Southern Oregon Speedway Racing Discussion
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Late Model Supported Open Stock Cars Part Of Six Division Show At Southern Oregon Speedway
White City, Oregon...This weekend is a double header for racing at Southern Oregon Speedway. It begins on Friday night with a full slate of action on the 1/8 mile Outlaw Kart track. It continues into Saturday night with an exciting six division program, featuring the Open Stock division, IMCA Modifieds and Sport Modifieds, Mini Stocks, Hornets and the Pennzoil Winged Sprint Car class.
The Open Stock division was introduced this year by promoter Mike McCann in an effort to gather all of the remaining Late Models, Street Stocks and other fendered Stock Car classes that didn't fit other rules into one division. The open nature of the rules has made them all legal. Thus far, it is the Late Model drivers who have been answering the call.
Last time the division ran, the track was visited Coos Bay Speedway point leader Nathan Augustine and third ranked Kristy Grout. Augustine ended up leaving with the winner's prize money after his clean sweep performance. "We had a lot of fun racing here, " said Nathan. "I haven't been here since I ran a Mini Stock a few times back in 2010. I'm looking forward to coming back. We're trying to get others to come out here and race as well."
It's just been confirmed that second generation racers Mike Peters and his brother Ed Peters will be bringing their Late Models down to Southern Oregon Speedway. These two have had multiple Top 5 seasons at Cottage Grove Speedway in recent years, and they are both gunning for the winner's paycheck this Saturday night.
The Dees family are staunch supporters of the Open Stock class. Bob Dees was a past Top 5 driver in the Late Model division when it ran a few seasons back. "There were 6 to 10 of us out there, " Dees recalls, "and sometimes more. It was a lot of fun. Then, it started to go away. There was one night when I had the only car out there, and I knew it was over."
When the Dee's family heard the Open Stock division would be added to the schedule, Bob put his car together while son John put his newly acquired Late Model together. Bob's other son Garrett Dees also has a car in the works. "It's a dream come true to get out there and race a Late Model against my dad, " said John after his debut last time out. Call it a family bonding experience, but we're having a lot of fun."
Word is that there is a another car or two out there to challenge these competitors. Of course, point leader Mike Linder will be out there giving it a go. Mike joined the Dees family in Coos Bay recently and picked up a Trophy Dash win.
The IMCA Sport Modified division continues to be an entertaining battle every week. Two time reigning Champion Jorddon Braaten remains in command in the points and is coming off of his fourth win at the speedway last time. The bigger story that night was Mike Medel.
Medel had mechanical issues after hot laps, forcing him to scratch from both the Trophy Dash and his heat race. He managed to get his car together before the Main Event, then he started back in the sixth row. Not only did he come up through the back into a Top 5 spot once, but after contact sent him spinning, Mike came from the back again and impressed with a strong second place finish. The car was working just right for him. "The car was really good, " said Medel after his struggles getting it to run all night. "We stumbled on the bottom when I got forced down there and the car liked it. Who am I to argue?"
Two drivers who don't get a lot of notoriety at the track but are die hard supporters so far this year A.J. Parker and Tony Bartell. Both drivers reside in the Top 10 in the point standings, and Bartell surprised the field by picking up his first heat race win ahead of Braaten last time out. "The car seemed to work pretty good, " said Bartell. "I was just hoping I didn't make any mistakes. This win feels pretty good knowing that I beat Jorddon to get it."
The IMCA Modified division will be back in action this week. Nick Trenchard is confirmed for this Saturday night. On the eve of the big Lon Skinner Memorial Race, the 2014 race winner is getting a tune up before the big show. Trenchard remains one of the top drivers in the area, having won the $1,000 season opener at Yreka this year, where he is the reigning champion. Trenchard's arrival is bad news for title contenders Duane Orsburn and James Welschonse as Trenchard just may be the driver to beat for the Main Event victory this week.
Orsburn is already a two time Street Stock champion at the speedway and is attempting to win championships here and at Yreka this season. Welschonse has come up from Mini Stocks into Sport Modifieds, two classes in which he was competitive in recent years. He's having fun in his rookie year in the Modified. "These cars are a blast to drive, " James admitted. "They're a bit easier to set up than the Mini Stock. We're getting it figured out. I think we have a shot at getting ourselves a win the way it's been running."
In the Mini Stock division, David Steele has set a blistering pace through the pack despite missing the first two races of the season. With his second place finish last time out, Steele has moved into fifth in the point standings. He's not likely to catch point leader or Bob Burkett or last week's feature winner Gary Anderson, but he can still make things interesting on the track each week. After nine races, Burkett has three wins and has finished no worse than third.
The point pressure is off, and Steele can just concentrate on getting wins. He prefers it that way. "I'm just enjoying the good competition out here, " Steel admitted. "Bob and Gary are two of the best drivers out there, and there are some drivers getting better every week. Some of them are still pretty new to this. All they need is a little more seat time."
Last week was a big season highlight for Gary Anderson. Anderson scored a clean sweep of Trophy Dash, heat race and Main Event. "It was a night that just got better as things went on, " said Anderson. "The car was good in the Main Event, and I knew we had something for those guys when we held off David to win the heat race."
It was one of those up and coming drivers giving him a challenge during the race. "Merissa (Henson) was doing good, " Gary admitted. "She made me work for that one. I think if I made a mistake, she could have gotten me. When the car is running as well as it was this week, it's a real pleasure to drive."
Merissa is one of several younger drivers in the field. Like her, Mikey Johnson, Dillen Lausen and Garrett Fredrickson are teens. Henson maintained her Top 5 point status with a heat race win and fourth place feature finish, while Lausen had a season best fifth in the 15 car field. Even Fredrickson had a respectable Top 10 finish. "I know I'm not as fast as some of those guys, " Fredrickson admitted, "but I'm learning. I'm having fun out there, and I'm trying not to be too much in the way."
Though the Hornet division struggles to gain a car count, the drivers who have been showing up for these races have put on a good show. Two time feature winner Derrel Nelson is shown as the point leader ahead of Tim Hedges, and these two drivers can expect competition from the likes of two time winner Joby Shields and John Hoult. Shields won the Main Event last time and Hoult was the Trophy Dash winner.
Not to be forgotten in the mix are the Pennzoil Winged Sprint Cars. With three seconds and a first place finish, Jake Wheeler continues to lead the standings over Jeffrey Hudson. The 15 year old Hudson is the 2015 Pro Stock champion. Last time out, he matched his season best effort with a third and won his heat race. He took a tumble in a recent start at Cottage Grove, but he will reportedly have his car ready to go this week. Others to watch for include hard charger Wayne Kniffen and Jeremy Lowe.
If you're looking for more racing in addition to the Saturday night show, the Outlaw Kart race track will have you covered. The 500 and 250 Karts will be there along with the Box Stock class and the youngsters in the Beginner Box Stock division. There will be lots of racing on the 1/8 mile clay oval as each division gets two sets of heats before their Main Events. It's an opportunity to watch some of the future stars of the big track as they get their starts in racing. Young chargers like 250's point leader Bodee Weiser, Box Stock leader Trevor Grimes, past 250's champion Brody Sim and Brendon Bartlett are names you may be hearing on the big track someday soon.
The Friday Night Show and the Saturday show both have gates opening at 5 p.m. with the first race starting at 7 p.m. Friday Night tickets are $10 for general admission, and Saturday night tickets are $12 for adults, $6 for Seniors and Juniors and children 5 and under are free. For further information, go to www.southernoregonspeedway.com.
Point Standings
IMCA Modified
1m Mark Wauge 143
0 Duane Orsburn 140
2g James Welshonse 128
89c Albert Gill 122
68 Jesse Bailey 91
IMCA Sport Mod
84 Jorddon Braaten 273
30m Mike Medel 249
4m David Marble 235
76 A.J. Parker 214
4y Jimmy Lipke 176
Mini Stock
43 Bob Burkett 317
0 Gary Anderson 269
007 Andrew Hall 219
17h Merissa Henson 217
67 David Steele 210
Hornets
8g Darrel Nelson Jr. 134
14 Tim Hedges 131
67 John Hoult 123
555 Joby Shields 103
2h Heather Menzel 76
Pennzoil Winged Sprint Cars
21wr Jake Wheeler 140
L88 Jeffrey Hudson 84
54 Bill Hopper 77
21w Vern Wheeler Jr. 74
84k Wayne Kniffen 66
Open Stock
22 Mike Linder 105
6 Bob Dees 99
24 Nathan Augustine 39
3d Miles Deubert 29
88 Jeffrey Hudson 28
Hogge, Poppa, Papenhausen Headed To
Lon Skinner Memorial At Southern Oregon Speedway
White City, Oregon...When you talk about the best drivers on the West Coast, names like Bobby Hogge IV, Richard Papenhausen and Brian Poppa come up. Many people regard Bobby Hogge IV to be the best Stock Car/Modified driver on the West Coast today. Richard Papenhausen ranks up there as one of the best Late Model drivers in competition. When it comes to the greats of Southern Oregon Speedway, everybody knows Brian Poppa's impressive credentials. As of August 16th, all three divers are registered for the prestigious Lon Skinner Memorial race on Labor Day Weekend at Southern Oregon Speedway.
The Lon Skinner Memorial race pays tribute to the father of Southern Oregon Speedway founder, John Skinner, and this is the 21st running of the race. The itinerary shows September 2nd as the pre registration/practice day. Saturday night is preliminary day, which features a Main Event that will pay a minimum of $100 to start and $600 to win. The big show on Sunday, September 4th, will pay a minimum of $500 to start and $5000 to win. This is the biggest IMCA Modified race on the West Coast. It's known as a season maker for the racers. The winner's check far exceeds what many racers will earn for a track championship.
Bobby Hogge IV comes from a family of fast competitors. Both of his grandfathers were racers, and his father, Bobby Hogge III is "Hall Of Fame" worthy in his Late Model accomplishments at tracks like Antioch Speedway and Watosnville Speedway. It was not a surprise to see the younger Hogge pick up where his father left off. Bobby won two NASCAR Regional championships in 1996-1997, and he has won many track championships since then. After a while, the lure of running the big races got the better of Hogge. The team realized that if they ran select big shows and did well, they could win in the neighborhood of $20,000 in prize money or more for just a handful of races.
At that point, Bobby built a reputation as a driver who could swoop in and take the money at the big shows. Naturally, that meant that he would start competing in the biggest of the big shows, The Lon Skinner Memorial Race. Bobby hit Southern Oregon Speedway like a tidal wave by winning three straight Lon Skinner Memorial races, from 2008-2010. Last season, he won it for the fourth time. The night before, he and another superstar from California, Kellen Chadwick, waged a crowd pleasing duel, won by Chadwick. Rumor is that Chadwick, who is the 2016 Wild West Speedweek champion, is coming back for a run at the $5000 prize.
It's hard to overlook Brian Poppa. Through the years, he has done some impressive things at Southern Oregon Speedway Poppa started out in Pro Stocks and won the 1999 championship. His "Rookie Of The Year" and point runnerup season in a Modified in 2000 showed early on that he would be a force in the class, but he pulled of an impressive feat in 2006. Frank Word III was on a tear in Pro Stocks, winning four consecutive championship leading into the season. Word actually won eight championships in a nine year span, but Poppa made him settle for second in 2006. That wasn't enough for Brian. He also beat IMCA Modified legend Mark Wauge to win the championship in that division as well.
With that kind of talent, you had to know that Poppa was going to beat the best drivers in the biggest race of them all. In fact, Brian has won three Lon Skinner Memorial Races (2001, 2005, 2011). He is also the first Wild West Speedweek champion and won the Southern Oregon Speedway race that year after winning the B Main to earn his start. Poppa's entry into the 2016 Lon Skinner Memorial automatically makes him a favorite to get the win.
We can't forget Richard Papenhausen. These days, he spends most of the Saturday nights in which he races driving a Late Model, and he just won another feature at Antioch Speedway last week. However, he is a two time IMCA Modified champion at Chico Silver Dollar Speedway, to go with his 2014 Late Model championship at Antioch Speedway. He also leads the points at Antioch this year. When it comes to the Lon Skinner Memorial Race, Papenhausen is the only driver to make all 20 of them, and he's intent on continuing his perfect attendance. And there's another thing to consider. Papenhausen doesn't just show up at these races, he wins them. Richard won his first Lon Skinner Memorial Race in 1999, and he became the race's first repeat winner in 2002.
The IMCA Modified field is sure to be stacked with talent this year for the Lon Skinner Memorial Race. Hogge, Poppa and Papenhausen will be three of the top competitors to watch this year. With IMCA Sport Modifieds and SODCA Dwarf Cars racing both nights, this will be an entertaining weekend of racing for the fans as well. Sign up information for racers can be found on the flier, which is viewable here, http://www.southernoregonspeedway.com/Skinner.pdf
$1200 Payday For Steve Borror In Pro Stocks
At Southern Oregon Speedway
White City, Oregon...August 13...Making a charge from the back of the pack in just a few laps, Steve Borror impressed with his victory in the Roger Haudenshild Honors Race Saturday night at Southern Oregon Speedway. Borror is the current point leader in the Valley Boys Auto Sales Outlaw Pro Stock division, and this was his third win at the track and seventh on the circuit. The win paid $1000, and he added an additional $200 for his charge from the back to win the 10 lap Crack The Whip Challenge Race.
The 15 Outlaw Pro Stocks ran two heat races. Borror won his eight lapper ahead of his closest point rival, Scott Flowers. Tyler Lockwood led six laps of his heat race before slipping back as James Flowers won ahead of Ken Irving. Borror also won the four lap Trophy Dash ahead of Matt Harlow, carrying his perfect evening into the 10 lap Crack The Whip Challenge. Each lap, the last place car is to pull off of the track until one racer remains. Borror was further challenged by the fact that he started last. During the first five laps of an eventful race, Julia Flowers, brother James Flowers and Harlow all led. Borror found himself in the lead by lap six with Miles Deubert giving him pressure. As third place Irving was next to retire on lap nine, Deubert was trying to make a move on Borror. However, Deubert ran out of time as Borror prevailed.
Borror started last in the 15 car field for the Main Event, and outside front row starter Johnny Cobb led one lap before spinning in Turn 2, collecting Julia Flowers. Rocky Nash settled into the lead on the restart ahead of Lockwood and the flying Borror. Deubert spun for a lap three caution flag. Nash led Borror and Lockwood on the restart, and Borror made an inside move on the backstretch of the fifth lap to take the lead. Irving made an inside pass in Turn 1 to claim third. Deubert pitted with a flat on lap ten as James Flowers slipped past Irving for third. A high move in Turn 4 of the 12th lap regained Irving third, and Borror was starting to lap slower cars. Harlow spun for a lap 18 yellow fag. Borror continued to lead as Irving briefly grabbed second from Nash. Nash regained the spot a lap later, and a low move in Turn 4 of the 21st lap gained S. Flowers third from Irving. Borror set a good pace and capped a clean sweep performance with the win ahead of Nash, S. Flowers, James Flowers, Irving, Harlow, Dave Quick, Julia Flowers, Darrel Nelson and Lockwood.
Race Results
Valley Boys Auto Sales Outlaw Pro Stocks
Heat
1-James Flowers, Ken Irving, Miles Deubert. Heat 2-Steve Borror, Scott
Flowers, Matt Harlow. Trophy Dash-Borror, Harlow, Rocky Nash. $200
Crack The Whip Challenge-Borror, Deubert, Irving. Main Event-Borror,
Nash, S. Flowers, James Flowers, Irving, Harlow, Dave Quick, Julia
Flowers, Darrel Nelson, Tyler Lockwood, Deubert, Johnny Cobb, Johnson,
Roy Bain, Scott Bennett.
Anderson Clean Sweeps Mini Stock Event
At Southern Oregon Speedway
White City, Oregon...August 13...Leading all the way from his pole position start, Gary Anderson won the 20 lap Mini Stock Main Event Saturday night at Southern Oregon Speedway. It was the second win of the season for the 2014 division champion and current point runnerup, and he also won his heat race and the Trophy Dash to make it a clean sweep. David Steele made a late pass to finish second.
Anderson won a good battle with Steele to win his eight lap heat race. Merissa Henson won her heat ahead of Andrew Hall. Anderson also won the four lap Trophy Dash ahead of Hall. Mike Cloud suffered his third non feature start of the season after mechanical problems in the preliminaries, and Anderson raced into the lead ahead of Henson at the start of the Main Event. Kristopher Mix spun for a lap one caution flag. Anderson led Henson and Steele on the restart. Devon Weiser spun for a lap four caution flag. Anderson maintained the lead over Henson on the restart, and Burkett made a low pass on Steele in Turn 4 to take third. Steele and Burkett battled hard with Steele regaining third with an outside pass on the front stretch of the seventh lap. Anderson got just a bit sideways in Turn 4 of the tenth lap as Henson moved up on him, and Hall got out of shape in Turn 2 and lost a few positions before Mikey Johnson spun for a caution flag. Anderson led Henson and Steele on the restart. Henson was hanging with Anderson for several laps, but she finally surrendered second to Steele on lap 15 as he raced by on the outside down the front stretch. Burkett made a Turn 4 pass to take third from Henson on the white flag lap. Anderson lapped eighth place Patrick Stringer-Stine as he took the checkered flag in victory. Steele settled for second ahead of Burkett, Henson, Dillen Lausen, Cory Stratton, Dan Borror, Stringer-Stine, Eric Hanson and Garrett Fredrickson.
Race Results
Mini Stocks
Heat
1-Gary Anderson, David Steele, Devon Weiser. Heat 2-Merissa Henson,
Andrew Hall, Dillen Lausen. Trophy Dash-Anderson, Hall, Steele. Main
Event-Anderson, Steele, Bob Burkett, Henson, Lausen, Cory Stratton, Dan
Borror, Patrick Stringer-Stine, Eric Hanson, Garrett Fredrickson,
Weiser, Hall, Randy Simmons, Mikey Johnson, Kristopher Mix, Mike Cloud
(DNS).
Peters Sweeps SODCA Dwarf Car Action
At Southern Oregon Speedway
White City, Oregon...August 13...Grabbing the lead from teammate and championship rival Kalvin Morton early on, Brock Peters would lead the rest of the way for the victory in the 20 lap SODCA Dwarf Car Main Event. It was his fourth win in the last five regular shows at the track as Peters continues to maintain the point lead. Peters swept the heat race, A Dash and Main Event for the evening.
Peters started his night off by making a Turn 4 pass on early leader Camden Robustelli and holding him off to win his heat race. Kalvin Morton won his eight lap heat race ahead of Ryan Smith. Peters repeated his heat race performance by holding off Robustelli again to win the A Dash. Cody Peters won the eight lap B Dash ahead of Chad Cardoza. Polesitter Robustelli led early in the Main Event as Morton settled into second. A Turn 4 pass on lap two gained B. Peters third from C. Peters. The lead three cars had a good battle as Morton made a Turn 4 pass on Robusteli for the lead on lap four. B. Peters followed closely into second and made a low move in Turn 4 of the sixth lap to take the lead from Morton. Cardoza took second on lap seven. C. Peters spun from fifth in Turn 2 for a lap ten caution flag. B. Peters led Cardoza and Morton on the restart. B. Peters led through one more restart as he drove to victory ahead of a season best second for Cardoza. Morton settled for third ahead of Robustelli, Smith, Bud Lorenz, Paul Haslow, C. Peters, Randy Slater and Joe Sanders.
Race Results
SODCA Dwarf Car
Heat
1-Brock Peters, Camden Robustelli, Chad Cardoza. Heat 2-Josh King,
Kalvin Morton, Ryan Smith. A Dash-B. Peters, Robustelli, Morton. B
Dash-Cody Peters, Cardoza, Smith. Main Event-B. Peters, Cardoza,
Morton, Robustelli, Smith, Bud Lorenz, Paul Haslow, C. Peters, Randy
Slater, Joe Sanders, Mason Lewman, Josh King (DNS).
Prewitt Prevails In Super 4's Feature
At Southern Oregon Speedway
White City, Oregon...August 13...Dan Prewitt scored the victory in the 20 lap Super 4's Main Event Saturday night at Southern Oregon Speedway. Prewitt was making his second start at the track after finishing second a few weeks earlier. Only a second in the Trophy Dash marred his otherwise perfect evening.
Coming off of back to back feature wins, Lee Doty won the four lap Trophy dash ahead of Prewitt. Doty missed the heat race as Prewitt won ahead of recent Madras winner Eric Oahs. Prewitt had the pole for the Main Event and raced into the lead at the start. Oahs settled into second ahead of Charlie Eaton. Doty moved into fourth on lap two and passed Eaton for second a lap later. The only yellow flag of the race flew on lap four for incoming point leader John Barger. Prewitt led Oahs and Doty on the restart. The lead three cars ran in order and relatively close the rest of the way with Prewitt winning ahead of Oahs, Doty, Eaton, Bill Spencer and John Barger.
Super 4's
Heat
1-Dan Prewitt, Eric Oahs, John Barger. Trophy Dash-Lee Doty, Prewitt,
Charlie Eaton. Main Event-Prewitt, Oahs, Doty, Eaton, Bill Spencer,
Barger.
