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.
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...