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Pit Stops - Jefferson Edition
Pit Stops - Jefferson Edition
The Pit Stop Reporter was tempted to phone this one in and take a break. We're having a two race weekend at Southern Oregon Speedway, and this reporter got kind of worn out yesterday dealing with some of the weeds underneath the bleachers at the Outlaw Kart track. Friday will be the Vern Wheeler Sr. Memorial Race for the 500 Open Karts, and Saturday is a six division show, featuring the IMCA Sport Modifieds, Valley Boys Auto Sales Outlaw Pro Stocks, Mini Stocks, Hornets, Open Stocks Cars and Pennzoil Winged Sprint Cars.
Mike Wheeler had a vision for a big Kart race at Southern Oregon Speedway. The second generation racer wanted to honor his father, who passed away few years back. He wanted people to remember him, and he wanted to do something special for the 500 Open Kart class. He contacted Promoter Mike McCann earlier this year to see if he had his blessing to book a big race. Once that was taken care of, Wheeler put together a deal to make this race happen. We've still been trying to get details, but the sponsorship of Reser's Fine Foods was a big reason this race had the big purse.
Mike is a well respected Kart racer who has won races everywhere he's gone. As one of the stars of the Winter Series at Red Bluff, he put the word out to the racers there and at Chico's Cycleland Speedway. The result is said to be in the area of 25-30 Karts coming to run for the big money. This will be the biggest Kart race at the track this year. We were able to verify that Tyler Seavey will be among the group, and Mike will be joined by his brother, Vern Jr., in this race. Young phenom Tanner Holmes will be here as well. Holmes and M. Wheeler are the two 500 Kart feature winners at the track this season.
It is anticipated that the big turnout of 500 Open Karts will trickle down to the track's other regular Kart classes as these drivers bring Karts for other members of their teams, and it's not unreasonable to say the Kart count could reach into the 60's combining all classes on Friday night. If there was a show fans should want to check out for a Kart race at Southern Oregon Speedway, this is it.
The show stoppers for the first two races were the 250 Karts and the Box Stocks. Last time out, Bodee Weiser scored an impressive victory in 250 Karts, while Brenden Bartlett recovered from an early spin to finish second. Even Braden Weiser had a respectable showing in third. These three, along with such notables as Enrique Jaime, Ashley Strain and Colby Bergquist should make the 250's portion of the show entertaining.
Meanwhile, Trevor Grimes is off to a good start in the Box Stocks. The reigning champion has won both Main Events so far, leaving the competition wondering what they have to do to beat this young man. The return of Tanner Holmes is likely to include his sister, 2014 champion Carley Holmes. There are some talented girls in this division, including Emma Rodgers, Isabella Jaime, Natalie Richard and Loveah Price. They've all been left to chase Grimes so far this year.
The Beginner's Box Stock class will round out the program. These are the young boys and girls making their first starts in racing, and Trevor's sister Kiley Grimes is the current leader. She finished second last time ahead of an enthusiastic young man named Roger Whipple. Feature wins so far have been recorded by Shailene Horn and Jacob James, but it's been interesting to watch Grimes gain more confidence and get faster. Making your first start can be intimidating for these youngsters, and two of the kids elected not to race last time. Hopefully, all of the kids will give it shot this week and go as fast as they are comfortable. It's not how fast they go, but that they make the effort that counts.
Moving to Saturday's show on the big track, The Pennzoil Winged Sprint Car count appears to be iffy as of this writing. Jake Wheeler is the point leader and is the only driver we can say is coming. Jake was joined by his father, Vern Wheeler Jr., for two races until the two time winner retired. Jake has since won one Main Event and leads the standings, but two of the top contenders, Wayne Kniffen and Bill Hopper, have already confirmed that they won't be there. Hopper is waiting on motor parts, and Kniffen has not been feeling well enough to race. The three other racers we could see, Todd Whipple, Jeremy Lowe and rookie Jeffrey Hudson, are unconfirmed, and Camden Robustelli will likely be in Cottage Grove chasing his second straight win.
The winged 360 Sprint Cars aren't racing anywhere in the state, but many of those drivers are not supporting the track as they feel they should get paid more. As track management is working to rebuild an attendance that has been very low in recent years, the money is not in the budget for the kind of purses these drivers expect. A few racers have supported in an attempt to build something, but the division is at a crossroads. Will Sprint Car racing make it at Southern Oregon Speedway, and what will it look like if it does? It's important to note that this is speculation and not to be taken as an official announcement.
There are known to be 12-16 cars in the area, possibly more, but about half of those have supported a regular show race. There is a movement being spearheaded by David Hibbard. Hibbard is a past Limited Sprint champion at Cottage Grove and led the standings going into last week. He has proposed sponsoring a Limited Sprint date, and the date worked out is for September 10th. As Cottage Grove will have finished their season for the class by then, it's anticipated that 8-12 Limited Sprints will be there, including David's son Bailey, Cooper Desbians, Raquel Ivie, reigning champion Patrick Dills and Robustelli.
Hibbard is mindful of the fact that there are a few non Limited Sprints who have been supporting Southern Oregon Speedway and has been considering ideas that would allow them to compete and still keep it a fair race. Having had the opportunity to discuss things with Hibbard, this reporter has to say that David could become a positive voice in the Sprint Car movement in Oregon at a time in which that is desperately needed. Southern Oregon Speedway has great potential to have a strong Sprint Car presence if the right moves are made.
Open Stocks is another work in progress at the Speedway. The division was introduced in an effort to get all of those Stock Cars that may not fit into a certain category back to the track under an open set of rules, assess what we have and go from there. Street Stocks, Late Models and Sportsman cars were at the heart of the thought process, but even Super 4's and Outlaw Pro Stocks on off nights for their divisions were anticipated. So far, Late Models have been the only division to answer the call.
Stock Car veteran Mike Linder and Bob Dees have supported both races. The Dees team is hoping to field three cars eventually as Bob's sons John and Garrett both have cars. John has a Late Model, but we haven't heard how far along he is in the process. Crewell's Steve Lemley is said to be planning to race, and he could be there on Saturday. We've had no confirmation. Coos Bay racer Kristy Grout is coming this week, and the racers in Coos Bay are now aware that they are legal to run and the class pays pretty good money at $500 to win regardless of car count. Coos Bay point leader Nathan Augustine is looking at Southern Oregon Speedway as well, and the team has penciled the August race as their night to come visit. Coos Bay was planning to run Saturday, but that was canceled. The Grout team made the decision to come.
While we wait and see who will show up, there is still the mystery of the Street Stocks. In it's five years at Southern Oregon Speedway, from 2010-2014, some 15-20 cars competed. The question is where are the cars now? It is also said that there are some left over cars from the old Medford track. The question is, is there enough interest to try a Street Stock division in 2017 and get some support? This is a question we don't presently have an answer to. Certainly, something very basic and with budget in mind could work, but there would have to be enough interest to pursue it. For now, Street Stocks are legal to run with the Open Stock class.
The Hornet division is a work in progress, and there is some optimism that the two and a half year record six car turnout will be beat this week. The key is there are known to be at least a half dozen cars still sitting while we've seen six so far. Darrel Nelson Jr., Tim Hedges and John Hoult are locked in a good point battle, and Nelson is a two time feature winner. One time winner Joby Shields, Heather Menzel and Sebastian Burson represent the other three cars we've seen. This is the perfect entry level class for the big track, and it is hoped that more cars will come and generate even more interest.
The Mini Stock division has several drivers on the threshold of feature victory. You can see how far along drivers like Andrew Hall, Kristopher Mix and Eric Hanson have come this year, and they are due. The same can be said for Merissa Henson, who is Top 5 ranked. She is selling her car to be a part of the budding Southern Oregon Limited Sprint Car movement. Add rookie Devon Wesier, Dillen Lausen, Mikey Johnson, Garrett Fredrickson and Patrick Stringer-Stine, and you've got a group of racers hungry for victory.
The problem is the experience at the head of the pack. It starts with point leader Bob Burkett and 2015 Yreka champion David Steele, who each have three wins. The other win went to 2014 champion Gary Anderson. It seems like somebody is going to break through for that win, and it could be talented teen Ethan Killingsworth in his fast Mini Truck. Ethan is still searching for his first win, but he's gobbled up four Top 3 finishes so far, including one second. The Mini Stocks have been an entertaining show this year, and that doesn't figure to change this week.
The IMCA Sport Modified drivers will be back to put on a show, and at the head of the pack is Jorddon Braaten. Jorddon may be on his way up to the A Modifieds next season, but he's trying to leave his mark before he goes. He currently leads the track points and IMCA State points ahead of reigning State champion Mike Medel. Three of Jorddon's roughly dozen wins have come at Southern Oregon Speedway, while two time runnerup Medel is still hot on the trail of his first win of the year at his home track.
There are some good drivers battling up front, including rookie David Marble, Glen Severson, Dwayne Melvin and one time winner Bob Nelsen. It is hoped that most of these drivers will be there along with strong division supporters Tony Bartell and A.J. Parker, Willie McFall and Rich McCoy. Late word is there may be another new car making a debut from the shops of Rapp Racing, and there may also be Yreka visitation as that track is closed until August 27th. Saturday is starting to feel like it could be a good night of racing for the IMCA Sport Modifieds.
The Valley Boys Auto Sales Outlaw Pro Stocks are coming for their fourth visit, and there's been this talk of the domination of Steve "The Bullet" Borror. Borror has five wins so far on the circuit, including last week's lucrative $2500 paycheck for his win in the Billy Geyer Memorial race at Yreka. For all that talk, however, Borror has won just one of the three races held so far at Southern Oregon Speedway. Rocky Nash has a win. Miles Deubert won a good battle last time with current point runnerup Scott Flowers for an impressive victory.
For the fendered Stock Car fan, the Outlaw Pro Stocks are the best thing going in Southern Oregon. Klamath Falls will be well represented. In addition to S. Flowers, you usually see his daughter Julia and son James. Even his wife Ginny Flowers has been driving the Arlen Garrison owned car. There's also Rick Lukens, Scott Bennett, Roy Bain and John Bowers to contend with. The local area has some pretty good talent as well, including two time champion Ken Irving, two time Super 4 champion Brian Johnsen, division veteran John David Duffie, Tyler Lockwood and Tom Hackworth. It should be a good show.
Siskiyou Motor Speedway is of for a month. They just recently held an SCMA meeting to discuss ideas for the track in the future. This reporter hasn't heard what was discussed, but it's always good to be looking ahead to where things may be in the future. The track's Mini Stock and IMCA Sport Modified divisions are holding steady. The IMCA Modified division is on hard times and there is still pretty good support coming from the visiting SODCA Dwarf Cars and Valley Boys Auto Sales Outlaw Pro Stocks. If a new division were to be considered, a lower level class would probably be best, meaning Hobby or Street Stocks. Of course, this is all speculation. The goal now seems to be to build the divisions they have, and that is a good goal to have.
If you have to take a month off, the Billy Geyer Memorial Race for Pro Stocks is a good race to go out on. Yreka played host to the biggest Pro Stock race on the West Coast. Admittedly, car count wasn't what it could have been. Potential visitors from Nevada and the Bay Area were tied up with races at their home tracks, and some of the regular's decision not to support the show also had an effect. The big concern appeared to be the entry fee, which a few people felt was higher than they should have to pay. Therefore, car count was down a good half dozen locals, but they did have 13 cars to work with and the show went on.
At Yreka, there's no truth to the rumor that they might rename the winner's circle after Steve Borror. Borror is now 4 for 5 in Pro Stock wins. The Friday night $500 first prize was bagged by Brian Johnsen. Johnsen looked strong in the recent Medford race, so his win in this race was no surprise. Unfortunately, Brian didn't finish the big money race after running second at the halfway mark. Borror and Johnson battled early on before Borror pulled ahead. It was Jeffrey Hudson giving chase after that. Hudson scored at ride in the Rocky Nash car and ended up settling for an $800 second. Borror was the class of the field and pocketed the $2500 first prize. $600 was a nice chunk of change too, and that money went to third place finisher Scott Flowers. Flowers hasn't given up on catching Borror in points and is currently second in the standings.
The O'Reilly Auto Parts IMCA Sport Modifieds got to run two races with the Saturday night show being a point program. Young Colton Cheffey offered further proof that he is a star in the making as he drove to his second feature win of the season. For Cheffey, it was an impressive weekend overall as he won both Trophy Dashes and also finished second to reigning champion Colter Boswell on Friday night. Boswell's win was his first of the year as the division has several different winners this season. The next likely winner could be Jesse Morton, who chased Cheffey across the line in second on Saturday and finished third a night earlier.
Jack Walden Jr. had a good finish on Saturday night as he chased Medford visitor Glen Severson across the line for a fourth place finish. Walden was a little unhappy after Friday's disappointing finish. That was compounded by the fact that he was leading on lap eight of the scheduled eight lap heat race that night, but the race inadvertently went ten laps. He did make up for it a night later by winning his heat race then. The Yreka Sport Modified division may be the most equally matched class in the state, and you really can't tell from week to week who will win. Going into the break, Jimmy Lipke still leads Garrett Hamilton in points as neither driver competed on Saturday.
The McDonald's Mini Stocks battle will remain close after Saturday's race, and Terry Kendrick may be relieved to have a break. Kendrick had his truck back together following his flip last time, and he appeared to have mechanical issues following his Trophy Dash win. However, "The Holy Terror" had the truck ready to go for the Main Event. The bad news was so did reigning champion David Steele. Steele once again prevailed in the Main Event, leaving a few of the others relieved at the fact that he's missed some races and isn't pursuing a title defense. Kendrick's second place finish will enable him to keep the pressure on three time winner Marilyn Yawnick in the championship battle. Yawnick ended up sixth, right behind Dan Borror.
Not to be forgotten in this battle is teen sensation Ethan Killingsworth. Ethan's truck is as fast as anybody else on the track, and he demonstrated that perfectly by winning his heat race, finishing second in the dash and third in the Main Event. The championship is a three car battle between Yawnick and the trucks of Kendrick and Killinsworth. Another driver looking good on Saturday night was Dennis Jorgensen. A one time winner this season, Jorgensen finished fourth in the Main Event, while another one time winner, Mike Whitaker, finished seventh.
The last couple of times the IMCA Modifieds were at the track for a regular show, they fielded six cars, giving the track some hope that the division might begin to rebound. The local support of veterans Stan Gunderson, Lenny Toolanen and Roger Lorenzini is not solid, and if visitors don't come, they are left with no show. On one occasion, point leader Duane Orsburn was the only driver there. The two recent wins have been scored by past Susanville champion Chris Olexiewicz and reigning Medford champion Albert Gill, while the dash wins went to Medford racers Ray Kniffen Jr. and James Welshonse. The IMCA Modifieds will be back on August 27th along with the O'Reilly Auto Parts Sport Modifieds and McDonald's Mini Stocks. The night will also feature Pitman Races.
While Coos Bay Speedway has decided to cancel this week's scheduled race for the fair, Douglas County Speedway in Roseburg has the $500 to win Street Stock Smackdown race, sponsored by Seven Feathers Casino. Pro 4 Wedge Cars, Mini Stocks, Hornets and Modifieds are also part of this Saturday night's show. Last week, the Hardtops headlined the show again with Kayran Greene winning the 25 lap race ahead of Steve Smith and Greg Hickman. Dale Roth won the Hornets feature with Tony Shoptaw second ahead of Kevin Welch. Nicholas Hansen tuned up for this week's big $500 to win race with a Street Stock feature win ahead of Stephen McMahan and Kevin Ballard. Andrew Koens won the Modified race ahead of Tom Ford and Roy Harvey.
Bob Mook was the Bomber Main Event winner at Lakeport Speedway last Saturday. He beat Roy Ingalls Jr. and Bobby Gilbert. We got results from the Jalopy Main Event, where Wayne Hunt got the win in front of Tony Espicha and Laura Hunt. David Rogers won the 30 lap Jammer feature ahead of Brandi Robertson and Bo Robertson. The Stillman family was back in the winner's circle at Lakeport as James Stillman won the Legend's feature in front of the red hot Zach Frazer, Jaden Fisher and Bill Kistenmacher. Lane Anderson was the Bandolero feature winner.
Back on the dirt of Marysville, Jeremy Burt won the Winged 360 Sprint Car feature ahead of Cody Lamar, Billy Wallace and three time champion Colby Wiesz. In Wingless Spec Sprint action, Bret Steck won the Main Event in front of Josh Viera, Peter Paulsen and Tim Sherman Jr. The competitive IMCA Sport Modified feature went to Phillip Shelby ahead of Willie Horn Jr., Brian Cooper and brother Todd Cooper. The Street Stock win went to past champion James Castleberry ahead of Mike Walko and another past champion, Phillip Shelby, in the late Billy Knoop's old car. Jim Speck won the Hobby Stock feature.
Chico Silver Dollar Speedway has been dark for a couple weeks, but they come back this Friday night with another full slate of racing. Another Southern Jefferson dirt track, Placerville Speedway, had a race last Saturday night, and the BCRA Midgets were part of the action. Alex Schutte won the 20 lapper ahead of Randi Pankratz, Cory Elliot, Taylor Simas and Sean Dodenhoff in the 17 car field. Dan Jinkerson captured another Jay's Welding & Fabricating Pure Stock feature win ahead of reigning champion Scott Grunert and point leader Nick Baldwin. The DOMCO Plumbing Limited Late Model Main Event win was picked up by Tyler Lightfoot in front of Eddie Gardner, Ken Micheli, Mike Lightfoot and Jay Bryant. The headliner Thompson Automotive Group Winged 360 Sprint Car race was won by Mason Moore ahead of Sean Becker, Andy Gregg, Greg DeCaires and Michael Kofoid.
Once again, there are two nights of racing at Southern Oregon Speedway, starting with Friday night's Outlaw Kart Event. The Vern Wheeler Sr. Memorial Race will offer big money to the 500 Open Kart class as Beginner's Box Stocks, Intermediate Box Stocks and 250's Karts are also on the card. Saturday's show on the big track will include IMCA Sport Modifieds, Valley Boys Auto Sales Outlaw Pro Stocks, Mini Stocks, Hornets, Open Stocks and Pennzoil Winged Sprint Cars. For further information, check out www.southernoregonspeedway.com.
Mike Wheeler had a vision for a big Kart race at Southern Oregon Speedway. The second generation racer wanted to honor his father, who passed away few years back. He wanted people to remember him, and he wanted to do something special for the 500 Open Kart class. He contacted Promoter Mike McCann earlier this year to see if he had his blessing to book a big race. Once that was taken care of, Wheeler put together a deal to make this race happen. We've still been trying to get details, but the sponsorship of Reser's Fine Foods was a big reason this race had the big purse.
Mike is a well respected Kart racer who has won races everywhere he's gone. As one of the stars of the Winter Series at Red Bluff, he put the word out to the racers there and at Chico's Cycleland Speedway. The result is said to be in the area of 25-30 Karts coming to run for the big money. This will be the biggest Kart race at the track this year. We were able to verify that Tyler Seavey will be among the group, and Mike will be joined by his brother, Vern Jr., in this race. Young phenom Tanner Holmes will be here as well. Holmes and M. Wheeler are the two 500 Kart feature winners at the track this season.
It is anticipated that the big turnout of 500 Open Karts will trickle down to the track's other regular Kart classes as these drivers bring Karts for other members of their teams, and it's not unreasonable to say the Kart count could reach into the 60's combining all classes on Friday night. If there was a show fans should want to check out for a Kart race at Southern Oregon Speedway, this is it.
The show stoppers for the first two races were the 250 Karts and the Box Stocks. Last time out, Bodee Weiser scored an impressive victory in 250 Karts, while Brenden Bartlett recovered from an early spin to finish second. Even Braden Weiser had a respectable showing in third. These three, along with such notables as Enrique Jaime, Ashley Strain and Colby Bergquist should make the 250's portion of the show entertaining.
Meanwhile, Trevor Grimes is off to a good start in the Box Stocks. The reigning champion has won both Main Events so far, leaving the competition wondering what they have to do to beat this young man. The return of Tanner Holmes is likely to include his sister, 2014 champion Carley Holmes. There are some talented girls in this division, including Emma Rodgers, Isabella Jaime, Natalie Richard and Loveah Price. They've all been left to chase Grimes so far this year.
The Beginner's Box Stock class will round out the program. These are the young boys and girls making their first starts in racing, and Trevor's sister Kiley Grimes is the current leader. She finished second last time ahead of an enthusiastic young man named Roger Whipple. Feature wins so far have been recorded by Shailene Horn and Jacob James, but it's been interesting to watch Grimes gain more confidence and get faster. Making your first start can be intimidating for these youngsters, and two of the kids elected not to race last time. Hopefully, all of the kids will give it shot this week and go as fast as they are comfortable. It's not how fast they go, but that they make the effort that counts.
Moving to Saturday's show on the big track, The Pennzoil Winged Sprint Car count appears to be iffy as of this writing. Jake Wheeler is the point leader and is the only driver we can say is coming. Jake was joined by his father, Vern Wheeler Jr., for two races until the two time winner retired. Jake has since won one Main Event and leads the standings, but two of the top contenders, Wayne Kniffen and Bill Hopper, have already confirmed that they won't be there. Hopper is waiting on motor parts, and Kniffen has not been feeling well enough to race. The three other racers we could see, Todd Whipple, Jeremy Lowe and rookie Jeffrey Hudson, are unconfirmed, and Camden Robustelli will likely be in Cottage Grove chasing his second straight win.
The winged 360 Sprint Cars aren't racing anywhere in the state, but many of those drivers are not supporting the track as they feel they should get paid more. As track management is working to rebuild an attendance that has been very low in recent years, the money is not in the budget for the kind of purses these drivers expect. A few racers have supported in an attempt to build something, but the division is at a crossroads. Will Sprint Car racing make it at Southern Oregon Speedway, and what will it look like if it does? It's important to note that this is speculation and not to be taken as an official announcement.
There are known to be 12-16 cars in the area, possibly more, but about half of those have supported a regular show race. There is a movement being spearheaded by David Hibbard. Hibbard is a past Limited Sprint champion at Cottage Grove and led the standings going into last week. He has proposed sponsoring a Limited Sprint date, and the date worked out is for September 10th. As Cottage Grove will have finished their season for the class by then, it's anticipated that 8-12 Limited Sprints will be there, including David's son Bailey, Cooper Desbians, Raquel Ivie, reigning champion Patrick Dills and Robustelli.
Hibbard is mindful of the fact that there are a few non Limited Sprints who have been supporting Southern Oregon Speedway and has been considering ideas that would allow them to compete and still keep it a fair race. Having had the opportunity to discuss things with Hibbard, this reporter has to say that David could become a positive voice in the Sprint Car movement in Oregon at a time in which that is desperately needed. Southern Oregon Speedway has great potential to have a strong Sprint Car presence if the right moves are made.
Open Stocks is another work in progress at the Speedway. The division was introduced in an effort to get all of those Stock Cars that may not fit into a certain category back to the track under an open set of rules, assess what we have and go from there. Street Stocks, Late Models and Sportsman cars were at the heart of the thought process, but even Super 4's and Outlaw Pro Stocks on off nights for their divisions were anticipated. So far, Late Models have been the only division to answer the call.
Stock Car veteran Mike Linder and Bob Dees have supported both races. The Dees team is hoping to field three cars eventually as Bob's sons John and Garrett both have cars. John has a Late Model, but we haven't heard how far along he is in the process. Crewell's Steve Lemley is said to be planning to race, and he could be there on Saturday. We've had no confirmation. Coos Bay racer Kristy Grout is coming this week, and the racers in Coos Bay are now aware that they are legal to run and the class pays pretty good money at $500 to win regardless of car count. Coos Bay point leader Nathan Augustine is looking at Southern Oregon Speedway as well, and the team has penciled the August race as their night to come visit. Coos Bay was planning to run Saturday, but that was canceled. The Grout team made the decision to come.
While we wait and see who will show up, there is still the mystery of the Street Stocks. In it's five years at Southern Oregon Speedway, from 2010-2014, some 15-20 cars competed. The question is where are the cars now? It is also said that there are some left over cars from the old Medford track. The question is, is there enough interest to try a Street Stock division in 2017 and get some support? This is a question we don't presently have an answer to. Certainly, something very basic and with budget in mind could work, but there would have to be enough interest to pursue it. For now, Street Stocks are legal to run with the Open Stock class.
The Hornet division is a work in progress, and there is some optimism that the two and a half year record six car turnout will be beat this week. The key is there are known to be at least a half dozen cars still sitting while we've seen six so far. Darrel Nelson Jr., Tim Hedges and John Hoult are locked in a good point battle, and Nelson is a two time feature winner. One time winner Joby Shields, Heather Menzel and Sebastian Burson represent the other three cars we've seen. This is the perfect entry level class for the big track, and it is hoped that more cars will come and generate even more interest.
The Mini Stock division has several drivers on the threshold of feature victory. You can see how far along drivers like Andrew Hall, Kristopher Mix and Eric Hanson have come this year, and they are due. The same can be said for Merissa Henson, who is Top 5 ranked. She is selling her car to be a part of the budding Southern Oregon Limited Sprint Car movement. Add rookie Devon Wesier, Dillen Lausen, Mikey Johnson, Garrett Fredrickson and Patrick Stringer-Stine, and you've got a group of racers hungry for victory.
The problem is the experience at the head of the pack. It starts with point leader Bob Burkett and 2015 Yreka champion David Steele, who each have three wins. The other win went to 2014 champion Gary Anderson. It seems like somebody is going to break through for that win, and it could be talented teen Ethan Killingsworth in his fast Mini Truck. Ethan is still searching for his first win, but he's gobbled up four Top 3 finishes so far, including one second. The Mini Stocks have been an entertaining show this year, and that doesn't figure to change this week.
The IMCA Sport Modified drivers will be back to put on a show, and at the head of the pack is Jorddon Braaten. Jorddon may be on his way up to the A Modifieds next season, but he's trying to leave his mark before he goes. He currently leads the track points and IMCA State points ahead of reigning State champion Mike Medel. Three of Jorddon's roughly dozen wins have come at Southern Oregon Speedway, while two time runnerup Medel is still hot on the trail of his first win of the year at his home track.
There are some good drivers battling up front, including rookie David Marble, Glen Severson, Dwayne Melvin and one time winner Bob Nelsen. It is hoped that most of these drivers will be there along with strong division supporters Tony Bartell and A.J. Parker, Willie McFall and Rich McCoy. Late word is there may be another new car making a debut from the shops of Rapp Racing, and there may also be Yreka visitation as that track is closed until August 27th. Saturday is starting to feel like it could be a good night of racing for the IMCA Sport Modifieds.
The Valley Boys Auto Sales Outlaw Pro Stocks are coming for their fourth visit, and there's been this talk of the domination of Steve "The Bullet" Borror. Borror has five wins so far on the circuit, including last week's lucrative $2500 paycheck for his win in the Billy Geyer Memorial race at Yreka. For all that talk, however, Borror has won just one of the three races held so far at Southern Oregon Speedway. Rocky Nash has a win. Miles Deubert won a good battle last time with current point runnerup Scott Flowers for an impressive victory.
For the fendered Stock Car fan, the Outlaw Pro Stocks are the best thing going in Southern Oregon. Klamath Falls will be well represented. In addition to S. Flowers, you usually see his daughter Julia and son James. Even his wife Ginny Flowers has been driving the Arlen Garrison owned car. There's also Rick Lukens, Scott Bennett, Roy Bain and John Bowers to contend with. The local area has some pretty good talent as well, including two time champion Ken Irving, two time Super 4 champion Brian Johnsen, division veteran John David Duffie, Tyler Lockwood and Tom Hackworth. It should be a good show.
Siskiyou Motor Speedway is of for a month. They just recently held an SCMA meeting to discuss ideas for the track in the future. This reporter hasn't heard what was discussed, but it's always good to be looking ahead to where things may be in the future. The track's Mini Stock and IMCA Sport Modified divisions are holding steady. The IMCA Modified division is on hard times and there is still pretty good support coming from the visiting SODCA Dwarf Cars and Valley Boys Auto Sales Outlaw Pro Stocks. If a new division were to be considered, a lower level class would probably be best, meaning Hobby or Street Stocks. Of course, this is all speculation. The goal now seems to be to build the divisions they have, and that is a good goal to have.
If you have to take a month off, the Billy Geyer Memorial Race for Pro Stocks is a good race to go out on. Yreka played host to the biggest Pro Stock race on the West Coast. Admittedly, car count wasn't what it could have been. Potential visitors from Nevada and the Bay Area were tied up with races at their home tracks, and some of the regular's decision not to support the show also had an effect. The big concern appeared to be the entry fee, which a few people felt was higher than they should have to pay. Therefore, car count was down a good half dozen locals, but they did have 13 cars to work with and the show went on.
At Yreka, there's no truth to the rumor that they might rename the winner's circle after Steve Borror. Borror is now 4 for 5 in Pro Stock wins. The Friday night $500 first prize was bagged by Brian Johnsen. Johnsen looked strong in the recent Medford race, so his win in this race was no surprise. Unfortunately, Brian didn't finish the big money race after running second at the halfway mark. Borror and Johnson battled early on before Borror pulled ahead. It was Jeffrey Hudson giving chase after that. Hudson scored at ride in the Rocky Nash car and ended up settling for an $800 second. Borror was the class of the field and pocketed the $2500 first prize. $600 was a nice chunk of change too, and that money went to third place finisher Scott Flowers. Flowers hasn't given up on catching Borror in points and is currently second in the standings.
The O'Reilly Auto Parts IMCA Sport Modifieds got to run two races with the Saturday night show being a point program. Young Colton Cheffey offered further proof that he is a star in the making as he drove to his second feature win of the season. For Cheffey, it was an impressive weekend overall as he won both Trophy Dashes and also finished second to reigning champion Colter Boswell on Friday night. Boswell's win was his first of the year as the division has several different winners this season. The next likely winner could be Jesse Morton, who chased Cheffey across the line in second on Saturday and finished third a night earlier.
Jack Walden Jr. had a good finish on Saturday night as he chased Medford visitor Glen Severson across the line for a fourth place finish. Walden was a little unhappy after Friday's disappointing finish. That was compounded by the fact that he was leading on lap eight of the scheduled eight lap heat race that night, but the race inadvertently went ten laps. He did make up for it a night later by winning his heat race then. The Yreka Sport Modified division may be the most equally matched class in the state, and you really can't tell from week to week who will win. Going into the break, Jimmy Lipke still leads Garrett Hamilton in points as neither driver competed on Saturday.
The McDonald's Mini Stocks battle will remain close after Saturday's race, and Terry Kendrick may be relieved to have a break. Kendrick had his truck back together following his flip last time, and he appeared to have mechanical issues following his Trophy Dash win. However, "The Holy Terror" had the truck ready to go for the Main Event. The bad news was so did reigning champion David Steele. Steele once again prevailed in the Main Event, leaving a few of the others relieved at the fact that he's missed some races and isn't pursuing a title defense. Kendrick's second place finish will enable him to keep the pressure on three time winner Marilyn Yawnick in the championship battle. Yawnick ended up sixth, right behind Dan Borror.
Not to be forgotten in this battle is teen sensation Ethan Killingsworth. Ethan's truck is as fast as anybody else on the track, and he demonstrated that perfectly by winning his heat race, finishing second in the dash and third in the Main Event. The championship is a three car battle between Yawnick and the trucks of Kendrick and Killinsworth. Another driver looking good on Saturday night was Dennis Jorgensen. A one time winner this season, Jorgensen finished fourth in the Main Event, while another one time winner, Mike Whitaker, finished seventh.
The last couple of times the IMCA Modifieds were at the track for a regular show, they fielded six cars, giving the track some hope that the division might begin to rebound. The local support of veterans Stan Gunderson, Lenny Toolanen and Roger Lorenzini is not solid, and if visitors don't come, they are left with no show. On one occasion, point leader Duane Orsburn was the only driver there. The two recent wins have been scored by past Susanville champion Chris Olexiewicz and reigning Medford champion Albert Gill, while the dash wins went to Medford racers Ray Kniffen Jr. and James Welshonse. The IMCA Modifieds will be back on August 27th along with the O'Reilly Auto Parts Sport Modifieds and McDonald's Mini Stocks. The night will also feature Pitman Races.
While Coos Bay Speedway has decided to cancel this week's scheduled race for the fair, Douglas County Speedway in Roseburg has the $500 to win Street Stock Smackdown race, sponsored by Seven Feathers Casino. Pro 4 Wedge Cars, Mini Stocks, Hornets and Modifieds are also part of this Saturday night's show. Last week, the Hardtops headlined the show again with Kayran Greene winning the 25 lap race ahead of Steve Smith and Greg Hickman. Dale Roth won the Hornets feature with Tony Shoptaw second ahead of Kevin Welch. Nicholas Hansen tuned up for this week's big $500 to win race with a Street Stock feature win ahead of Stephen McMahan and Kevin Ballard. Andrew Koens won the Modified race ahead of Tom Ford and Roy Harvey.
Bob Mook was the Bomber Main Event winner at Lakeport Speedway last Saturday. He beat Roy Ingalls Jr. and Bobby Gilbert. We got results from the Jalopy Main Event, where Wayne Hunt got the win in front of Tony Espicha and Laura Hunt. David Rogers won the 30 lap Jammer feature ahead of Brandi Robertson and Bo Robertson. The Stillman family was back in the winner's circle at Lakeport as James Stillman won the Legend's feature in front of the red hot Zach Frazer, Jaden Fisher and Bill Kistenmacher. Lane Anderson was the Bandolero feature winner.
Back on the dirt of Marysville, Jeremy Burt won the Winged 360 Sprint Car feature ahead of Cody Lamar, Billy Wallace and three time champion Colby Wiesz. In Wingless Spec Sprint action, Bret Steck won the Main Event in front of Josh Viera, Peter Paulsen and Tim Sherman Jr. The competitive IMCA Sport Modified feature went to Phillip Shelby ahead of Willie Horn Jr., Brian Cooper and brother Todd Cooper. The Street Stock win went to past champion James Castleberry ahead of Mike Walko and another past champion, Phillip Shelby, in the late Billy Knoop's old car. Jim Speck won the Hobby Stock feature.
Chico Silver Dollar Speedway has been dark for a couple weeks, but they come back this Friday night with another full slate of racing. Another Southern Jefferson dirt track, Placerville Speedway, had a race last Saturday night, and the BCRA Midgets were part of the action. Alex Schutte won the 20 lapper ahead of Randi Pankratz, Cory Elliot, Taylor Simas and Sean Dodenhoff in the 17 car field. Dan Jinkerson captured another Jay's Welding & Fabricating Pure Stock feature win ahead of reigning champion Scott Grunert and point leader Nick Baldwin. The DOMCO Plumbing Limited Late Model Main Event win was picked up by Tyler Lightfoot in front of Eddie Gardner, Ken Micheli, Mike Lightfoot and Jay Bryant. The headliner Thompson Automotive Group Winged 360 Sprint Car race was won by Mason Moore ahead of Sean Becker, Andy Gregg, Greg DeCaires and Michael Kofoid.
Once again, there are two nights of racing at Southern Oregon Speedway, starting with Friday night's Outlaw Kart Event. The Vern Wheeler Sr. Memorial Race will offer big money to the 500 Open Kart class as Beginner's Box Stocks, Intermediate Box Stocks and 250's Karts are also on the card. Saturday's show on the big track will include IMCA Sport Modifieds, Valley Boys Auto Sales Outlaw Pro Stocks, Mini Stocks, Hornets, Open Stocks and Pennzoil Winged Sprint Cars. For further information, check out www.southernoregonspeedway.com.
