 points ahead of Harlan Cox in the end. Cox had a first, a second and a third, but he missed the second race of the season. Cox was joined by fellow Hardtop racer Mike Batman on the podium. Batman was just one point behind him with a season-best third place effort. Bobby Ulam had one Top 5 finish to end up fourth ahead of Late Model and Modified veteran Tom Elam. Elam had a season-best second. Daniel Jobe was the other winner.

The Street Stocks had a short five-race season. John Dumire opened the season with a win and collected one more along with a second place finish to come out 31 points ahead of Dale Roth. Roth won three times and finished second once, but his absence from the third event cost him the championship. April Hillyard ended up third in the standings on the strength of a second and a third place finish. Mo Scevers had a second and two thirds to end up fourth in the standings ahead of Larry Means. Means had a season-high second place finish. Kelly McDonald won the Iron Giant Street Stock Smackdown race ahead of Chris West and Erik Jarnport.

The Mini Stock class had a four race season. Kieri Smith won the finale along with a pair of seconds to easily lay claim to the championship. Dale Roth won a pair of races before dropping out to end up second by 32 points ahead of Ed Pratt. Pratt had a season-high third place finish. Chuck Jacobs ended up fourth in the standings ahead of Karl Smith. Smith was the other feature winner. Bryce Rupert won the Northwest Mini Stock Tour race with local star Karl Smith finishing second ahead of Bradley Rhoads.

A few of the other highlights during the season included the North American Big Rig race. It was Cole Weisner winning that race ahead of Lonnie Grezech and Glen Creed. The NSRA Super Shoe race was rained out early in the season and made up in October. The October race was won by Matt Hein ahead of Reece Goetz and Kyle Alberding. The North State Modified Series 75 lap race was won by Darrin Knight ahead of Kyle Tellstrom and Scott Winters. Eddie Secord won the Northwest Pro 4 Alliance Kitty Potter Memorial race ahead of Joe Bowers and John Grosvenor.

For further information on the happenings at Douglas County Speedway, go to www.douglascountyspeedway.com.

2020 Douglas County Speedway Schedule Can Be Found HERE

Mountain Valley Raceway Set For Ninth Season

Hayfork, CA...When Clyde Cordell had the dream of bringing racing to the Trinity County Fairgrounds over a decade ago, there were probably a few people that didn't think it would happen. Clyde believed in this race track, and there were others who shared his dream who helped make it a reality. Sadly, he passed away before he could see his vision become reality. One would have to believe that he's looking down and smiling at the Hayfork race track every time they have a race. 

The racing program was established on the backs of the Hobby Stock and Mini Stock divisions, and these two divisions feature prominently in what they do on any given Saturday night. However, the Hayfork community has put their own stamp on the sport of auto racing with the wild, crazy and always exciting Enduro race. The speedway has also been working hard to establish a B Modified division of its own, and these four divisions are generally featured on the schedule every week.

Last season, there was some doubt as to whether or not racing would even return. The previous management went out of business, but the community scrambled to keep this dream alive and managed to keep things going. There were some special moments throughout the 2019 season, but two of the biggest highlights for racing were the Fourth of July celebration race and the Eighth Annual Clyde Cordell Memorial. These two events will take place again this year. The Fireworks Spectacular will happen on July 11th, while the Cordell Memorial race will happen during the Trinity County Fair on August 1st

The speedway management has worked to create more community friendly events. This has led to the Easter race on April 11th, which will include an Easter Egg Hunt for the kids during intermission. The Bigfoot BBQ race has proven to be a popular event that has been added in recent seasons, with this year's race happening on May 16th. There is also the popular Kid's Night, which happens once again on June 3rd. Fans will get to check out a night of racing for only $5 on August 22nd. There will also be a special Wags and Wheels event on September 12th, which raises funds for the local animal shelter.

There are 13 races on the schedule throughout the season, starting with March 28th. As with last season, no championship point series has been announced as of this time. The speedway is trying to keep a stable program going and has an eye on making the investment in a an electronic scoring system as most of the tracks throughout the West Coast have done. 

Joining the Hayfork community this year is Jerm Smith. Smith comes from a community of hardcore racers in the Bakersfield and Porterville area. Bakersfield Speedway is known as one of the most successful dirt racing venues on the West Coast, and Smith wants to help grow and establish racing at Mountain Valley Raceway as a destination point for racers. To that end, he is working on bringing in special events and could be making more announcements at any time.

Last season, Smith gave a hint of one of the things he was hoping to do this year when he let it slip that he was hoping to get the track to promote a big Hobby Stock event at the end of September. Things are tentative for that race as of now, but plans are being discussed. Another thing that came to pass last year was the successful New Year's Eve Enduro race that brought a rowdy group of racers to entertain the fans from start to finish.  

Mountain Valley Raceway had some very competitive racers amongst all of their classes last season, including such notable stars as Russ Newman, Burl Richardson, Josh Smith, Tressen Smith, Ricky Berry, Jeff Drake, Bryan Gummerus, Donny Case, JD Hudman, William Young, Jack Turner, Joey Young, and 2019 Clyde Cordell Memorial winner Brian Young. There is more focus now on building a stronger racing program in Hayfork than we've seen since the early days, and that's good news for the racers and fans.

Fans wanting to know about the schedule, rules and other happenings at Mountain Valley Raceway can go to the official Facebook page or check out the official website at www.mountainvalleyraceway.com.

Mountain Valley Raceway

2020 Schedule

March 28 - Season Opener

Minis, Hobbies, Modifieds, Enduros

April 11 - Easter Race

Kid’s Easter Egg Hunt in the Infield

Minis, Hobbies, Modifieds, Enduros

April 25 - Race # 3

Minis, Hobbies, Modifieds, Enduros

May 16 - Big Foot BBQ Race Sasquatch Trophies & Payouts

Minis, Hobbies, Modifieds, Enduros

May 30 - Race #5

Minis, Hobbies, Modifieds, Enduros

June 13 - Kid’s Night

Kid’s Raffles, Free hotdog and drink, Bicycle Races and Bicycle Raffle

Minis, Hobbies, Modifieds, Enduros

June 20 - Weekend of Carnage

Enduros & Destruction Derby

July 11 - Independence Day Celebration Fireworks & Open Show

Minis, Hobbies, Modifieds, Enduros

August 1 - Trinity County Fair Race Open Show

Minis, Hobbies, Modifieds, Enduros

August 22 - $5.00 Grandstand Night

Minis, Hobbies, Modifieds, Enduros

Sept. 12 - Wags & Wheels

Benefit for Trinity Sisters Dog & Cat Rescue and Hayfork Valley Spay & Neuter

Minis, Hobbies, Modifieds, Enduros

Sept. 26 - Race #11

Oct. 10 - Fan Appreciation Night

Minis, Hobbies, Modifieds, Enduros

Oct. 24 - Halloween Race

Kids Show Off Costumes

Minis, Hobbies, Modifieds, Enduros

The Editor's Viewpoint

I'm hoping to be brief in this column. I've been trying to get motivated to start writing, and it has been a bit challenging. However, this particular blog post will cover quite a bit of territory. I'm debating what to do with the Jefferson Racing blog going forward, but I will discuss that at the end of this column. 

I've known since December that Jerry Schram was going to take the IMCA Modified Wild West Speedweek Series in a different direction. He was a bit grumpy after visiting Medford last season, and within a couple of days of that race he was already threatening to remove Medford from the schedule. This came a day after a pretty good performance for Schram behind the wheel in Yreka. Personally, I think the 2019 Speedweek was a bit of a disaster, and for Jerry to signal out Medford like it was the problem is just dishonest at best.

They went up to Sunset Speedway with a heavy threat of rain. Any fool could have seen that the weather was not going to allow them to run that race, and yet they pushed hard anyway. After the failure there, they decided to make up the race at Willamette. The first night at Willamette was no better than a Mickey Thompson Off Road race, only they were going around on an oval. Lots of chassis and suspension damage was done there. 

In December, Jerry pretty much let it be known that Medford, Yreka and Coos Bay were not happening, and Medford was looking ahead at options. Promoter Mike McCann had already come up with an idea for the three tracks to do something on their own, but I think there was a bit of wishful thinking on behalf of Coos Bay and Yreka that perhaps Jerry was going to come to his senses. I say come to his senses, because I believe it was a rather short-sighted decision for him to make the decision he's made.

The 2020 IMCA Modified Wild West Speedweek will run two races each at Gray's Harbor, Cottage Grove, Sunset and Willamette Speedway. That is, if Willamette does open, which we will get to in a moment. It's Jerry's series, so he can do whatever he wishes. His decision to exclude the three tracks not only negatively affects those places, it basically tells the racers in California that they are no longer wanted. Jerry is taking a gamble that the Washington racers will come down and support, and he.has even decided to start the series in late July, going into early August. 

Obviously, if you're going to do something that radically changes people's schedules, the decent thing to do would be to let everybody know what's happening. Jerry simply doesn't care about the racers, in my opinion. He'll do what he wants, and they can like it or not. California tracks basically gave the IMCA Modifieds the night off on what would have been the first weekend of the Speedweek Series had it taken place in mid June as usual. As it is, the Mike Cecil Memorial happens in Watsonville at the end of what would be the Speedweek Series as it is now. 

Wanting to make sure there is a big IMCA Modified race in June at Coos Bay, Drake Nelson made the decision to book his Gambler race on the last Sunday of June. He and Mike and Yreka's Kevin Barba had already had some discussions on the matter. What was decided was that on June 26th, Yreka will have a $1,000 to win IMCA Modified race. Medford will do it the next night, Coos Bay will run on Sunday and it will be a three-race series that as of now will have $1,500 in point fund money in addition to the increased Main Event purses. It's a start. If these three tracks can stay on the same page, this could develop into something good for the racers. In my opinion, certain people have had too much power in Oregon for far too long, and it's time for that to change in the interest of better racing in the state.

After the debacle that was the attempted sale of Willamette Speedway last year, the county came down hard on the track for various violations. It seems like the short-lived owners of the track might have been getting some of the blame, but the finger of blame should be pointed squarely at Jerry Schram. He's built things and done things at that racing facility without getting the proper permits, and finally the chickens have come home to roost. You can only go so long saying, "if you don't like it sue me," before it bites you in the ass.

Loren Kresci has taken over the GM duties at Willamette and has begun seeking donations while Jerry sits back and watches. Jerry has said different things to different people regarding the plans for Willamette Speedway. He's mentioned not running, running a limited schedule or running a full schedule. I believe Loren is hoping that he can put a full schedule together, and I think he's coming at it from a good place. There will be roughly $105,000 in investment required to make the improvements the county is expecting, or there will be no racing there. I can't believe that the house that Clair Arnold built could have such an ugly ending. Personally, I believe racing will happen in Willamette, though I'm not sure to what degree just yet. My guess would be a full season, probably announced in another month or so.

My issue with this situation is that Loren being the one trying to rally the troops, they are seeking money from sponsors and the racers themselves to pay this $105,000 bill. It's absolutely disgusting, in my opinion, that Jerry would let everything get so far out of hand and then expect everybody else to pay for it. He has the money to afford fixing things himself. He will sit back and watch everybody else take money out of their pockets. Maybe he won't need to spend a dime or maybe he'll be spending quite a bit less than he would have otherwise. To those who just want to save racing, I can respect that. However, don't be surprised if one day you're the one bent over and "thanked" by Jerry.

It's no secret that Schram has been trying to sell Willamette Speedway and Cottage Grove Speedway, but his absolutely unrealistic prices have kept any serious bidders from coming after either place. Anybody who has that kind of money understands a foolish gamble when they see one. They're not going to put over $1,000,000 into buying either facility, as nice as they may be. However, somebody did step forward to buy Cottage Grove Speedway. That person is the one who's been running it as the General Manager in recent years, Heather Boyce.

While I can't say I agree with some of the things she has done in running the track, I can respect Heather. She's from the Cottage Grove area and cares a great deal about this race track and the racers there. She had to scramble around to make sure she had the funding secured for this purchase, which led to a later than usual schedule release for the track. I know she will do her best to make sure the bills are all paid, but I also believe that if times get really tough, she'll probably have a little help from family to bail her out. I don't expect Heather to fail unless some problems from the past come back to bite her.

Those problems are not of Heather's doing. Though Jerry contributed to the issues, he wasn't completely the cause of them either. The city of Cottage Grove loves their race track, so for the most part people aren't putting the track under a microscope. They just want a Saturday night track. However, all it will take is a few busy bodies with an understanding of what hasn't been taken care of at the track, and the next thing you know, Heather could be facing some serious code violations of her own. What I would hope she will do is take a good look at what's going on and quietly try to resolve things within the next few years. Though Cottage Grove Speedway is seen as one of the top race tracks on the West Coast, there are things that could take it away from us. Let us hope that doesn't turn out to be the case and the track will go on uninterrupted for many years to come.

The schedules have come out for virtually every West Coast track as far as I know with the exception of Orland Raceway. Medford was the last track in Oregon to put a schedule out. Within 24 hours of its release, Yreka put out their schedule as well. Coos Bay was early in their schedule release. I must say that all three tracks have done a good job of putting out schedules that work pretty well in their areas, and I expect good seasons in all three cases.

Drake Nelson enters his fourth year as promoter of Coos Bay Speedway, having bought it off of Chuck Prather. He has continued the family-friendly things that Prather initiated, plus he's expanded on those. Bringing in the NASCAR sanctioning was a nice touch and has seen an increase in Super Late Model car count. The Hornets also seem to be doing well, and the Junior Stingers for Hornet drivers 11 to 14 years old is working so far. The schedule gives fans a look at all of their usual divisions, plus there will be special divisions and attractions coming in all season long. 

About the only thing I can criticize is that I wish Drake would have made a better effort to work with McCann regarding the Late Models. McCann contacted Nelson in December to see if the two tracks could work together so that they did not book on top of either big race. Nelson has created the Tidal Wave 50, while McCann has created the Cottonwood Classic, which checks in as the biggest paying Late Model race on the dirt on the West Coast. There is good reason for both tracks to stay away from each other on those nights as drivers will go to either track if they have a chance.

The problem was Nelson told McCann early on that he couldn't do it. I'm disappointed, because I believe he certainly could have. Having removed the Wingless Sprint race from Labor Day Weekend, a night that didn't have Late Models for the past few years, this could have been his makeup date for the Late Models. No dates lost in order to work with Medford. Furthermore, what Nelson ended up doing was moving the Tidal Wave 50 to August 15th, just one week before the Cottonwood Classic. For good measure, he booked a regular NASCAR Super Late Model show on top of the Cottonwood Classic. I understand tracks having to look out for themselves first, but there are times when you can cut the other guy a break. In my opinion, this was one of them. Don't even get me started on the decision by Boyce to book the IMCA Modifieds and Sport Modifieds at Cottage Grove on top of the R Charles Snyder Salute in Medford.

Having gone through a season at the helm of Yreka, Kevin Barba certainly learned a few things that he jotted down on his notepad. He knew quite well going into this year that he had to do something to increase car count. The local media outlets love the track and will help spread the word, but the show has to be a bit improved to get more fans to come. Therefore, Barba knew that he couldn't just rely on IMCA Sport Modifieds and Mini Stocks with visitation from the Outlaw Pro Stocks and Southern Oregon Dwarf Cars. The Jefferson State Jalopies don't have enough of a car count to have a big impact, but the four or five cars they will bring is better than nothing.

What Barba has done is increase the IMCA Modified schedule. This will be a test to find out how many local racers will support their track again and how many Medford drivers might come down on nights when it's possible. If Kevin doesn't do a sliding scale thing for this class and pays $500 to win with a minimum of $100 to start, it's got a chance. If not, I'm not so sure that running 16 dates is a good idea. I am rather surprised that he hasn't taken a look at the Hornet division or even maybe a Hobby Stock class.

What he has done is maintain some great Yreka traditions, including the Bo Hittson, John Arnberg and Rod Restad Memorial races. Plus, he's honoring his father with the Rod Barba Memorial and continuing the big Tri State Pro Stock Series race known as the Billy Geyer Memorial. The Iron Giant Street Stocks will be coming to town, and I'm hopeful, just like with Medford, the weather will let this show happen. There is rumor that Barba might try to run a couple of Late Model races, and you'll notice he does have some Sprint Car shows on the schedule. Those Sprint Cars basically use the Medford rules, but in addition to two basic shows, there is an Interstate Sprint Car Series visit as well. While rebuilding the car count will be a challenge, I think Barba will do better this year as he gets more comfortable at the helm.

I wasn't sure that I would be back in Medford for a fifth year, but as I type this, that looks to be the case. It's been fun and exciting and quite honestly an honor to be working with Promoter Mike McCann. We inherited a racing program that was at its lowest point ever. Therefore, virtually every facet of the show had to be gone over and improved. I said this about Yreka, and it's only because this is what we needed to do in Medford. You need to establish divisions and build your own car count. When you've got enough divisions, you can rotate them and therefore help increase car count in the divisions that are there on any given night.

Medford only had three in-house divisions that were getting any attention, IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Sport Modifieds and Mini Stocks. One night in 2015, the combined total between the three classes was just 18 cars. The Outlaw Pro Stocks and Dwarf Cars were delivering cars, but Mike knew that he needed more divisions in house in order for this thing to thrive. Therefore, Winged Sprint Cars, Late Models and Late Model Lites were added. The Hornet division, which was barely there, was given an opportunity to thrive. Unfortunately, things happened in August of last year that saw the division put on hiatus for at least the next year. However, numbers in the Sprint Cars and Late Models are doing okay. 

To me, that's unheard to see a track adding Winged Sprint Cars and Late Models to their regular lineup in 2016, and having success with both. What it also does is take the pressure off of the IMCA Modified division. All three divisions get rotated, and the fans get at least one fast class every week that should have a decent or count. Most of the divisions are getting big special races. Late Models get the Cottonwood Classic $4,000 to win show. Winged Sprint Cars get the $2,000 to win Ironhead Nationals. Wingless Sprints get the $3,500 to win Herz Precision Parts Cascade Wingless Sprint Car Challenge. Not bad.

Both the IMCA Modifieds and IMCA Sport Modifieds share headline status at the Roger Haudenshild Tribute and R Charles Snyder Salute. The former race paid $2,000 to win for the Modifieds and $1,000 to win for the Sport Modifieds last year. The latter race paid $5,000 to win for the Modifieds and $2000 for the Sport Modifieds. With the addition of the Aces High Gambler Series race in late June, the Modifieds will still have that $1,000 to win race as well. The Sport Modifieds will get $500 to win that night, but there's more.

A week before the Aces High Gambler Series race, the IMCA Sport Modifieds get the $2,000 to win Timber Cup. This means that three of the biggest IMCA Sport Modified paying events on the West Coast are happening in Medford. If anybody doubted McCann's commitment to the class, there's your proof that he is indeed behind this growing class. Pro Stock fans can take note that in addition to being a part of the Haudenshild and Snyder races, they will be getting a $1,000 to win race on July 11th. This will be the Rocky Nash Memorial race, and it's a Tri State Pro Stock Challenge Series event. 

As Mike is known to do, he carefully contemplates the next move going into the next season. Lots of details have already been taken care of. The schedule was carefully planned and additions have been made to the crew that will make it better. Bob Valencia comes in as Race Director and flagman. For announcing, Cory Penfold of Moxie Media and his crew will be doing the duties once again. This is the fifth year for McCann at the helm and the 25th year of racing at Southern Oregon Speedway. I've been saying that we have work to do, but I believe this season will be another improvement over the previous season. It will still take weekly dedication to pull it off.

I could probably add more, but I didn't want a long column. I just want to comment on the state of the Jefferson Racing blog. When I moved from California, I wanted to create a second blog more specific to the racing community in this area. I think we've given four good years of coverage that have always included the Medford, Yreka and Coos Bay tracks. We've added others to that list as well. As I contemplate what tracks I will be covering this year and what tracks I won't, I'm also considering the possibility of just putting everything that I cover on the DCRR Racing blog.

I'm somebody that doesn't like to wipe out internet history. It frustrates me to watch race tracks wipe out all of their results and points standings, rather than archiving them. Therefore, if I'm not doing weekly posts on the Jefferson blog, I will still continue to maintain it. Furthermore, I would probably put the occasional post up about whatever the racing topic might be. So, the Jefferson Racing News blog will not be deleted. It's all stuff I'm considering. I put a lot of work into the weekly effort, and it takes a heavy toll. I don't do myself any favors by adding more and more to it each year. 

What I worry about is I'm losing focus on the things that made racing fun for me and made me enjoy being a part of it. Because of the brutal Monday morning deadline getting things out to media outlets and just all of the articles that I had to write, it got to be too much. I was burnt out by July last year, but I honored the commitment I made to cover everything to its conclusion. I am realizing I'm getting older, and in light of the fact that this is a largely volunteer effort and I'm not being compensated, something has to change. Furthermore, I'm not making any commitments to any particular Jefferson area track in 2020 other than Medford at this time. This column was meant to wrap up the loose ends of 2019, and the schedule preview articles were thrown in not as a commitment to this year but just for the heck of it.

I want to thank everybody for reading and thank you for your support. As I said, I'm still going to be busy covering various tracks, but I do want to have a little time to stop and smell the roses and maybe take a nice walk on a sunny day. That's all for now, until next time...