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Can Be Heard HERE April 28
100th Career Win For Scott Lenz At Siskiyou Speedway
Yreka, CA...April 29... The fans got more than they bargained for Saturday night at Siskiyou Motor Speedway. With rainy weather claiming the races in Medford on Friday, speedway management added the new Hornets division and the Outlaw Pro Stocks to the card. When the checkered flags waved, it was the 100th career victory for Outlaw Pro Stock racer Scott Lenz, while Justin McCreedie (O'Reilly Auto Parts IMCA Sport Modifieds), David Steele (McDonald's Mini Stocks) and Joby Shields (Hornets) won their respective Main Events.
Scott Lanz prevailed once again in the Outlaw Pro Stock 25 lap Main Event. The win was a momentous occasion for Lenz as it marked the 100th time he has visited the winner's circle. Lenz has won championships at both Southern Oregon Speedway and the old Medford Speedway. After a rainout in Medford, Outlaw Pro Stock officials contacted speedway management and arranged for this race on Friday night. Thirteen competitors showed up on short notice.
Rick Lukens and Johnny Cobb led the pack to the Main Event green flag. As the previous winner, Lanz had to start last. Cobb and James Flowers battled early on, but a crash on lap five ended the night for Cobb. NASCAR veteran Rocky Nash had the lead at that point, but Lenz was in second. It wasn't long before Lenz made his move into the lead. Once he was in front, the racing chiropractor pulled away just a bit for the impressive win. 2015 champion Jeffrey Hudson also got by Nash to finish second. Nash was a solid third as Matt Harlow and John Bowers rounded out the lead lap finishers. Lukens took a checkered flag in sixth as Ginny Flowers was the final competitor to finish. Nash give Lenz a challenge in preliminaries, but he could not deny Lenz a clean sweep. Lenz won both his eight lap heat race and four lap Trophy Dash ahead of Nash. Hudson won his heat race ahead of Miles Deubert.
Justin McCreedie won an exciting battle for victory in the 20 lap O'Reiley Auto Parts IMCA Sport Modified Main Event. McCreedie got a good start to his night with an eight lap heat race victory ahead of the Colton Cheffey. In the Main event, it was a another young gun battling McCreedie as D.J. Bottoms gave him all he could handle. McCreedie took the checkered flag just ahead of Bottoms. Medford competitors David Marble and Braxton Possinger battled all night. Marble prevailed in their heat race, and though Possinger provided a bigger challenge in the feature, Marble beat him for third place. Garrett Hamilton finished fifth in the competitive Main Event as Chris Jorgensen, Cheffey, Justin Foux, two time Medford champion Dwayne Melvin and Gavin Gonzalez rounded out the top 10, all on the lead lap. Cheffey held off Marble to win the four lap Trophy Dash.
David Steele collected his second straight 20 lap McDonald's Mini Stock Main Event victory. The 2015 champion was in town because of a rainout in Medford, and he used this as an opportunity to battle teen sensation Ethan Killingsworth for the victory. Killingsworth gave it a good run, but Steele prevailed at the checkered flag. Past champion Terry Kendrick won another good battle with reigning champion Marilyn Yawnick for third, while Aaron Jorgensen was a solid fifth. Dennis Jorgensen finished sixth ahead of Kristopher Mix, Jeremy Sites, Mike Frost and Ron Morris. Steele and Kendrick had a good battle in preliminaries as Kendrick grabbed a heat race win before Steele held off Kendrick for the Trophy Dash victory. Killingsworth outran Yawnick to win the other eight lap heat race.
Joby Shields won his second straight 15 lap Hornets Main Event. Shields continues to run strong, but rookie Jason Stoutenburg seems to be getting more comfortable. While Shields sped to the victory, Stoutenburg finished second ahead of reigning Medford champion Tim Hedges and Christian Listro. The new division grew to seven cars this week. Hedges battled Shields to win the eight lap heat race, but Shields returned to claim four lap Trophy Dash honors.
Racing resumes next week, and it's a big event. It's the third annual Billy Geyer Memorial 50 lap Main Event for the Outlaw Pro Stocks, and the winner can potentially earn $2500. O'Reilly Auto Parts IMCA Sport Modifieds, McDonald's Mini Stocks and IMCA Modifieds are also on the program. For further information, go to www.siskiyoumotorspeedway.com.
McIntyre Returns To Winner's Circle At Coos Bay Speedway
Coos Bay, Oregon...April 29...Carload night at Coos Bay Speedway offered the fans some exciting NASCAR racing action on Saturday night. In the 25 lap Super Late Model Main Event, Toby McIntyre became the third different winner in three races. Mike George was looking for his second win of the season to cap what could have been a clean sweep performance. However, 2015 champion McIntyre was up to the challenge as he held off point leader George down the stretch for the victory. It was a rough race for Brian Tenney, but he still took a checkered flag in third ahead of Chuck Bracelin, Chris Ray and Jered Bemetz. Previous winner Trent Elliott and 2016 point runnerup Thor Kristesen were both Main Event scratches. George won the eight lap heat race ahead of McIntyre and claimed five lap Trophy Dash honors ahead of Bemetz.
Two time reigning Sportsman Late Model champion Wayne Butler appears to be putting things together as he won the 15 lap Main Event. Butler swept the feature, eight lap heat and five lap dash ahead of incoming point leader Brody Montgomery. Montgomery wasn't too far behind Butler in the feature and just barely lost the dash. Charlie Withers finished third in the Main Event, while Dylan Siewell fell out early and ended up fourth.
Justin Krossman turned in a dominant performance in winning the eight lap heat race, five lap Trophy Dash and 15 lap Street Stock Main Event. Reigning champion Daniel Land showed signs that his truck is getting dialed in as he finished second in the dash and feature, but he was about a half lap back in second in the 15 lap race. Stacy Robinson finished second in the heat and was third in the Main Event as Ken Fox rounded out the finish.
2015 Mini Outlaws champion Sam Talon made another appearance and dominated the Mini Outlaw 20 lap Main Event. Talon won by a 14 second margin over heat race winner Rob Lauver. John Henry, Jason Kellam and Medford visitor Patrick Stringer Stine were a lead lap third through fifth, respectively. Medford racer Eric Hanson, Alyssa Johnson, Dan Daniels and Jamie Daniels completed the finishing order. Lauver won his heat race over Johnson, while Talon cruised to victory over Henry in his heat race. Talon also won the five lap Trophy Dash ahead of Henry.
Ryan Siewell collected the 20 lap Hornets Main Event win in impressive fashion. The night started off as if it was going to be another walk in the park for Jeremiah Reiber. Reiber won his eight lap heat race by a wide margin ahead of Sam Taylor and held off Siewell to win the five lap Trophy Dash. However, Reiber had problems in the feature and ended up a lap down in seventh. Siewell, meanwhile, built an 11 second advantage over Taylor by the time the checkered flag flew on the Main Event. "Hurricane" Hannah Robison enjoyed another Top 3 finish after a good battle with Taylor. Tom Williams and Robert Vandre were the final lead lap finishers. Patrick Nagel finished sixth ahead of Reiber, April Warmack, Matt Butler and Jake Siewell. R. Siewell won a near photo finish with Vandre for a heat race win.
Ed Tackett won the 12 lap Humboldt Motorsports Side By Side UTV's Main Event. Curtis Zeissler wasn't too far back in second as Justin Barron, Scott Krohn and Scott Carroll rounded out the finishing order on the lead lap. Tackett swept the action with an eight lap heat race win over Krohn and five lap Trophy Dash victory ahead of Zeissler.
Next week's NASCAR Whelen All American Racing Series program is Pepsi Night with double Main Events, and the event features the "Mr. Dizzy Car Explosion" show. The Super Late Models, Sportsman Late Models, Street Stocks, Super 4's, Hornets and Side By Side UTV's are all on the card for this exciting show. For further information, go to http://www.coosbayspeedway.us.
Improvements In Store For New Season
At Southern Oregon Speedway
White City, Oregon...The 22nd season opener is set for this Saturday night at Southern Oregon Speedway. Weather forced the cancellation of two playdays and last week's race. Despite sunny skies last Saturday, mid week rains proved to be too much for the pits to handle. Preparations are well underway for Saturday's six division show. On the schedule will be IMCA Modifieds, Late Models, IMCA Sport Modifieds, Valley Stor-All Late Model Lites, Mini Stocks and JOAT Labs Hornets.
Promoter Mike McCann and crew are continuing to make improvements to the facility, and much focus has centered around the concessions stand. New equipment has been brought in. There are also new benches for the fans to enjoy their food under the shade before the races. McCann is also braining in new track prep equipment to continue the focus on a smooth and tacky racing surface around the three-tenths mile clay oval. Jim Rodgers will be back to provide his expertise to the track preparation.
The focus on getting the show done in a timely manner will remain. Gates open at 5:00 PM with the first race firing off at 7:00 PM. The goal has always been to get the show done and send the fans home happy at a reasonable hour. For the most part, this was accomplished last season. Despite the anticipated increase in car count, ticket prices for regular shows will remain $12.00 for General Admission, Juniors (6-12) and Seniors (62 and older) $6.00 and children five and under free. It will be good family entertainment at a reasonable price.
Helping keep the show running smoothly will be the addition of Dwarf Car and Modified champion Jon DeBenedetti and his wife Valerie DeBenedetti to the officiating crew. DeBenedetti will be Director Of Competition, which is a role McCann filled last season. DeBenedetti's experience will allow McCann to focus on other aspects of the show. Valerie will serve as Head Scorer, which is a role she has filled in the past. Both are welcome additions to the team.
It is a team effort and people are stepping up to help build this program. People have observed how the racing program has fallen off in recent years, and they want to be a part of ushering in the "New Beginning" McCann envisioned when he began his ten year stint as promoter last year. In the Kendall Oil Sprint Car division, for instance, long time racer David Hibbard has taken on a leadership role in building up a car count with a more sensible set of rules. The car count will increase noticeably this season. David will race this year along with his son Bailey, both of whom won races last year.
The Sprint Car roster will take on a new look with several young drivers coming in from the Outlaw Kart divison. Fans can anticipate seeing Kart champion Tanner Holmes, Merissa Henson, Bartley Foster and Blaine Cory, along with returning competitors like Jeffrey Hudson and Camden Robustelli. The first race for the Sprint Cars will be on May 20th as part of the "Road To The Iron Giant" Street Stock show and a week later as part of the Open Wheel Showcase. Northwest Focus Midgets will be in town for that show as well.
The buzz around town is that the IMCA Sport Modifieds will have an increased car count, and champions Mike Medel, Jorddon Braaten and Dwayne Melvin will be part of the increased roster. Pro Stock racer Miles Deubert of JOAT Labs noticed the track's effort to build the Hornets class last year, and he has gotten on board as the title sponsor. JOAT Labs has built cages for at least a half dozen of the entry level Hornets, indicating that the car count will probably double from last year.
Late Models are back this season. The roster stands at 10 cars now as excitement builds. Returning champion Bob Dees, Coos Bay Champ Nathan Augustine and Modified champion Dustin Knight are three of the stars to watch for. Speaking of Modifieds, they are back and continue so sport the IMCA sanctioning. Two time champion Albert Gill, Yreka champion Nick Trenchard, James Welshonse and Jesse Bailey are among the racers to watch for.
Mini Stocks and Late Model Lites had solid seasons last year, and it's looking good for both classes this season. Three champions, David Steele, Gary Anderson and Steve Goetz, will battle it out with the emerging stars of the Mini Stocks. Reigning champion Bob Burkett will race some, but he will also compete in the Late Model Lites. Reigning Late Model Lites champion Lee Doty, hard charger Terry Hadley, Charlie Eaton and Danny Prewett are just some of the stars to watch for this week.
This week's six division program is just the beginning. There are some great events booked throughout the season, and the Outlaw Kart track is set to open on Friday, May 12th, for the first of eight races. The big track will be the place to be this Saturday night to see some beautifully prepared race cars in action for the first time this season. For further information, go to www.southernoregonspeedway.com.
