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Ferrando, Brown, Steele, Lenz Share Winner's Circle In Siskiyou Motor Speedway Opener
Yreka, CA...April 22...After rains cancelled the opener two weeks ago, Siskiyou Motor Speedway opened with a huge turnout of 80 cars Saturday night. The show was stacked with talented racers in all six divisions. When the checkered flag flew on the night, Main Event wins were recorded by Grey Ferrando (IMCA Modifieds), Keith Brown Jr. (O'Reilly Auto Parts IMCA Sport Modifieds), David Steele (McDonald's Mini Stocks), Scott Lenz (Pro Stocks), Josh King (SODCA Dwarf Cars) and Joby Shields (Hornets).
Grey Ferrando made the trip from Slayton, Oregon to be a part of the opener, and the track also welcomed back local ace Kyle Casson. The battle was between these two at the end, but Ferrando managed to finish just ahead of Casson at the checkered flag. Nick Trenchard finished a close third. Zach Fettinger held off Monte Bischoff in a close race for fourth as reigning champion Albert Gill, Jesse Bailey and Scott Crumm finished on the lead lap in order. 2015 champion Trenchard won the four lap Trophy dash ahead of Bischoff and finished second to James Welshonse in their eight lap heat race. Bailey beat Bischoff in a photo finish to win their heat race.
As anticipated, the IMCA Sport Modifieds had a strong turnout of 16 cars, and this included Keith Brown Jr. from Pittsburg, CA. Brown has already competed at several different venues, but his 15 lap Main Event win on Saturday was his first win of the season. He had to contend with second generation racer Justin Foux, who drove a great race to finish second. Chris Jorgensen held off Colton Cheffey for the third place finish, while Braxton Possinger made his first start in the class and finished a solid fifth. Garrett Hamilton, David Marble and Rich McCoy took a lead lap checkered flag in order. Brown won his eight lap heat race ahead of Zac Potts. Doug Franklin held off McCoy to win his heat race, but McCoy beat Brown to claim the four lap Trophy Dash victory. Jorgensen won the third heat ahead of Gary Foster.
2015 champion David Steele returned and won the 15 lap McDonald's Mini Stock Main Event, followed closely by reigning champion "Big Mac" Marilyn Yawnick and Aaron Jorgensen. "The Holy Terror" Terry Kendrick was a solid fourth as rookie Jeremy Sites, Ethan Kingsworth, Dennis Jorgensen and Amber Waldon rounded out the lead lap finishers. The night ended in disappointment for Mike Whitaker as the 2014 champion was out of the Main Event early. Kendrick and A. Jorgensen has a good battle going in preliminaries as Kendrick held him off to win an eight lap heat race. A. Jorgensen beat Kendrick to claim Trophy Dash honors. Steele gave a preview of things to come as he outran D. Jorgensen to win his heat race.
Past Southern Oregon Speedway and Medford Speedway champion Scott Lenz got to make his first start in a new car and was the class of the Outlaw Pro Stock field all night long. Lenz grabbed the lead early in the 20 lap Main Event, while Johnny Cobb and Scott Flowers battled for second. This was the continuation of their eight lap heat race battle where Flowers held off Cobb for the win. Flowers had his car working on the inside and made the pass for second, while Jeffery Hudson worked his way up to battle for second. The 2015 Pro Stock champion, Hudson made that pass and chased down Lenz. However, Lenz took the checkered flag just ahead of Hudson in victory. Flowers was a solid third ahead of Jeff Haudenshild, Rick Lukens, Cobb and Matt Harlow, all on the lead lap. Lenz made it a clean sweep by beating Hudson for his heat win and Flowers for the four lap Trophy Dash victory.
Two time SODCA Dwarf Car champion Josh King kicked of the new season by winning the 20 lap Main Event. King out gunned North West Dwarf Car visitor Jake Van Ortwick for the victory. It was a clean sweep night for King as he won his heat race ahead of Don McFay and scored the win over Chad Cardoza in the Trophy Dash. Ryan Smith held off Cardoza and James Brinster to finish third in the Main Event. Smith and John Chrisman were also eight lap heat winners, while Cody Peters beat Van Ortwick to win the eight lap B Dash.
Drivers coming in from Medford gave the Hornets a six car field for their first ever race at Yreka. Joby Shields entered the season with momentum and won the 15 lap Main Event in dominating fashion. Shields and Southern Oregon Speedway champion Tim Hedges had a back and fourth battle earlier as Hedges won the heat race and Shields won the dash. Hedges was second in the Main Event. Though the Hornets aren't on the schedule at the moment, word is that they could be added at a later date.
Next week, the IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Sport Modifieds and Mini Stocks are back. On May 6th, the three classes return along with the Billy Geyer Memorial 50 lap Main Event for the Outlaw Pro Stocks. For further information, go to www.siskiyoumotorspeedway.com.
Kennemore, Longacre, Scroggins, Whitebird
Diamond Mountain Speedway Winners
Susanville, CA...April 22...Nevin Kennemore opened the 2017 season at Diamond Mountain Speedway in Susanville with an IMCA Modified Main Event victory. Joining him in the winner's circle were Richard Longacre (Strictly Stocks), Evan Scroggins (IMCA Sport Modifieds) and Larry Whitebird (Mini Stocks).
Nevin Kennemore scored the victory in the 20 lap IMCA Modified Main Event. Kennemore had to contend with past champion and 2016 point runnerup Matt Murphy, who settled for second. Wade Kennemore finished third ahead of Larry McCracken and Susanville and Quincy champion Chris Nieman. Erica Buhr, another past Quincy IMCA Modified champion, finished sixth ahead of Steve Boucher, Chase Nieman, Joe Blackwell and Tyler Patzke. Duane Cleveland made the trip from Chico and suffered a DNF in 11th.
Richard Longacre is a multi time Strictly Stock champion, and he shows no signs of slowing down. Longacre opened the new season with a 20 lap Main Event victory. Shayna Nieman had one of her best efforts in second ahead of Jacob Dias, Jim Erle, Darren Ballentine, Steve Goss, Jimmy Ray Huffman and Steven Cain. Interestingly enough, Longacre, Nieman and Goss were the only drivers in the Top 10 in points last year as there are new competitors on the roster.
The IMCA Sport Modifieds began their first ever Susanville championship season with a six car field. Evan Scroggins wrote his name into the book as the first 20 lap Main Event winner of the season. One of the top drivers at Quincy last season, Ryan Svensson finished second ahead of Steve Gordon, Bob Feller, Strictly Stock graduate Jason Emmot and yet another member of the Nieman family of Quincey, Craig Nieman.
The big name in Mini Stocks at Susanville continues to be Larry Whitebird. Whitebird has multiple championships at his home track and was both the Susanville and Quincy champion last season. Whitebird grabbed the victory in the 20 lap Main Event. Wyatt Spaulding scored his best finish yet in second with Bryan Gray a solid third ahead of Jacob Dias, Katelyn Robertson, Orland star Tom Davis, Colton Chew and 2016 point runnerip Billy Gibson, An unidentified driver in the #32 car was 9th as Colby Russell and Alissa Lovelace rounded out the finishing order.
Speedway officials announced the addition of two more race dates on July 1st and July 29th. The next date scheduled is for May 13th and will feature IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Sport Modifieds, Mini Stocks and Strictly Stocks. For further information, go to https://lassencountyfair.org/interim-events/diamond-mountain-speedway/.
Race results from 4-22-17
Modified main event
1-Nevin Kennemore
2-Matt Murphy
3-Wade Kennemore
4-Larry McCracken
5-Chris Nieman
6-Erica Buhr
7-Steve Boucher
8-Chase Nieman
9-Joe Blackwell
10-Tyler Patzke
11-Duane Cleveland
Sport Mod main event
1-Evan Scroggins
2-Ryan Svensson
3-Steven Gordon
4-Bob Feller
5-Jason Emmot
6-Craig Nieman
Strictly Stock main event
1-Richard Longacre
2-Shayna Nieman
3-Jacob Dias
4-Jim Erle
5-Darren Ballentine
6-Steve Goss
7-Jimmy Ray Huffman
8-Steven Cain
Mini Stock main event
1-Larry Whitebird
2-Wyatt Spalding
3-Bryan Gray
4-Jacob Dias
5-Katelynn Robertson
6-Tom Davis
7-Colton Chew
8-Billy Gibson
9-Car 32 (need driver name)
10-Colby Russell
11-Alissa Lovelace
2017 Season Begins Saturday Night
At Southern Oregon Speedway
White City, CA...After a long and wet winter and first month of spring, racing season is set to begin Saturday night at Southern Oregon Speedway. Mike McCann of KJE Enterprises is beginning his season season and ushering in the track's 22nd year of operations with an exciting six division lineup. On the card for this week are the Late Models, IMCA Sport Modifieds, Valley Stor-All Late Model Lites, Pro Stocks, Mini Stocks and SODCA Dwarf Cars.
Through the years, we've seen occasional visits from the Late Model division, but this year is different. We begin the season with three consecutive visits from these high-horsepower machines. Late Models are the pinnacle of Stock Car racing on the dirt, and we have them ten times this year. Bob Dees is the reigning champion, and he returns this season along with his sons, John Dees and Garrett Dees. A two time winner last year, Mike Linder will be back as well. Coos Bay Speedway champion Nathan Augustine will be back. Like Dustin Knight, he was a feature winner last year. Kristy Grout, Steve Lemley and Don Garrett Jr. are others to watch for this week.
The competition level in the sixth year of IMCA Sport Modifieds is so high that both reigning champion Mike Medel and two time champion Jorddon Braaten have new cars to keep up the pace. Two time champion Dwayne Melvin will also be on the roster, meaning all three champions are still racing. 2016 "Rookie Of The Year" David Marble just got married, and he's looking to celebrate with his first win in this division. Marble is the 2015 Mini Stock champion with many wins in that division. The list of talented racers on the roster is long, and Top 5 competitors Willie McFall and A.J. Parker should be there along with hard chargers like Rich McCoy, Toby Judd, Kalvin Morton, Tony Bartell and returning front runner Rob Fitzsimmons. It should be an exciting season for this division.
Super 4's division has been renamed the Valley Stor-All Late Model Lites. Reigning champion Lee Doty is back to see if he can repeat as champion, but word is that his competition is stepping up their game. Two time point runnerup Terry Hadley is said to be debuting a new car, and this three car team will also include wife Krista Hadley. Reigning Mini Stock champion Bob Burkett is moving up. Burkett has won over 20 Mini Stock features in the last five seasons. Eric Aos and son Dustin Aos are anticipated along with 2013 champion John Barger, Danny Prewitt, Mike Cloud, Bill Spencer, hard charger Charlie Eaton and Steve Thompson.
The last time Southern Oregon Speedway crowned its own Pro Stock champion was 2011. Dustin Knight won that championship. This season, second generation racer Miles Deubert has his sights set on that title. Deubert is the 2014 Street Stock champion, and he won two Pro Stock features last season. He can expect stiff competition from two time Pro Stock champion Ken Irving and two time Super 4's champion Brian Johnsen. Past Pro Stock and Street Stock champion Scott Lenz is also back in a Pro Stock. Josh Kralicek, past Mini Stock champion Mike "Zeus" Johnson, Derrel Nelson Jr., Roy Bain and Dave Satterfield are others to watch for. Rumors have persisted that another champion, Dave Everson, may make appearances, and we may see some appearances from the Outlaw Pro Stock Association racers this week. The group will support four races as association events.
With Bob Burkett planning a limited Mini Stock schedule, this year's battle may be between 2014 champion Gary Anderson and 2015 Yreka champion David Steele. Anderson was second in points last year with two wins, but Steele was a five time winner. However, 2013 champion Steve Goetz is planning to return, which will make things more interesting. There are some other drivers looking to make their marks, led by third ranked Andrew Hall. Hall finished second three times last year in his fast Pinto Wagon, and he'll be looking for a win. Other hard chargers such as Kristopher Mix, 2016 "Rookie of the Year" Dillen Lausen, Michael Johnson and veteran Eric Hanson will also be in the hunt for wins.
The biggest news regarding the SODCA Dwarf Cars is the return of popular 70 something year old racer "Fast" Freddy Hay. Hay sat out most of last year after a flip in a race in Chico, California left him with a broken neck. The last time Fred raced, he finished third in points and was a feature winner in 2015. Brock Peters enters the season as the reigning champion, and he has a new car for his title defense. He knows the competition will be tough. After back to back second place point efforts, Camden Robustelli is planning to make a run at the championship. With racers like two time champion Josh King, Randy Slater, Mason Lewman, Rob Gergel, Cody Peters, rookie Ashleigh Strain and long time competitors Chad Cardoza and Ryan Smith in the field, it's sure to be an exciting show.
The lineup of Late Models, IMCA Sport Modifieds, Valley Stor-All Late Model Lites, Pro Stocks, Mini Stocks and SODCA Dwarf Cars will offer great racing excitement for the fans. Grandstands open at 5:00 PM with the first race starting at 7:00 PM sharp. General Admission is $12, Seniors (62 and older) and Juniors (6-12) is $6 and children 5 and under are free. For further information, go to www.southernoregonspeedway.com.
Orland Raceway Opens For 2017 Season On Saturday
Orland, CA...Orland Raceway is returning for a new season of racing under the promotion of Rich Hood. A long time Pure Stock competitor at the track, Hood stepped forward in 2016 to save the track after the previous management walked away. Rich went local with his schedule, meaning the staple classes, Pure Stocks, Mini Stocks, Mini Trucks, Micro Sprints and the returning Wingless Gas Sprints were all scheduled for a 14 race season this year. The one-fifth mile dirt oval is primed and ready for the season opener this Saturday night. The five core divisions are all scheduled for this race.
There's lots of excitement in the air surrounding the Pure Stock division. Over the past few seasons, this division has done the best with car count and has been very competitive. Steve Martin is the reigning champion and a champion previous to that. He can expect some tough competition from Jeremy Langenderfer and Shannon Collins, who finished second and third in the standings last season. These Top 3 competitors will have a new threat to deal with in past Mini Truck champion Keith Ross. Ross has a Pure Stock this season and has already been racing at other tracks. Cody Bundy, Earl Adams and Amanda Koop are just a few of the other Pure Stock competitors to keep an eye on this season.
The longest continually active Mini Truck division in California is at Orland. The heritage of this division stretches back to the 1990's. Dan Webster has been a perennial title contender for the past several seasons, but he took it up a notch in winning last season's championship ahead of the consistent William Fogle. Fogle has a feature win in his sites this season. Another driver to watch is past champion Ross Vige, who won the championship at Hayfork Speedway last season. Long time Orland competitor "Rollin" Olin Crane, Nate Skaggs and Brett Allinger are just some of the stars of the Mini Truck class.
In the Mini Stocks, it seems as if Tom Davis is the big star of the show, and he scored most of the feature wins last season. He may be the driver to beat this year, but it was the consistent John Kirkpatrick who won his second championship last season. Kirkpatrick has been racing at Orland longer than just about everybody else on the roster. Another past champion, Robert Hunt, finished second in points last year, and he also managed to win a feature. Another driver with wins last year was Donovan Chilton. He may mix it up with Davis for wins this season. Steve Speers, Barbara Crain and Seth Libbee are other drivers making this an exciting division to watch.
For a little over 15 years, the Wingless Sprint class has been a part of an exciting program of racing at Orland. This goes back to the early days of Josh Jacobo winning multiple championships. Tony Richards is another champion of the class. The most recent champion was Bill Hopper, who managed to hold off Richards in 2015. Some of the drivers to watch for include Ryan Owens, Josh Tucker, Greg Higgenbotham, Gerald Webber, Kenny Webber, Jeremy Wilson, Jacobo and Richards
Not to be forgotten in the mix are the 600cc and 250cc engine Micro Sprint classes, which were first introduced to the regular roster by promoter Mike McCann in 2013. When you're talking 600 Micros at Orland, you have to mention the two biggest stars, Jeromie Chrismon and Skyler Richter. Both drivers, along with third ranked Tony Alosi, were feature winners last year, and Chrismon's championship margin over Richter was big due to Richter missing races. Fourth ranked Kyra Michelet was also a feature winner last year, and other drivers to watch for in 600's this season include Rick Gutzke, Dean Slinkard and Rick Alonso.
The 250 racers tried something different one night as they had a wingless race, won by Robert Baker. One of the big names on the roster is Jackie Whitson Jr., who won multiple Main Events but missed several races to finish fifth in the standings. Andrew Love was also a feature winner during the 2016 season and won his championship comfortably ahead of Dave McKinnon. McKinnon just barely held off Ronnie Heyer by 3 points for second, while Jess Garland was 12 points back in fourth.
The season kicks off this Saturday night with Pure Socks, Mini Trucks, Mini Stocks, 250 Micros, 600 Micros and the return of the Wingless Gas Sprints. It all adds up to lots of excitement for Orland racing fans. Gates open at 5PM with the first race starting at 7PM. General Admission is #$8, Children 7-12 are $5 and Children 6 and under are free. For further information, go to http://www.orlandraceway.org/.
2017 Schedule Notes
Orland runs pretty much every other week, but they do follow up the opener with a May 6th West Coast Enduro event.
One of the things the track is trying is running the 250 Micro Sprint division wingless for the first six races before running winged from July 29th on.
The return of the popular Kids Bike Race is set for June 3rd.
There are double points races set for July 1st and September 16th to shake things up.
September 16th is also billed as O'Reilly Auto Parts Fan Appreciation Night, which included a meet and greet with the racers before the races last season.
The Glenn County Fair Race on May 19th will be an action packed event with all of the for classes except Wingless Gas Sprints included and a Powder Puff RV Derby. Management is considering a Figure 8 during the season but hasn't set the date yet.
The Schmitke Memorial Race For A Cure is back this year on August 12th. It's an event to raise money to fight Cancer and honor a beloved member of the Orland community. All of the track's regular classes, plus the California Hardtop Association, will be in action that night.
Armstrong Kicks Of Hardtop Season With Placerville Win
Placerville, CA...April 22...The California Hardtops made their first appearance of the season at Placerville Speedway and brought a field of eight vintage race cars. When the checkered flag flew, it was Jason Armstrong grabbing the victory in the 20 lap Main Event.
J. Armstrong also won his eight lap heat race, but the action took place behind him. Running for the same piece of real estate in Turn 1, Rob Waldrop's car slipped out of gear and he hit Dennis Armstrong. D. Armstrong was able to continue and chased his son to a second place finish. Rhett Lange brought his six cylinder Hardtop from Winnemucca, Nevada and won his heat race ahead of Joe Shenefield. Shenefield was able to make his first good laps on the dirt and did well all night. Waldrop and Joe Hopp were both done after heat races. Hopp suffered motor problems to end his night early.
In the Main Event, Russ Kraft led the pack to the green flag, but he spun in Turns 3 and 4, allowing Shenefield to pace a couple laps before behind passed by both J. Armstrong and D. Armstrong. The battle for third saw some good side by side laps between "The Rocket Man" Ken Clifford and Shenefield before Clifford pulled ahead. Shenefield was later passed by Lange, who move up to battle Clifford for third. Lange made his move past Clifford. Meanwhile, J. Armstrong ran a great race up front and took the checkered flag for the win. D. Armstrong took second with Lange not far behind him. Clifford finished third ahead of Shenefield and Kraft.
The Hardtops will have a big double header weekend at Chico on May 12th and Marysville on May 13th. Word is there will be another car or two ready to race by then.
Jinkerson, Dillard Score Placerville Victories
Placerville, CA...April 22...Dan Jinkerson won the 20 lap Jay's Welding & Fabricating Pure Stock Main Event Saturday night at Placerville Speedway. Jinkerson held the lead from the start with Scott Grunert second ahead of Jason Palmer. Palmer moved past S. Grunert for second on lap five. The race had the first of its two yellow flags on lap 16. Jinkerson led the restart ahead of Palmer and reigning champion Nick Baldwin. A lap 19 restart gave Baldwin the opportunity to slip into second. However, Jinkerson was not to be denied as he scored the victory ahead of Baldwin. Orville Owens made a late move to take third from Palmer. S. Grunert settled for fifth ahead of Dwight Bulton, Travis Emery, Sam Bernstein, Jeff Sly and Jay Bryant.
Reigning champion Craig Dillard won the 20 lap BCRA Midget Lites Main Event.. Dillard set the pace at the start of the race with heat winner Hunter Kinney running second. A lap nine yellow flag slowed things down, and it was two BCRA Lites veterans, Terry Bergstrom and Scott Kinney, shuffling H. Kinney out of the Top 3. Dillard drove a flawless race and earned the victory with Bergstrom a strong second ahead of S. Kinney, Jim Riddell, Emilee Lindgren, Kayla Green, H. Kinney and Rick Johnson.
