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Outlaw Pro Stocks Join The Show Saturday
At Siskiyou Speedway
Yreka, CA...The season is off to a good start at Siskiyou Motor Speedway. Not only has there been great racing, but last week's Canned Food Drive netted three boxes of canned foods for the local food bank. This week, with community and family in mind, Siskiyou Speedway will have Kids Power Wheel Races during the intermission. Scheduled to appear in another action-packed program will be the Calculated Comfort Outlaw Pro Stocks, Mini Stocks, IMCA Sport Modifieds and Outlaw Open Comp Cars.
2016 Pro Stock champion Steve Borror took a year off from competition, but he came back with a vengeance two weeks ago by winning the season opener pretty handily ahead of Scott Flowers. The night featured a good battle between Borror and Dr. Scott Lenz as both won heat races and Lenz held off Borror to win the Trophy Dash. Unfortunately, Lenz got caught up in a mid-race wreck to end his Main Event early. With these two drivers in the pack, it will be hard for anybody else to get a victory.
Certainly, Scott Flowers is a threat to win the Main Event. The long time Pro Stock competitor has netted numerous second-place championship trophies and is the model of consistency. For Scott, however, the desire to win is equaled by his enjoyment of racing with his family, which includes son James Flowers, wife Ginny Flowers and daughter Julia Flowers. James has progressed very nicely in the last two years and is also definitely a threat to win. The Outlaw Pro Stocks have a great group of racers, and others to watch for this week include Jeff Haudenshild, Bryan Hammond, Matt Harlow, Johnny Cobb, Roy Bain and Dean Hackworth.
It's been an interesting first two races for the IMCA Sport Modifieds. A few of the young guns we've seen for the last couple of years have yet to appear, and Jorddon Braaten and Justin Foux both had to battle Rich McCoy to earn their feature victories. Foux has to be pleased with the performance of his new car so far this season, and he may very well be the man to beat this week.
Two drivers chomping at the bit to make it into the Winner's Circle are Trevor Tiffee and Ryder Boswell. Tiffee has put together a new car this year that he calls Eleanor. She has served him well so far with fourth and sixth place finishes. Boswell, who like his brother Colter came up through the McDonald's Mini Stock ranks, has fifth and sixth place feature finish so far.
Matt Sanders looked good in winning his heat race last week in his new car, but unfortunately he hurt his motor in the process to end his night. There's no word on whether he'll have it back together this week, but Isaac Sanders is coming off of a fifth place finish last time out.
Other drivers to watch for this week include Doug Franklin, Jimmy Lipke and Randy Wright. We're still waiting on the debuts of reigning champion DJ Bottoms, Colton Cheffey and Jack Walden III. We are also awaiting the division debut of Mini Stock star Ethan Killingsworth.
The Mini Stock division so far has seen David Steele post back to back Main Event victories. Steele is the 2015 champion, though he's not expected to make a point run. However, he and teammate Steve Goetz, who finished second last time out, may be in town this week before their season opens in Medford a week later.
Terry Kendrick is somebody expected to be a part of the point chase this year, and he thus far has a third and fourth place finish in his two starts. The class has produced a pair of 12 car fields as a few new drivers have joined the ranks, and other drivers to watch for this week include reigning champion Marilyn Yawnick, 2014 champion Mike Whitaker, Mike Frost and newcomer Darick Alford.
Not much is known about who intends to compete in the Outlaw Open Comp division. What is known is there were drivers asking for the addition of this class. They have cars that don't quite fit the rules in the other classifications, and they want to race at Siskiyou Speedway. Will this be the beginning of something really cool happening at Siskiyou Speedway? Stay tuned.
If you're looking for a fun night of family entertainment, look no further than Siskiyou Motor Speedway on Saturday night. With Outlaw Pro Stocks, IMCA Sport Modifieds, Outlaw Open Comp Cars and Mini Stocks, plus Kids Power Wheel Races during the intermission, it's going to be a night to remember. For further information, go to www.siskiyoumotorspeedway.com.
Rain Cancels Season Opener At Southern Oregon Speedway, Racing Resumes May 5th
White City, Oregon...The four division program set to open Southern Oregon Speedway on Saturday night has been cancelled due to rain and a bad forecast throughout the weekend. Promoter Mike McCann was forced to pull the plug.
Racing will kick off on May 5th with a five division program featuring the Kendall Oil Winged Sprint Cars, IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Sport Modifieds, Mini Stocks and JOAT Labs Hornets. For further information, go to www.southernoregonspeedway.com.
Kendall Oil Winged Sprint Cars Set To Open
Southern Oregon Speedway Season
White City, Oregon...The Kendall Oil Winged Sprint Cars, presented by Hays Oil, are preparing to open the 2018 season at Southern Oregon Speedway on Saturday night, May 5th. Due to wet weather and a rainy forecast throughout the weekend, the April 28th opener was forced to be canceled. On May 5th, the Sprint Cars will headline along with IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Sport Modifieds, Mini Stocks and JOAT Labs Hornets.
The Kendall Oil Winged Sprint Cars are now in their third season at the speedway, and this is the second under a rules package designed for affordability and car count growth. In a further attempt to help stimulate car count, long time Sprint Car competitor David Hibbard joined forces with promotor Mike McCann to help with the purse. The result was a solid 2017 season as several young competitors stepped up to join the class.
Hibbard has been competing in Sprint Cars for the past several seasons and is a past champion at Cottage Grove Speedway. Last season, he had a win and three seconds and appeared to be headed for second in points. However, when his son Bailey blew a motor in hot laps at the finale, David graciously stepped aside to allow him to drive the car and battle Merissa Henson for the runner-up position in the championship point battle.
Henson was a model of consistency last season in winning the Rookie Of The Year award and beating Bailey Hibbard by just one point for second in the standings. Marissa turned in one of her better performances in fourth in the finale, and that enabled her take second in the points despite the fact that Bailey Hibbard won his third Main Event of the season.
Bailey Hibbard could be seen as one of the drivers to beat in this season's championship chase. The field is going to gain several new cars, but the youth movement is still an important part of the class this year and in the years to come. Enrique Jaime is coming in off of a fifth place rookie season last year and hoping for better things. Decorated Outlaw Kart champion Tanner Holmes will be back this year after running a few races last season. Tanner could be a championship contender, but word is that the team will still make trips for special Outlaw Open Kart races during the season. Theron Smith and AJ Harbaugh are among the other young guns joining the class this year.
There will be some experienced competitors in the field. This includes past Sprint Car champion Hedge Carter, and Hedge will be joined by son Colby Carter this year. Past Southern Oregon Speedway Sprint Car champion Charlie Thompson has thrown his hat into the ring this year, and Aaron Miller will be competing with us as well. Miller won his first Sprint Car Main Event at Southern Oregon Speedway two years ago. Also back in the group will be Todd Whipple and Outlaw Kart legend Mike Wheeler.
Not to be forgotten in the mix is many time Sprint Car champion Kyler Barraza. Kyler will be racing with us this year, but there was word that he may not be ready for the season opener. All indications are that this will be the strongest season yet for the Kendall Oil Winged Sprint Cars.
The IMCA Modifieds have been a mainstay at Southern Oregon Speedway since the place opened in 1996. There have been many great competitors to compete on the fast 3/10 mile clay oval through the years. Not the least of which is the most decorated champion of them all, Mark Wauge. Wauge not only leads the division in championships with seven, he is also approaching 50 career Main Event wins in this division, making him the all time winner in this class at Southern Oregon Speedway.
One of Mark's closest rivals in recent years is two time champion Albert Gill. Albert has been competing at Southern Oregon Speedway for two decades and is a threat to win any time he's on the track. Last season, if not for family events that took him from the track, Gill likely would have won his third championship. As it was, he was one of the nine different Main Event winners.
Another of the nine winners was the champion, Jesse Bailey. Bailey has been the most consistent competitor at the track during the past two seasons with more Top 3 finishes than anybody else in this class. Running for the championship wasn't necessarily in his plans, but he none the less added his name to the list of title winners at the speedway.
James Welshonse had a year he'd much rather forget last season, but he's back to see if he can recapture the form that won him Rookie Of The Year honors and a Main Event in 2016. Past Dwarf Car champion CJ Putnam is also anticipated as he is competing in a new car this year. Another force on the track anytime he is there is Jon DeBenedetti, who also has amassed nearly 50 Main Event wins at Southern Oregon Speedway alone. DeBenedetti is a Dwarf Car and Modified champ, and word it is that he will be doing some racing this year in a Modified, owned by Brian Bowman.
The list of competitors is likely to include such hard chargers as Nick Trenchard, Zach Fettinger, Jeremy Ohlde, Ray Kniffin Jr, Preston Jones and Duane Orsburn. Word is that we'll also be seeing past division championship runner-up, Matt Duste. After the rain out, the IMCA Modified racers are ready to go this week.
This season's IMCA Sport Modified lineup includes all three drivers who are two-time champions in the division. Reigning two-time champion Mike Medel will be back to see if he can become the first three time title winner in the group. Jorddon Braaten is certainly a threat to Medel if he decides to focus on running for the local title this year. During the past two seasons, Jorddon has made trips to other tracks for bigger money events. Also in the lineup this year will be Dwayne Melvin, though it looks like the team has some work to do on the chassis after a crash a week ago.
The IMCA Sport Modified division is poised for their biggest year ever. Last season at the R Charles Snyder Salute, over 30 cars competed. This was a record for the division. Last season's top rookie, Jesse Merriman, will be out to see if he can get his first win in the division. He certainly looked fast enough last season. Another driver looking fast and hungry for victory is last season's point runner-up, Willie McFall.
David Marble racked up some 20 Mini Stock Main Event wins in his career as well as a championship, and he's zeroing in on his first IMCA Sport Modified feature triumph. There is a great lineup of IMCA Sport Modified competitors just waiting for their opportunity to go racing. Other drivers to watch for include rookie Joby Shields, who was rather dominant in his time in Hornets, hard charger Justin McCreadie, Braxton Possinger, Tony Duste, Tony Bartell, Bob Thomas, Danny Rule and Lloyd Speer.
The Mini Stock division has been a mainstay at Southern Oregon Speedway since the place opened, and many great drivers have come and gone. Certainly, they don't get much better than David Steele. Steele has already won two races on the circuit this year and has his sights on the top spot on Southern Oregon Speedway's all time Mini Stock win list. The only thing eluding David at his home track is a championship. He's already won one down in Yreka. Steele closed last season with three consecutive feature wins, serving notice that he is still a force to be reckoned with.
One driver hungry for his first win is Kristopher Mix. Mix added his name to the long list of champions last year through consistency, but he would very much love to be a Main Event winner. With the competition as tough as it is, getting wins isn't so easy. 2013 champion Steve Goetz and 2014 champion Gary Anderson are still on the roster. 2015 champion David Marble has his old car and 2016 champion Bob Burkett still has a car in his shop. Things could get very interesting at the front of the pack.
Not to be forgotten is the driver of the fast Pinto Wagon, Andrew Hall. Hall ended last season on a strong note with a heat race win and Top 5 feature finish, despite terrible luck throughout the season. Hunter Magnan had his share of ups and downs and still won Rookie Of The Year honors last season. With a newer car, he's hoping to be more of a factor at the front of the pack. 2016 JOAT Labs Hornet champion Tim Hedges, Mike Cloud and Patrick Stringer-Stine are other drivers to watch for this week.
Jason Stoutenburgh left little doubt who the champion was in last season's JOAT Labs Hornets class. With a dominant run of four straight Main Event victories, Jason cruised to the championship while his rival, Tim Hedges, ended the season with dismal luck. Stoutenburgh may very well be the driver to beat again this year, but he can expect some good competition.
One driver to keep an eye on is last year's second-place driver and Rookie Of The Year, Jenna Hedges. With a pair of Trophy Dash wins, as well as a heat race win, the only thing eluding Jenna is a Main Event victory. She's hoping to change that this year. Husband Tim will still be competing as well as son Ashtin Hedges. However, the Hedges family won't be the only family well-represented at Southern Oregon Speedway in this class.
The Nelson family should be at least three cars strong this year as Darrel Nelson Jr hopes to get his name back on the winner's list again. Darrel won a pair of features in 2016 but could only finish as high as second last year. He did have a Pro Stock win to his credit. Sons Zach and Ryan Nelson both have cars, and they both showed the ability to run with the front runners in their starts last season. Young Gabe Nelson should also see some track time.
One of the young stars to watch this year could be last year's fifth place point competitor, Dylan Irving. Irving came very close to winning a Main Event at the end of the season and did pick up a trophy. Likewise, teammate Brandon Wonsyld will be another driver to watch. There are more cars being built in this class, and other competitors to watch for include Bree Tritchler, Kelli Burton and John Corder.
Rain may have washed away the April 28th event, but the May 5th event is on the agenda. Everything will be ready to go for an exciting five division program. Gates open at 5 p.m. with the first race at 7 p.m. General Admission is $12 with Junior's 6-12, Veterans and Seniors all $6 each. Children 5 and under are free. For further information, go to www.southernoregonspeedway.com.
We'll Get The Season Started Yet
White City, Oregon...We're in a holding pattern right now. I'm sure you're looking out your window on a beautiful sunny day. It's Thursday. We've gone over a lot of stuff at Southern Oregon Speedway during these past couple of weeks. The effort has intensified. As I look out the window, we could go racing right now if the weather holds.
There are many things that go through the mind of a promoter as they prepare for a week's race. So many things that need to be taken care of. Is it all ready to go? Then, you look at the weather. Now, this is a controversial subject. It's touchy to some people. If you happen to cancel a race and it looks the least bit like you could have gotten away with racing, you're going to be criticized for canceling the race.
You want ideal conditions. What I would like to see is the kind of weather I'm looking at out my window right now. Sunny skies, mild temperatures. Perfect for opening the season. We had this back in 2016, and it was one of the best nights that we've had in terms of crowd response. When you have gloomy skies, unless you're a die-hard fan, you're less inclined to come even if the race is happening.
This matters to the business model. I don't want to get into all of those details, but you want as many people to come out and watch the races as you can because it pays the bills and keeps things going. Bottom Line. Now, last year, we wanted to go racing. What we had on opening day was cloudy and gloomy skies and the possibility of rain. Because it didn't rain, we went ahead with it. It was not a banner night for the track in terms of attendance.
So, you proceed with the thought that you're opening the race track. Jim Rodgers has been out there working hard to work that new clay in and give us a great racing surface. I can see him stressing on different things, because the man takes what he does very seriously. He wants to give the racers a good racing surface. He's doing everything he can, even today he's working on it.
Mike has been going over his list. So many other things have to be taken care of to get us going. You want a nice grandstand area, and our power wash guy went over the entire grandstands and concession area. It looks nicer than it has for a long time. The concession stands are cleaned and ready to go. The souvenir stand, all of it. We're ready to go racing. Things are lined up. All we need is good racing weather and we can go.
The grass on The Grassy Knoll and the pit area was pretty tall, as you can imagine. It was a wet winter. I don't claim to be an expert in mowing, but the job needed to be done. With Uncle Rich having left us for California, somebody needed to get out there and do it. I volunteered. I definitely feel beat up from all the bouncing around on the mower that I was doing, but I think I did okay for the most part. Probably could have done better, but I've learned a few things to apply to next time. It's still a nicer looking pit area than it was a week ago.
So, the schedule is booked and we have a really great lineup planned. IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Sport Modifieds, Late Models and Southern Oregon Dwarf Cars. Everybody is just excited to go out and race again. I like what I'm hearing. Our Sport Mod group is looking at bigger numbers this year than ever before, and that translates into a great season for the class. Mike Medel, Jorddon Braaten, Willie McFall, Jesse Merriman, Dwayne Melvin, David Marble and Joby Shields are just a few of the names I'm hearing.
The Southern Oregon Dwarf Cars have already raced a couple of times. In fact, last Saturday they raced, and on Sunday they were doing a car show in Central Point with a meet and greet for the fans. They've got $1,000 lined up for the winner of their first race here. I know the Dwarf Car guys are chomping at the bit to go racing, and we've got some great competitors in the field, like Brock Peters, Josh King, Chad Cardoza, Ryan Smith, Fred Hay, Cody Peters and Randy Slater.
A lot of great competitors still have IMCA Modifieds. Who may race with us is still in the big question. But, names you are familiar with, such as Mark Wauge, CJ Putnam, Albert Gill, James Welshonse, Ray Kniffen Jr, Preston Jones, Jon DeBenedetti, Zach Fettinger and reigning champion Jesse Bailey are some we are expecting. I believe if the drivers truly get behind the effort, we will have one of the best IMCA Modified shows on the West Coast. I know we have that in our three signature races for the class, the Roger Haudenshild Tribute, IMCA Wild West Speedweek race and the R Charles Snyder Salute. But, there's no reason we can't have strong support for our other shows as well. At least I hope so.
Late Models are lined up and ready to go. This is the second full season for this class since we brought it back. It never really had as much of a chance as we've been giving it, because we believe in Late Model racing. To know that Nathan Augustine will be back to defend his title is great news. Bob Dees and Mike Linder are staunch supporters of Late Model racing, and the Dees boys, Garrett and John, will be out there giving them hell. Dave Foote, Chris Biggs & Miles Deubert are others I'm looking forward to watching.
This really is a nice lineup for the season opener, but now we watch the weather patterns in disappointment. Is it going to rain out? It doesn't look good. What will the weather do? Will it rain? How much will it rain? Will it be gloomy and miserable the way it was for our season opener last year? These are all things that we have to worry about. You want the best conditions possible to open, but if you can race, you want to race too. It's better for the track overall to have ideal conditions. We will get there. It can't rain forever, can it? Look at the weather now. Man, why does there have to be any rain in the forecast at all?
So, I'm looking at the schedule for next week, and we've got our IMCA Modified and IMCA Sport Modified classes back. It's also the season opener for the Kendall Oil Winged Sprint Cars, presented by Hays Oil. JOAT Labs Hornets and Mini Stocks are also on the card. This is a really good lineup.
There's been a lot of talk around the Sprint Car division. More cars coming and we should be looking at an increased turnout this season. The goal was to build this class up to a level it's really never been at before. Yes, we've had Sprint Car racing throughout the history of this track, but when you think about it, the local Sprint Car effort has never really gotten the kind of promotion it deserved.
David Hibbard is somebody who believes strongly in the class and the rules package as a way to get more young drivers out here. He has stepped in with Dave's Carpet And Vinyl Liquidators to help with the purse. He also will be out there racing along with his son Bailey Hibbard. Both are great racers, and it's really exciting to see the caliber of young talent we have lined up this year. Drivers like our top rookie last year, Merissa Henson, and let's not forget Enrique Jaime and Tanner Holmes. I'm hearing of returning Sprint Car champion Charlie Thompson. Aaron Miller is back with us this year as is Todd Whipple. Hedge Carter and his son Colby Carter. Point is, Sprint Cars are looking good from everything I've heard.
I'm hearing more buzz with Sprint Cars and IMCA Sport Modifieds than any of the other classes, and it's always nice to hear that more cars are coming. The JOAT Labs Hornets should do pretty well this year. The Hedges family will be well represented with 2016 champion Tim Hedges, 2017 Rookie of the Year Jenna Hedges and Ashtin Hedges. The Nelson family will be represented with Darrel Nelson Jr, joined by his sons Zach Nelson and Ryan Nelson. Reigning champion Jason Stoutenburgh, and a couple of young competitors, Dylan Irving and Brandon Wonsyld, will be back. Bree Tritchler and Kelli Burton are part of the field. Again, this class is looking good. It's the gateway into racing on the big track.
This leaves the Mini Stocks, and we have some good racers in this field. We've got reigning champion Kristopher Mix out to see if he can repeat. 2014 champion Gary Anderson is back. 2015 champion David Marble has a car again. Not sure what his schedule is, but we know he's already raced and looks really good in this car. 2015 Yreka champion David Steele may be the hottest driver in the area. Hunter Magnan is out to improve on his Rookie Of The Year and 8th place season from last year. Andrew Hall and Mike Cloud are on the roster. Tim Hedges is going to be running a Mini Stock. I've heard rumors of other cars that I don't have names for, but let's not forget another championship-winning name, Steve Goetz.
The point is, we want to see this season start just as much as everybody else does. Things are lined up. I think we've got all the I's dotted and crossed all the t's. We need Mother Nature to cooperate with us. I know that if we pull the plug on this race, there will be people wondering what if. We'll have critics as we always do. But, Mike is going to make the best decision for the good of this race track, and there will be racing this year. There will be lots of racing.
I've often wondered if you could cover a quarter mile race track somewhere in Oregon. Have a covered track and covered pit area. Then, you're not dealing with rainouts as much anymore. I bet that track would be a big winner. Of course, it would probably cost a lot to build the whole thing. Generally speaking, we have a five-month window to get our racing season in, and even then, rain wants to intrude on us.
But be ready, because some big races are around the corner. The Iron Giant Street Stock Series Disorder At The Border happens on May 19th with the Open Wheel Showcase a week later. Then, the Roger Haudenshild Tribute on June 2nd, followed by Monster Truck Mayhem on June 9th. That's just a sample.
Let us not forget the little Southern Oregon Speedway track, because Karts will be racing on May 18th and 19th. I know rain has claimed quite a few of those races in the last couple of years, but I feel very strongly that we will have our biggest season yet. Judging from the names I am hearing, it should be a good Kart season as well.
The point is, keep the faith everybody. We have a great schedule set for this season, and I strongly believe this is going to be the best year the track has seen in recent memory. And the key to making it that way is all the great competitors who come out and support us at each race. We're here to put on a show for the fans, and I think they will be happy with what they see. Stay tuned!
