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R Charles Snyder Salute $5000 To Win IMCA Modified Race Flier September 1-2 HERE
Cascade Wingless 360 Sprint Car Challenge $3,500 To Win Race, Presented By Herz Precision Parts August 25 Flier HERE
R Charles Snyder Salute $5000 To Win IMCA Modified Race Flier September 1-2 HERE
Cascade Wingless 360 Sprint Car Challenge $3,500 To Win Race, Presented By Herz Precision Parts August 25 Flier HERE
Linder Wins $2,000 Iron Head Nationals Winged Sprint Car Race At Southern Oregon Speedway
Garen Linder won the $2000 prize in the Iron Head Nationals Winged Sprint Car race.
White City, Oregon...August 11...Garen Linder scored his biggest Southern Oregon Speedway victory to date by winning the $2, 000 first prize in the 25 lap Kendall Oil Winged Sprint Car Main Event Saturday night. Linder, who has won a couple of times this year on the 360 Sprint Car circuit, was piloting the #9t car of TJ Winningham. He gained the lead from Jeffrey Hudson on the 16th lap and led the rest of the way in victory.
Seventeen competitors showed up to vie for the big prize money, and they ran three 10 lap heat races. Point leader David Hibbard crossed the line first in the first heat race, only to bypass the scales. He was disqualified, handing the win to reigning champion Kyler Barraza. Jeffrey Hudson had an impressive drive to the second heat race win, and Tanner Holmes outran 2016 champion Jake Wheeler to claim the victory in the third heat race. Holmes wasn't finished there. He outran Barraza to claim the victory in the six lap Scramble and grab the pole position for the Main Event.
Holmes sprinted into the early Main Event lead, followed by Hudson and Barraza. An inside pass in Turn 4 of the fourth lap gained Wheeler third from Barraza before a red flag flew when Hedge Carter and Vern Scevers tangled on the frons tretch, causing Scevers to roll on his side. Holmes continued to lead on the restart ahead of Hudson and Barraza. A high move in Turn 4 of the sixth lap gained Hudson the lead from Holmes, and Garen Linder made an outside pass on Barraza in the same turn to take over third. Linder slipped past Holmes for second on lap eight and began to pressure Hudson for the lead. Linder made the move around Hudson as they worked lap 11, only to have the pass negated when the yellow flag flew for David Hibbard. Hudson moved back to the outside line on the restart and continued to lead with Linder pressuring him hard. Holmes was still holding down the third position. Linder dove down low in Turn 3 of the 16th lap and emerged with the lead as they exited Turn 4. Holmes ran closely behind the lead two cars, and a lap 18 caution flag flew for Enrique Jaime and Bert Johnson in Turn 2. The restart attempt was followed by a red flag when Aaron Miller and Johnson got together with Johnson rolling. Linder led the restart, and Holmes raced past Hudson for second. Linder led the rest of the way for the big victory. Holmes had his best finish yet in second, followed by Hudson, Wheeler, Barraza, AJ Harbaugh, Bailey Hibbard, Blaine Cory, Jamie and Jorgenson.
The next Sprint Car race at the speedway is set for August 25th, and it's a big one. It's the $3,500 to win Cascade Wingless Sprint Car Challenge race, presented by Herz Precision Parts. Joining them on the program will be the Late Models, Bobbio's Pizza Mini Stocks and JOAT Labs Hornets. For further information, go to www.southernoregonspeedway.com.
Race Results
Kendall Oil Winged Sprint Cars
Heat 1-Kyler Barraza, Garen Linder, Seth Nunes, Blaine Cory, David Hibbard DQ, Aaron Miller DNS.Heat 2-Jeffrey Hudson, AJ Harbaugh, Bert Johnson, Hedge Carter, Otto Jorgenson DQ.
Heat 3-Tanner Holmes, Jake Wheeler, Charlie Thompson, Enrique Jaime, Bailey Hibbard, Vern Scevers.
Scramble-Tanner Holmes, Kyler Barraza, Jake Wheeler, Jeffrey Hudson.
Main Event-Garen Linder, Tanner Holmes, Jeffrey Hudson, Jake Wheeler, Kyler Barraza, AJ Harbaugh, Bailey Hibbard, Blaine Cory, Enrique Jaime, Otto Jorgenson, Charlie Thompson, Aaron Miller, Seth Nunes, Bert Johnson, David Hibbard, Hedge Carter, Vern Scevers.
Robustelli Wins Opener Of The Week Of Speed Dwarf Car Series At Southern Oregon Speedway
Camden Robustelli #25 looked impressive in winning the SODCA Dwarf Car Main Event.
White City, Oregon...August 11...Camden Robustelli finally got his first win of the season in the Southern Oregon Dwarf Car Main Event Saturday night at Southern Oregon Speedway. The event was also the opener of Week of Speed for the Dwarf Cars, which is being co promoted between the SODCA and PHRA Dwarf Car groups. Robustelli took the lead from Chad Cardoza on the 12th lap and led the rest of the way for the win. This was his third win of the season on the Dwarf Car circuit.
The Dwarf Cars ran four eight lap heat races, and Cody Peters won the first one ahead of Kalvin Morton. It was California visitor Jonathan Henry winning the second heat in front of Bret James, while two-time champion Josh King outran Cardoza for the third heat race victory. Robustelli gave a preview of things to come as he outran South Bay Dwarf Car champion Cameron Diatte for the win in the fourth heat race. King won a near photo finish with Henry for the six lap Trophy Dash victory. With an impressive 38 cars on hand for this race, there were two 15 lap B Mains. Anthony Pope won the first B Main, followed by Mac Marmon and Jimmy Brinster. The second 15 lap race was just a bit closer as reigning champion Brock Peters outran ageless veteran Fred Hay for the victory. Brandon Ross finished third.
Kalvin Morton raced into the early Main Event lead ahead of Camden Robustelli and Chad Cardoza. PHRA champion Ryan Martinez and Cardoza both raced by Robustelli for second and third on lap two. Cardoza put the moves on Morton for the lead on lap five, and a yellow flag flew on lap six for Cameron Diatte. Peters led through yellow flags on the next three laps, and Robustelli took second from Morton on the lap eight restart. An inside move on the front stretch of the 12th lap gained Robustelli the lead from Cardoza. Brock Peters joined the battle up front and took second from Cardoza on a lap 14 restart. A caution flag again waived on lap 15. Peters saw his run up front come to an end when he and Martinez tangled for a caution flag. Robustelli led Cardoza and Anthony Pope on the restart. Pope made a Turn 3 pass on Cardoza for second, and he and Robustelli made contact exiting Turn 2 on the 18th lap. Robustelli continued to lead, and Pope backed off, allowing Cardoza and Marmon to gain second and third. Robustelli led the rest of the way for the impressive win. Cardoza settled for second, followed by Marmon, Pope, Brandon Ross, Jimmy Brinster, Fred Hay, Doug McVae, Randy Slater and Justin DeMars.
The Southern Oregon Dwarf Cars will be a part of the R Charles Snyder Salute event on September 1st and 2nd. The IMCA Modifieds and IMCA Sport Modifieds will be there, while the Calculated Comfort Outlaw Pro Stocks will compete on Sunday. The IMCA Modifieds race for $5, 000 to win on Sunday. For further information, go to www.southernoregonspeedway.com.
Race Results
SODCA Dwarf Cars
Heat
1-Cody Peters, Kalvin Morton, Brandon Wiley, Anthony Pope, Henry Corbin
III, Mac Marmon, Troy Kunas, Michael Johnson, Sean Trujillo, Jake Van
Ortwick. Heat 2-Jonathen Henry, Bret James, Mason Lewman, Randy Slater, Brandon Ross, Brian Lee, Justin DeMars, Paul Haslow, Joe Sanders, Ashleigh Strain.
Heat 3-Josh King, Chad Cardoza, Ryan Martinez, Mikey Clark, Erin Morgenstern, Bret Olney, Don Gifford, Brock Peters.
Heat 4-Camden Robustelli, Cameron Diatte, Shane Youngren, Fred Hay, Brock Peters, Doug McVay, Kaycee Sheeler, Henry Corbin II, Jim Pavel.
Trophy Dash-Josh King, Jonathon Henry, Kalvin Morton, Cody Peters, Chad Cardoza, Cameron Diatte, Shane Youngren, Bret James, Ryan Martinez, Mason Lewman, Brandon Wiley, Camden Robustelli.
B Main 1-Anthony Pope, Mac Marmon, Jimmy Brinster, Henry Corbin III, Erin Morgenstern, Ashley Strain, Bret Olney, Jim Pavel, Don Gifford, Troy Kunas, Sean Trujillo, Michael Johnson.
B Main 2-Brock Peters, Fred Hay, Brandon Ross, Doug McVae, Randy Slater, Justin DeMars, Jake Van Ortwick, Joe Sanders, Mikey Clark, Kaycee Sheeler, Henry Corbin II, Paul Hasow, Brian Lee, Rick Taylor.
Main Event-Camden Robustelli, Chad Cardoza, Mac Marmon, Anthony Pope, Brandon Ross, Jimmy Brinster, Fred Hay, Doug McVae, Randy Slater, Justin DeMars, Cody Peters, Brandon Wiley, Bret James, Henry Corbin III, Erin Morgenstern, Ashley Strain, Brock Peters, Shane Youngren, Ryan Martinez, Josh King, Kalvin Morton, Cameron Diatte, Jonathon Henry, Mason Lewman.
Steele Wins Sixth Bobbio's Pizza Mini Stock
Main Event Of The Season
David Steele #67 won both the Bobbio's Pizza Mini Stock Trophy Dash and his sixth Main Event.
\White City, Oregon...August 11... Point leader David Steele continues to roll in the Bobbio's Pizza Mini Stocks at Southern Oregon Speedway. On Saturday night, he drove to his sixth Main Event win of the season. In doing so, he grabbed a share of the top position on the division's all-time win list at Southern Oregon Speedway. The race was for second, and a wild final lap saw Hunter Magnan claim the position ahead of Kristopher Mix.
The night started with David Steele scoring the four lap Trophy Dash win, but surprising rookie Ashtin Hedges claimed the victory in the six lap heat race. Hunter Magnan raced into the early Main Event lead, but it was Steele making a Turn 2 pass on lap two to gain the lead position. Mix slipped past Magnan for second on lap 3, but Steele was steadily pulling away and had a straightaway advantage by lap six. A low pass in Turn 2 of the 10th lap gained Magnan second. Hedges and Steve Goetz ran closely behind the second place battle. Mix again got by Magnan for second on lap 14, but Steele now held a straightaway lead. The battle for second was intense on the last lap, and Mix and Magnan made contact from Turn 4 all the way to the checkered flag. Steele was the dominant winner, and Magnan managed to beat Mix back to the line for second. Hedges finished fourth, followed by Goetz, Michael McCloud and Garrett Fredrickson.
The Bobbio's Pizza Mini Stocks will be a part of Hall of Fame Night this Saturday night. The IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Sport Modifieds, Late Models, JOAT Labs Hornets and OTRO Hardtops will be racing, and five new members will be inducted into the Southern Oregon Racing Hall of Fame. For further information, go to www.southernoregonspeedway.com.
Race Results
Bobbio's Pizza Mini Stocks
Heat-Ashtin Hedges, Hunter Magnan, David Steele, Kristopher Mix, Steve Goetz, Michael McCloud, Garrett Fredrickson. Trophy Dash-David Steele, Kristopher Mix, Steve Goetz, Garrett Fredrickson.
Main Event-David Steele, Hunter Magnan, Kristopher Mix, Ashtin Hedges, Steve Goetz, Michael McCloud, Garrett Fredrickson.
Wonsyld Wins Second JOAT Labs Hornets Main Event
Brandon Wonsyld #7 won his second JOAT Labs Hornets Trophy Dash.
White City, Oregon...August 11..Taking the lead from the start, Brandon Wonsyld went on to win his second JOAT Labs Hornets 20 lap Main Event Saturday night at Southern Oregon Speedway. Bree Tricthler scored her fourth second place finish in the last five races and took the point lead from Tim Hedges, who overheated and retired from the race.
Dylan Irving won his third four lap Trophy Dash of the season to start the night's action. Wonsyld won the first six lap heat race, and Jeremy Mayfield picked up the win in the second heat. Wonsyld moved into the lead from the start of the Main Event ahead of Tritchler and Mayfield. Wonsyld and Tritchler began to pull away from the pack, leaving Mayfield, Chris Boynton and Tim Hedges to battle for third. A low pass in Turn 4 of the fifth lap gained Boynton third, but a low pass in the first turn regained the position for Mayfield a lap later. The battle was close, and Boynton again regained third on lap seven. Hedges made a back stretch pass on lap 11 to take over fourth, but his car began to overheat on lap 15 as Mayfield moved by in Turn 3 to take over fourth. Hedges ran as long as he could before being forced to pit. Wonsyld drove a flawless race at the front of the pack and began to pull away from Tritchler for the victory. Tritchler was a happy second as the new point leader. Mayfield made an outside pass on the front stretch on lap 18 to gain third place once again. Dylan Irving made a late move past Boynton for fourth. Jenna Hedges, Chris McCraken and Tim Hedges completed the finishing order.
Dylan Irving #11 won his third JOAT Labs Hornets Trophy Dash.
The JOAT Labs Hornets are back as part of the big Hall of Fame Night this Saturday night. IMCA Modifieds will be competing along with IMCA Sport Modifieds, Late Models, Bobbio's Pizza Mini Stocks and OTRO Hardtops. Five new members will also be inducted into the Southern Oregon Racing Hall of Fame. For further information, go to www.southernoregonspeedway.com.
Race Results
JOAT Labs Hornets
Trophy Dash-Dylan Irving, Tim Hedges, Brandon Wonsyld, Bree Tritchler.Heat 1-Brandon Wonsyld, Bree Tritchler, Chris Boynton, Chris McCracken.
Heat 2-Jeremy Mayfield, Tim Hedges, Dylan Irving, Chris Boynton.
Main Event-Brandon Wonsyld, Bree Tritchler, Jeremy Mayfield, Dylan Irving, Chris Boynton, Jenna Hedges, Chris McCracken, Tim Hedges.
James, Burke, Bartlett, Johnson Win
At Little Southern Oregon Speedway
White City, Oregon...August 10...Jacob James won his first 15 lap Box Stock Main Event Friday night at Little Southern Oregon Speedway. James has been knocking on the door to victory with multiple second place finishes, and he had his hands full battling point leader Keaton Augustine. The night started with Augustine and James winning heat races. James raced into the Main Event lead from the start, followed by Augustine and Ryan Hirschbock. Yreka point leader Brandon Steinhoff ran a close fourth. As the race wore on, Augustine was being challenged hard by Hirschbock for the second position. Hirschbock tried him high and low, to no avail. James was the happy winner, followed by Augustine, Hirschbock, Steinhoff and Natalie Richard.
2016 champion Johnny Burke returned and won the 20 lap 500 Open Main Event. Burke was impressive all night as he won both heat races. Brenden Bartlett was making his 500 Open debut, and Burke raced into the lead at the start of the Main Event, followed by Bartlett. Reece Slyter returned from his terrible flip of the previous race and battled Merissa Henson for third early on. Slyter gained third from Henson on lap two, but he spun in Turn 4 moments later for a caution flag. Burke continued to lead Bartlett and Henson on the restart, and Slyter once again spun in Turn 4 for a lap 10 caution flag. He retired to the pits, and Burke led the rest of the way for the victory. Henson closed in on Bartlett, but Bartlett held her off for the second place finish.
Brenden Bartlett again subbed for Brionna Fuller in the 250 Kart class and won the 20 lap Main Event. He won the first heat race as incoming point leader Trevor Grimes made a charge from last to second. The second heat race featured an impressive side-by-side battle that saw Grimes working the outside for the win ahead of Bartlett. Unfortunately, Grimes suffered a mechanical issue in his heat race and scratched from the Main Event, as did Cadyn Smith. Vinny DeBenedetti raced into the lead at the start of the Main Event, followed closely by Bartlett and Taylor Fuller. Bartlett spun in Turn 4 for a lap seven caution flag. DeBenedetti's run up front came to an abrupt end when he spun in Turn 4 on lap eight and he retired to the pits. Bartlett led the rest of the way to pick up the win, followed by Fuller and DeBenedetti. DeBenedetti emerged with the point lead at the end of the night.
Reigning Beginners Box Stock champion Malachi Johnson returned after running with the Box Stock class the previous race and won the 12 lap Beginners Box Stock Main Event. Johnson won one of the heat races, and Mike Wheeler Jr picked up the victory in the other heat. Johnson led the Main Event from the start ahead of Wheeler and Carson Henson. Johnson led several laps with Wheeler and Henson in close pursuit. When he caught slower traffic on the back stretch on lap 10, Johnson made a swift move around the slower kart and put some distance between himself and Wheeler as he sped home to victory. Henson settled for third, followed by Jayme DeBenedetti, incoming point leader Uriah Sanders and Hunter Granger.
Point leader Steve Rambo collected his second straight 15 lap UAS Speedway Kart Main Event win. Driving with a broken arm, Brionna Fuller won the first heat race and Rambo outran Fuller to win the second heat. Brionna Fuller led just one lap of the Main Event before stalling on the backstretch and retiring. Rambo led Larry Fuller and Ron Bolles on the restart. Fuller slowed and headed for the pits on lap six, giving Bolles the second position. Two laps later, Bolles spun into the infield and out of the event as Ed Grubb was now second ahead of Lori Fuller. Rambo went unchallenged the rest of the way for the victory, followed by Grubb, Lori Fuller, Bolles, Larry Fuller and Brionna Fuller.
Albert Gill Jr made his Little Southern Oregon Speedway debut in the Novice Beginners Box Stock division and put on a performance that has graduated him up to the Beginners class for the next race. Gill won both of his heat races and charged into the Main Event lead at the start. Isaac Grimes ran second, followed by Uriah Boardman. Coming out of Turn 4 on lap six, Boardman lost control of his kart and took a wild ride through the infield and into a pole. He was not injured. Gill led Grimes on the restart and went on to win by a half a lap as Bhaltair Edwards finished third ahead of Boardman.
Little Southern Oregon Speedway will be back with another Outlaw Kart program this Friday night, featuring all of the regular divisions. For further information, go to www.southernoregonspeedway.com.
Race Results
Box Stocks
Heat 1a-Keaton Augustine, Ryan Hirschbock, Jacob James, Natalie Richard, Brandon Steinhoff.Heat 2a-Jacob James, Keaton Augustine, Ryan Hirschbock, Brandon Steinhoff, Natalie Richard.
Main Event-Jacob James, Keaton Augustine, Ryan Hirschbock, Brandon Steinhoff, Natalie Richard.
500 Open Karts
Heat 1a-Johnny Burke, Brenden Bartlett, Merissa Henson, Reece Styter.Heat 2a-Johnny Burke, Merissa Henson, Brenden Bartlett, Reece Slyter.
Main Event-Johnny Burke, Brenden Bartlett, Merissa Henson, Reece Slyter, Josh Steinhoff DNS
250 Karts
Heat 1a-Brenden Bartlett, Trevor Grimes, Cadyn Smith, Vinny DeBenedetti, Taylor Fuller.Heat 2a-Trevor Grimes, Brenden Bartlett, Vinny DeBenedetti, Taylor Fuller, Cadyn Smith.
Main Event-Brenden Bartlett, Taylor Fuller, Vinny DeBenedetti, Trevor Grimes NS, Cadyn Smith NS.
Beginners Box Stock
Heat 1a-Malachi Johnson, Jayme DeBenedetti, Carson Henson, Uriah Sanders, Mike Wheeler Jr, Hunter Granger.Heat 2b-Mike Wheeler Jr, Malachi Johnson, Carson Henson, Uriah Sanders, Jayme DeBenedetti.
Main Event-Malachi Johnson, Mike Wheeler Jr, Carson Henson, Jayme DeBenedetti, Uriah Sanders, Hunter Granger, Adrian Richard NS.
UAS Speedway Kart
Heat 1a-Brionna Fuller, Ron Bolles, Ed Grubb, Larry Fuller.Heat 2a-Steve Rambo, Brionna Fuller, Lori Fuller, Ron Bolles, Ed Grubb.
Main Event-Steve Rambo, Ed Grubb, Lori Fuller, Ron Bolles, Larry Fuller, Brionna Fuller, Michael Owens NS.
Novice Beginners Box Stock
Heat 1a-Albert Gill Jr, Isaac Grimes, Bhaltair Edwards, Uriah Boardman.Heat 2a-Albert Gill Jr, Isaac Grimes, Uriah Boardman, Bhaltair Edwards, Caleb Ranney.
Main Event-Albert Gill Jr, Isaac Grimes, Bhaltair Edwards, Uriah Boardman, Caleb Ranney NS.
Kasper Wins Clyde Cordell Memorial At Mountain Valley Raceway
Hayfork, CA...August 11...Saturday night was the Trinity County Fair Race at Mountain Valley Raceway, and this was a special event. The track ran its annual Clyde Cordell Memorial Race, which pays tribute to the man who led the effort to bring racing back to Hayfork. There was extra money on the line in all classes, and this made the racing even more entertaining for the fans who came out to attend the races at the county fair.
There was a $500 prize on the line for the winner of the 20 lap Hobby Stock Main Event, and that money went to reigning track champion Will Kasper. Tressen Smith and past Clyde Cordell Memorial winner Burl Richardson had a good battle for the lead going in the early stages of the race. Unfortunately, the two cars got together exiting Turn 2 and spun, moving Kasper into the lead. Kasper led Russ Newman on the restart, but Richardson was on a mission to get back to the front. He passed Newman for second in Turn 4 of the 9th lap. On lap 11, a caution flag slowed the pace. Richardson took the lead from Kasper on the restart and seemed to be headed for victory when he spun in Turn 2 on lap 15. Kasper had the lead from there and stretched his advantage to about a straightaway over second place at the checkered flag. Smith recovered for the $300 second place as Newman was a $200 third, followed by Josh Michaels.
Joe Young learned a valuable lesson in the wild and crazy Enduro 20 lap Main Event. Don't count your chickens before they hatch. Young was leading the race and decided to do a victory doughnut after the checkered flag. The problem was, he started doing the doughnut before crossing the line, allowing Bryan Gummerus to race by for the $150 victory. Gummerus also won the $150 prize as he outran the pack in the Quad Main Event. Larry Richardson pocketed a $150 first prize for his win in the Mini Stock Main Event.
The drivers also competed in eight lap heat races and four lap Trophy Dashes. It was Burl Richardson winning the Hobby Stock Trophy Dash. Reigning Mini Stock champion Andy Blackburn drove his pickup truck to the victory in the Mini Stock Dash. Tresson Smith won the Sport Modified Dash.
Earlier in the evening, Mountain Valley Raceway was presented with a Best in Division award at the Trinity County Fair Parade. The racing will continue with all of the regular classes competing on August 25th. For further information, go to the Mountain Valley Raceway Facebook page.
Hall Of Fame Night This Saturday Night
At Southern Oregon Speedway
White City, Oregon...It will be another special evening at Southern Oregon Speedway this Saturday. It's Hall of Fame Night, and the track will be inducting five new members into the Southern Oregon Racing Hall of Fame. There will also be six divisions of racing, including IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Sport Modifieds, Late Models, Bobbio's Pizza Mini Stocks, JOAT Labs Hornets and OTRO Hardtops.
Racing has been around the Medford area for many years. The racers currently compete at Southern Oregon Speedway in White City. There is also another White City location that had racing for a few seasons. Medford had racing in multiple locations through the years, including the popular Medford Speedway, which was located at the Posse Grounds. There was even a track in Ashland for over a decade.
Last season, the Southern Oregon Racing Hall of Fame was created to begin to honor the greats of the past. Seven people were inducted last season, which included Harold Hardesty, Ben Neel and Don Harper, among others. This year, Hall of Fame Night at Southern Oregon Speedway will add five new people. Going in this year will be Bruce Rayburn, Dane Smith, Dick Wallace, Dave Duste and Rick Hunsley.
In the late 1970s and early 1980s, Rayburn was a force at the Medford Speedway. He won three Late Model championships in a row. He was also known for building fast race cars. Dane Smith was not only a very athletic man who enjoyed competing in sports, he was one of the top Late Model drivers and a champion in the 1970s and 1980s. Smith and Rayburn both competed at several different tracks and scored wins, including Southern Oregon Speedway.
Dick Wallace was a top Stock Car racer going back to the 1960s at the Medford Speedway and won championships in the 1970s. Rick Hunsley was one of the top Stock Car drivers and a championship contender when the track closed in 1989. He gave the Medford racers another place to go while a new track was being built when he became promoter for several seasons in Yreka. Rayburn was a champion in Yreka in the IMCA Modified division, and Duste won three championships there as well. Duste began racing Street Stocks at Medford Speedway before moving up to Modifieds. He won over 20 Main Events at Southern Oregon Speedway and finished second in three of the first four seasons in which the track operated.
You are likely to see several racers from the past in attendance this Saturday night as the newest class of competitors gets inducted into Southern Oregon's Racing Hall of Fame. There will also be four display boards near the entrance to the grandstands that show clippings and photos of various highlights through the years.
And then there's the racing. Saturday night has a great lineup that will be led by the IMCA Modifieds. Two-time champion Albert Gill holds the lead by 18 points ahead of Zach Fettinger. Gill is still looking for his first win of the season, but Fettinger has won three of them. Gill has gotten the lead as a consistent Top 3 finisher. It's a bit closer behind Fettinger as rookie David Satterfield trails by two points, Nick Trenchard is four points behind and Jantzen Knips is seven points back. Trenchard won the Roger Haudenshild Tribute Race back in June, which paid $2,000. During the absence of the division, he won the prestigious Beads Shipwreck Nationals in Elma, Washington once again.
The IMCA Sport Modified division has been growing by leaps and bounds this year with several new drivers in the field. In his third year in the class, David Marble has finished in the Top 5 for most of the races after winning the season opener. He leads Branden Wilson by 32 points. It's closer in the race for second as Wilson is one point ahead of Willie McFall, two ahead of Tony Duste and three in front of Tony Bartell. Of those drivers, Wilson is the only one to get a Main Event win. 2016 Yreka champion Jimmy Lipke has come close with back-to-back second-place finishes as he has moved into the Top 10 in the standings.
The Late Model division continues to be a close race. Nathan Augustine wrecked the car that he opened the season with after getting a win in that car. Because Don Garrett Jr let him drive his car one week, Augustine maintained until he debuted his new car last time out with another win. The reigning champion leads rookie Miles Deubert by 17 points and John Dees by 26. Deubert surprised the field when he won the season opener, but he has struggled just a bit in recent races. John Dees now has three second place finishes and nearly got the win last time out. Fourth place Dave Foote remains in the championship hunt as a one-time winner and reigning champion Bob Dees is currently fifth in the standings.
In the Bobbio's Pizza Mini Stock division, David Steele has won six of the seven Main Events. Not surprisingly, he holds a commanding 48 point lead over Hunter Magnan in the championship race. Magnan is battling Kristopher Mix for second in the standings, and their race got a little bit too close for comfort as they crashed across the finish line last week with Magnan in second. Mix is a Main Event winner this year and trails Magnum by just 22 points. Steve Goetz, Garrett Fredrickson and Michael McLeod make up the rest of the Top 6 going into Saturday night.
In the JOAT Labs Hornets division, Bree Tritchler seems to be hitting her stride. With four seconds and a win in the last five races, she has moved into a nine point lead over 2016 champion Tim Hedges. Hedges overheated last week and fell out early in the Main Event. Bree's teammate Chris Boynton is third of the standings, but after Brandon Wonsyld won for the second time last Saturday, he only leads by three points. Dylan Irving is 13 points back in fifth. Irving is the only one of the three without a feature win this year, but he won his third Trophy Dash last week.
The Old Time Racers of Oregon Hardtops round out this program and give the fans a glimpse of what headlined tracks throughout the United States in the 1950s and 1960s. These beautiful Coupes and Sedans from the 1940s have V6 Motors and run on slick tires. They don't run for points, but feature wins so far have been recorded by Mark Minter, Bill Trotter and his son Dusty Trotter. Justin Krossman has been competing in Dusty Trotter's old car and lost a very close race to Minter last time out. The Hardtops always entertain when they're in town.
If you want a little bit more racing, Friday night will offer a full program of Outlaw Karts on the little track. Point races are heating up there as well. Carson Henson leads Malachi Johnson and Uriah Sanders in a three-way battle for the Beginners Box Stock championship. Keaton Augustine is leading Ryan Hirschbock and Jacob James in another good battle in the Box Stocks. Vinny DeBenedetti leads another close battle with reigning champion Trevor Grimes in the 250 Karts. Steve Rambo tops the UAS Speedway Kart standings and Reece Slyter leads the 500 Open Karts. Last week saw the biggest turnout of the season for the Outlaw Karts and it was an entertaining show from start to finish.
Gates open on both nights at 5 p.m. with the first race starting at 7 p.m. General Admission for the Friday Kart show is $10 and gets you pit access. On Saturday, General Admission is $12 with Veterans, Seniors and Juniors (7 to 12) $6. Children 6 and under are free. After the heat races have concluded, the new group of Hall of Fame members will be inducted in front of the main grandstands.For further information, go to www.southernoregonspeedway.com.
Southern Oregon Speedway Point Standings
IMCA Modifieds
89 Albert Gill 201
88 Zach Fettinger 183
211 David Satterfield 181
54n Nick Trenchard 179
7 Jantzen Knips 176
1m Mark Wauge 148
555 Bo Shields 126
0 Duane Orsburn 124
2g James Welshonse 123
73m Dave Duste Jr. 118
IMCA Sport Modifieds
4m David Marble 226
12w Branden Wilson 194
7m Willie McFall 193
23 Tony Duste 192
27 Tony Bartell 191
14 Billy Richey 141
30 Mike Medel 138
4y Jimmy Lipke 132
11j Jesse Merriman 130
401k Brian Knorr 119
Late Models
24 Nathan Augustine 163
38 Miles Deubert 146
16 John Dees 137
75 Dave Foote 129
6 Bob Dees 111
05 Don Garrett 83
7 Eric Massey 76
22 Mike Linder 60
66 Garrett Dees 57
46 Darren Coffell 35
JOAT Labs Hornets
17 Bree Tritchler 238
14t Tim Hedges 229
28 Chris Boynton 189
7 Brandon Wonsyld 186
11 Dylan Irving 176
54d Ashtin Hedges 163
27j Jenna Hedges 153
007 Jason Stoutenburgh 139
26 Zach Nelson 135
8g Derrel Nelson Jr. 91
Bobbio’s Pizza Mini Stocks
67 David Steele 263
33m Hunter Magnan 215
89m Kristopher Mix 193
55 Steve Goetz 160
45g Garrett Fredrickson 129
3 Michael McLeod 119
14t Ashtin Hedges 75
0 Gary Anderson 54
4m David Marble 30
007 Cameron Hall 28
Ken Ware Chevrolet Night
At Coos Bay Speedway This Saturday
Coos Bay, Oregon...The NASCAR Whelen All American Series will continue this Saturday night at Coos Bay Speedway with Ken Ware Chevrolet Night at the races. Joining the Super Late Models will be the Sportsman Late Models, Street Stocks, Mini Outlaws and Hornets. The track had originally planned a special Sunday event, billed as NASCAR Super Sunday. However, management has decided that in the interest of car count, that night should be canceled.
After 12 events this season, Brody Montgomery leads the way in the Super Late Model championship battle with seven victories and a 138 point advantage over the steady Chris Ray. Ray has his work cut out for him as 2015 point runner up Thor Kristensen is just 14 points behind him in third. Kristensen has eight Top 5 finishes to four for Ray and has had multiple second place feature finishes. Thor seems to be on the verge of his first win. Other drivers to keep an eye out for this week including one-time winner Tom Elam, Wayne Butler, Richard Wallace and Kristy Grout.
Speaking of Butler, the two-time Sportsman Late Model champion is now just 22 points behind Dyllan Siewell in a close championship battle in that division. After the shootout race between the locals and the Calculated Comfort Outlaw Pro Stocks, Butler cut Siewel's advantage in half. Both drivers have six feature wins this year. Other drivers to watch for this week include third-ranked Tom Williams, Charlie Withers and Stacy Robison.
This will be the final opportunity for the Street Stock competitors to get a tune-up before the August 25th Battle At The Beach Iron Giant race Ken Fox continues to lead the way in the division with eight wins and an 86 point lead over the consistent David Smith. Smith is still looking for his first win of the season, but he has 14 Top 5 finishes. Jeff Thurman has a good hold on third, and he's had multiple second place finishes in recent events as he looks for his first win of the season. The most recent winner was Steve Dubisar, who has three wins to his credit. 2016 champion Daniel Land is a two-time winner. Other drivers to watch for this week include one-time winner Troy Chamberlain and Josh Bearden.
The Mini Outlaws championship is well in hand for reigning champion and nine-time winner Sam Talon. Talon has a commanding 374 point lead over two-time winner Jason Kellum, who leads John Henry by 10 points in a closer race for second. However, Ken Fox has been driving the #12 car that Henry drove to a win earlier this season, and Fox has won three races in recent weeks. Other drivers to watch for this week include Carl Johnson, Tom Siewell, Jason Berrier and Gene Gattenby.
Coming into the recent Monday event, Tyler Tullos held a 90 point advantage over one-time winner April Warmack. Tullos has been unstoppable in recent weeks with an impressive seven feature wins and 14 Top 5 finishes in 16 starts. He met his match on Monday as Sportsman Late Model point leader Dyllan Siewell won ahead of Hannah Robison Even the battle for second has been broken wide open due to some recent bad luck for two-time winner Robison. She trails Warmack by 80 points. Other drivers to watch for this week include four-time winner Braden Fugate, Kris Parker, Chuck Peck, David Pellam and Leroy Rockwell.
It should be another fun night at the races at Coos Bay Speedway this Saturday night with some big shows coming, including the August 25th Battle At The Beach Street Stock race. For further information, go to www.coosbayspeedway.us.
Pit Stops
The month of August was intended to be a month with great events lined up one right after the other at Southern Oregon Speedway. Last Saturday night's show was the $2,000 to win Iron Head Nationals for the Kendall Oil Winged Sprint Cars. In addition to that, the Southern Oregon Dwarf Car group and the PHRA group worked together for a big show. It was the first race of the seven day Week Of Speed Series that ran at several Oregon tracks and one track in Washington. The Bobbio's Pizza Mini Stocks and JOAT Labs Hornets completed the card.
$2,000 on the line meant that there would be some surprises in the Sprint Car field. In this case, Winged 360 Sprint Car racers Garen Linder and Seth Nunes came to race. Linder was in the TJ Winningham car, which he drove about a month ago to a third place Main Event finish after winning the Scramble.
We hadn't seen Nunes in a few years. Nunes started out his career at the little track racing Karts before moving up to the Winged 360 Sprint Cars and eventually winning the championship at Cottage Grove. This earned him the attention of California car owners, and he headed south to race for a few seasons. For Saturday's show, he had the Donny Waddell car. Unfortunately, he was out of the Main Event before the checkered flag flew and ended up 13th.
Linder has been having a good season and scored wins at Grays Harbor and Silver Dollar Speedways this year. He figured to have a shot at the money on Saturday, which led to he and Winningham teaming up once again. He faced stiff competition from two of the newer Sprint Car stars on the scene, Jeffrey Hudson and Tanner Holmes. Hudson is currently second in the track's point race, and Holmes has been running some shows while also running his kart. Hudson and Holmes both won heat races, and Holmes surprised the field when he held off reigning track champion Kyler Barraza to win the six lap Scramble.
The Scramble sets the front rows of the Main Event, and incoming point leader David Hibbard figured to be in that race after winning the first heat. However, drivers were instructed at the pit meeting that they needed to go to the scales after their heat races. It just so happened that Hibbard was in the Otto Jorgensen pits during the meeting helping get Jorgensen ready for his race. Jorgensen was also disqualified from a second place heat race finish for not going to the scales. The night went from bad to worse for Hibbard. He started last in the Main Event and got halfway through the pack when his motor gave up on him.
Back out front, Holmes led early before being passed by Hudson. Linder eventually moved into second and made a pass for the lead around lap 12. However, the pass happened at the same time a yellow flag waved, giving Hudson back the lead. Seeing how well Linder did on the outside, Hudson moved back high and led a few more laps before Linder made the inside pass to get by once again. The second generation racer led the rest of the way for the $2,000 victory.
It wasn't too long after Linder got the lead when Holmes raced past Hudson for second. Tanner recently had a second place finish at Cottage Grove Speedway. He went on to get his best Southern Oregon Speedway finish in second, and it seems just a matter of time before the 14 year old phenom gets his first Sprint Car win somewhere. Recently, Tanner competed in the Winged 360 Sprint Car Speedweek and ended up Top 10 in the points. He was one of a half-dozen Southern Oregon competitors planning to run the Limited Sprint Week Of Speed last week.
Hudson still managed a respectable third place finish, and this would have gained him several points on Hibbard in the standings. Unfortunately, management had made the decision leading into the race that this would not be a point event due to the rules being slightly different than normal in an effort to gain a few more cars. One of the cars gained for this show was the #21 car of Jake Wheeler.
Like Linder, Wheeler has been running all over the West Coast. Jake will occasionally put a 410 motor in and race with the King Of The West Series in California and is planning to run at least one World Of Outlaw show when the tour comes back to the West Coast soon. In Chico earlier this year, Jake had a third place finish. The Limited Sprint rule set might have prevented him from racing at all at his home track, which was something that he wanted to do. Jake had his eyes on the Iron Head Nationals race as well as the Cascade Wingless 360 Sprint Car show that's coming up on August 25th.
This is where longtime promoter Chuck Prather comes in. Prather continues to own and rent out a few Sprint Cars at Coos Bay Speedway, and he happened to have another motor that he offered to Wheeler. Wheeler responded by winning the previous Southern Oregon Speedway Main Event in impressive fashion. This time, the bigger money was on the line, and the 2016 champion battled reigning champion Kyler Barraza for a fourth place finish.
Earlier this year, Barraza took a nasty tumble off of Turn 1 while leading the race and attempting to lap a slower car. This left him scrambling to put another car together. He made a start about a month ago at Cottage Grove and decided to return to Southern Oregon Speedway at the recent race. Everything still wasn't quite up to Kyler's standards, but he still managed the fifth place finish. If you know Barraza, this isn't quite good enough either, and the team would be working to make things right during the Week Of Speed Tour. When we see him again, don't be surprised to see Kyler competing for the win.
The Kendall Oil Winged Sprint Car Series has several young up-and-coming drivers in its ranks, and four of them finished in the sixth through ninth positions. It's because of all of the teen competitors moving up to run Sprint Cars that the state of Oregon racing has a better outlook for the future. AJ Harbaugh has been competing at Cottage Grove this year after spending last season running Micro Sprints in California. He grabbed a sixth place finish last week, and Bailey Hibbard rebounded from his crash the week before with a seventh. Top Southern Oregon Speedway rookie Blaine Cory brought it home in eighth, followed by Enrique Jaime. Enrique had been missing for a few races after blowing his motor, and he was a welcome sight back in the pits.
The Kendall Oil Winged Sprint Cars will return for a pair of point races in September to wrap up their season. David Hibbard has been experiencing Motor problems lately, which might make him nervous about maintaining his lead for those final two races. If he slips up a little bit, Hudson has demonstrated that he's ready to make a move. Hudson, however, isn't too comfortable in second with Cory running as strong as he's been running lately.
When the Dwarf Cars first raced at Southern Oregon Speedway back when it opened, the Southern Oregon Dwarf Car Association wasn't around. It was the Pacific Hardtop Racing Association back then making a few trips down south. The PHRA is the oldest Dwarf Car sanctioning body on the West Coast. People may forget that fact as they are a reluctant member, at best, of the Western States Dwarf Car Association. The group based its rule set on the Arizona Dwarf Cars that started the West Coast craze, and they held their first Oregon races back in 1989. This is actually their 30th season in Oregon, and they came in full force on Saturday night.
Whenever you can get full support from the PHRA and local Southern Oregon group, it means your roster has a shot at 40 cars or even more. The Dwarf Cars were coming off of the Nationals event that produced a 60 car field, and the 38 cars that showed up this time were rather impressive. It was time for their own Speed Week that would follow the Limited Sprint Week Of Speed at every track, Southern Oregon Speedway being the lone exception as only Dwarf Cars we're having a Speed Week race on Saturday night.
Home track advantage played into the hands of the Southern Oregon Dwarf Car Association, which was evident early on in preliminaries. Camden Robustelli won his heat race ahead of South Bay Dwarf Car Association champion Cameron Diatte and Sunset Speedway point leader Shane Youngren. Diatte was coming off of a Top 5 finish at the Nationals and decided to stay in Oregon to give this race and Speed Week a shot. He won the Speed Week race at Cottage Grove. Cody Peters won a battle of the Young Guns in the first heat race, followed by two-time feature winner Kalvin Morton. These two drivers ranked high in Southern Oregon Dwarf Car points. In fact, the last we heard, Peters was the point leader. Stockton, California long tow Jonathan Henry prevented the Southern Oregon heat race sweep as he held off recent Sportsman Nationals winner Bret James for a win.
The real star of preliminaries was two-time champion Josh King, who outran Chad Cardoza and PHRA champion Ryan Martinez to win his heat race and followed It up by outrunning Henry and Morton to win the Trophy Dash. The huge field required a pair of B Mains, and Cody's father and two-time reigning champion Brock Peters outran ageless veteran Fred Hay in one of the 15 lap races. The other win went to Roseburg driver Anthony Pope ahead of Arizona competitor Mac Marmon and Jimmy Brinster. Marmon was coming off of a third place finish in the Pro Nationals event the week before, while Saint Helens competitor Brinster would win the Main Event at Coos Bay on Monday.
Home track advantage worked in the favor of Robustelli and Cardoza, who spent the Main Event running in the first two positions. Robustelli had a pair of victories in Yreka before the season even started at Southern Oregon Speedway, but he'd been shut out of the Winner's Circle at his home track until Saturday night. Not only was Camden planning to race the Dwarf Car Speed Week, but he would be bringing his Sprint Car there as well. Marmon, meanwhile, continued to enjoy his time at Southern Oregon Speedway with a third place feature finish once again. Pope and Brandon Ross wrapped up respectable performances in fourth and fifth. In fact, Pope won the Speed Week race at Willamette.
The Dwarf Car drivers were chomping at the bit to be a part of Speed Week, which is something they don't get a chance to do. When the Oregon Dwarf Car groups work together and flex their muscles, they can produce as big a field as any other division in the state, and it's nice to see the cooperation happening between the groups. Brinster managed a sixth place finish ahead of Hay and Doug McVae. Southern Oregon Dwarf Car President Randy Slater and Justin DeMars rounded out the Top 10. It's interesting to note that this roster was made up of drivers from Oregon, California, Arizona, Washington and Canada.
The JOAT Labs Hornets championship has dwindled down to two drivers who seem like the most likely candidates to win the title. They are rookie Bree Tritchler and 2016 champion Tim Hedges. Tim's son Ashtin Hedges, Jason Stoutenburgh and Brandon Wonsyld at one time were also in this race. Ashtin's car has been parked after two wins, Stoutenburg blew a motor and hasn't been seen since and Wonsyld missed a pair of races.
By far, the hottest driver in the field has been Tritchler. She's been finishing no worse than second in recent races and was coming off of her first career win. When the Main Event rolled around on Saturday night, Hedges knew he was in trouble. He had a hole in his radiator, and he figured he might get a dozen or maybe 15 laps out of it before the car would need to be pitted. With eight cars in the field, he was hoping it would be a 15 lap race. He was running in the Top 5 at that point, but unfortunately, it was a 20 lap race. He went as far as he could, but he ended up retiring before the checkered flag.
Tritchler, meanwhile, did much better as she ran second for the fourth time in five races. The results put her into the lead by nine ahead of Hedges. Wonsyld might be thinking about what could have been had he not missed the two races. He was impressive all night, and that started with his heat race win ahead of Tritchler. Brandon led all the way in the Main Event for his second win of the season, which moved him back into the Top 5 in the standings. Teammate Dylan Irving followed him into the Top 5 in the standings after winning the Trophy Dash and finishing fourth in the Main Event. It seems just a matter of time before Irving gets his first win, but Roseburg competitor Jeremy Mayfield was also looking good.
The pavement of Roseburg isn't good enough for Mayfield. In fact, he has found that he enjoys running on the dirt. After racing at Southern Oregon Speedway a week earlier, Jeremy went to Coos Bay Speedway and got a third place finish. He was back on Saturday night, but this time he brought newcomer Chris McCracken with him. Jeremy won a heat race battle that got a little bit too close for comfort with Dylan Irving. He followed that up by finishing third in the Main Event. With Roseburg still not running, Mayfield could be tempted to come back again this week. Tritchler's teammate Chris Boynton managed a fifth place finish, and that kept him holding on to third in the standings. However, the one-time feature winner will have his hands full keeping Wonsyld and Irving at bay in the point battle.
Barring any missteps, David Steele is headed for the Bobbio's Pizza Mini Stock championship. With a lead of over 40 points now, Steele could miss a race and still be leading. However, the division is in the midst of a crucial three race stretch, and David knows he can't make any mistakes. There is no slowing down for the longtime Mini Stock competitor. David had a date with destiny on Saturday night. He turned in a rather dominant performance. After winning the Trophy Dash, Steele won the Main Event by three-quarters of a lap. It was not only his sixth win of the season, it was the 26th of his Southern Oregon Speedway career. Combining his wins at Yreka, he's won over 60 times. 26 wins is good enough for a share of the all time Southern Oregon Speedway Mini Stock win record. It seems likely that he'll grab sole possession of that record before the season ends.
Early on in the evening, the division saw a rare surprise. Rookie Ashtin Hedges drove his father's car to a heat race win. This is the former Randy Simmons car and Tim Hedges commented that the team will still field multiple Hornets next season, but there could be a new addition to the racing team. Tim has his eyes on another Mini Stock. After getting the heat race win, Ashtin drove it to a fourth place feature finish, putting him into the next Trophy Dash.
Two of the drivers determined to get a feature win are also locked in a battle for second in the standings. Last season's top rookie, Hunter Magnan, and reigning champion Kristopher Mix had a race long battle for a second that got very close on the last lap. So close that the two drivers traded paint from Turn 4 to the checkered flag with Magnan coming out ahead. Hunter had been struggling in recent weeks, and this finish was definitely needed. Mix settled for third. He was still all smiles at the end of the night. Kristopher has been very busy this year with work, but he received a surprise when past Mini Stock competitor Curt Ballard did the graphics on his car earlier in the afternoon.
2013 champion Steve Goetz wasn't running too badly, but he wasn't running as well as he would have liked. He was right behind the battle for second, but he was forced to settle for fifth right behind Hedges. Considering what happened to his car earlier this year with his crash with Cameron Hall, Steve was still happy to get his car back to the checkered flag in one piece. He'll be out to try and get his first feature win of the season next time.
Outlaw Kart Pit Stops
The Outlaw Kart program was having their sixth event of the season last Friday. The track again held a Novice Beginners Box Stock class for the kids just getting started. Some of these kids in this class are 5 years old. As a parent, sometimes you may not be sure how well your kid is going to do. IMCA Modified point leader Albert Gill okayed his son Albert Jr being in the Novice class this last week. It was only Albert's second time behind the wheel, and the youngster's father wasn't quite sure how well he would do. However, the kid handled his kart well and won both heat races and the Main Event. It was pretty much a foregone conclusion that he had graduated to the Beginners class for the next race, but prior to the Main Event, Albert Sr confirmed that, saying he wasn't sure how well his son was going to do and probably should have put him in the Beginners class from the start. That division will have another fast competitor in it's rankings when this kid comes out next time.
What the Novice Beginners Box Stock Class was created for was to give these drivers some confidence behind the wheel with other drivers in their speed bracket. With Malachi Johnson and Mike Wheeler Jr setting such a rapid pace earlier this season, there was concern over the other kids getting run over. Isaac Grimes continues to improve and finished second last time while previous winner Bhaltair Edwards finished third. Caleb Ranney ran a heat race, but the youngster opted not to run the Main Event.
Johnson missed the last race in the Beginners class, but he had good reason. He was testing the waters in the Box Stock division, and he abandoned the point lead after having won the previous three Main Events. When he came back, he picked up right where he left off and was having a good battle with Mike Wheeler Jr and Carson Henson. This will be the last Beginners Box Stock season for Malachi, who had quite a bit of confidence from the moment he started racing in 2016. Malachi caught a slower kart at just the right place on the backstretch on lap 10, and that gave him a little bit more distance in his battle with Wheeler, who settled for another second place finish.
It's very likely that Mike Wheeler Jr would be leading the standings right now had points been in the plans for the team. His father, kart legend Mike Wheeler Sr, just wanted his boy to get some time behind the wheel and have fun this year. Though they have won three Main Events in Yreka, they're still looking for the youngster's first win at his home track.
The third place finish for Henson, meanwhile, was enough to give him the point lead, but it's not a big margin for him over Johnson or Uriah Sanders, who struggled for a fifth place finish last week. In the middle of Sanders and Henson in last Friday's feature race was Jayme DeBenedetti in fourth. Jayme has done a good job of handling her kart this year and is a solid Top 5 point competitor in what has been a good year in kart count for the class this season.
Keaton Augustine has done exceptionally well in the Box Stock class. He's been battling Ryan Hirschbock and Jacob James, and the points are still reasonably close despite the fact that Augustine won three Main Event in a row going into this race. Both Augustine and fourth generation racer Jacob James were heat race winners, and James had a front row Main Event start. This time, James charged into the lead over Augustine at the start. The lead three or four karts in this class tend to run nose-to-tail as these kids are all pretty fast and very respectful of each other. There's not a lot of bumping going on.
James led all the way, and Augustine was a race long second. In this case, Keaton had his hands full with Ryan Hirschbock trying high and low to get around him. Hirschbock is second in the standings, but it remains close between these three drivers.
It's always interesting to watch these young drivers learn new things. Reigning 250 Kart champion Trevor Grimes is undeniably fast, but he hasn't shown much willingness to go to the outside. In his heat races, that changed. He had to come from the back of the pack to finish second to Brenden Bartlett in the first heat race, and then he had a nice side-by-side battle with Bartlett in which Trevor ran on the outside before winning the second heat race. That was the good news. The bad news was Grimes suffered a mechanical problem and sat out the Main Event along with Cadyn Smith.
the door was open for Vinnie DeBenedetti to not only get his third win of the season but take the point lead in the process. Vinny has shown much confidence as he and his dad have been traveling to different tracks and gaining more experience. He led eight laps in the Main Event before looping it in Turn 4, but it turned out that he had problems with his kart and retired. He still gained enough points to take a slim lead over Grimes going into Friday night's race. But the win belonged to Bartlett, who was subbing for Brionna Fuller. Bartlett led the rest of the race to win ahead of a season-best second place finish for Taylor Fuller.
Bartlett also had the opportunity to make his 500 Open Kart division debut, and there were enough karts to have a race. We hadn't seen Johnny Burke since the season opener. Burke had won a heat race that night and was leading the Bragging Rights Dash when motor problems sent him to the pits. This time, Johnny won both heat races and led all the way for a Main Event win. Bartlett did well in finishing second with Merissa Henson in close pursuit at the end. There are points in the 500 Open class, and Henson has moved into second behind Reece Slyter. Slyter ended up fourth in the Main Event, and it was just nice to see him back after his hard flip on the front straightaway at the previous race. Hopefully, the count will continue to produce enough cars to race. Like the 250 Kart class, these drivers compete for a purse.
The UAS Speedway Karts are fast, but sometimes there are mechanical issues with these karts. Plus, the older drivers are not overly excited about running long Main Events. Steve Rambo has been running very well lately and picked up a heat race win earlier in the evening by holding off Brionna Fuller. This talented young lady was driving her Kart with a broken arm, and she won the first heat race. Unfortunately, she was out of the Main Event early, but Rambo continued his momentum by winning that race ahead of 2016 Yreka champion Ed Grubb. Rambo will continue to lead the standings as his closest rival, Larry Fuller, didn't finish.
Lori Fuller was not in her for 4 Cycle Kart this time as it had problems. She drove a UAS Speedway Kart and finished third to maintain her third place point status. It was nice to see Ron Bolles back in the field going for his second win, but unfortunately his run ended as he spun into the infield with mechanical problems just past the midway point of the Main Event.
Kart count was at a season high for the most recent event. So far, the teams who have been supporting the Outlaw Kart program have been showing up regularly. This Friday's event is the seventh of the season with two other races left to go in September.
Marysville Raceway Unofficial Race Results August 11, 2018
360 Sprints
Results are not official
1 #7B Brent Bjork
2 #13 Rowdy McClenon
3 #21 Michael Ing
4 #7K Kenny Allen
5 #6W Billy Wallace
6 #71JR Alec Justeson
7 #2 Brooklyn Holland
8 #15S Ryan Souza
9 #21H Jeremy Hawes
10 #49 Mike Monahan
11 #16 Jimmy Steward
12 #15 Pat Harvey Jr
13 #35 Mike Ballantine
Crate Sprints
Results are not official
1 #3L Jeff Macedo
2 #95 Jaylon Deas
3 #69 Cameron Haney
4 #55 Mike Sayre
5 #90 Darren Johnson
6 #72 Jerry Douglas
7 #86 Chad Thompson
8 #32 Cameron Haney Jr
Hobby Stocks
Results are not official
1 #18X Brian Compton
2 #13 Kyle Cheney
3 #11L Chris Van Roekel
4 #55 Jeremiah Creedon
5 #18 Jim Brookshire
6 #29 Shannon Collins
7 #93 Mel Byers
8 #342 Jesse Van Roekel
9 #41 David Caluya
10 #37 David Thompson
11 #08 Mike Stoeckle
12 #77 Will Harmon
13 #27 Matt Rivera
14 #39 Luke Caper
Placerville Speedway Unofficial Race Results August 11, 2018
360 Sprints
Justin Sanders
Andy Forsberg
Tanner Carrick
Sean Becker
Zane Blanchard
Justyn Cox
Jimmy Trulli
Jodie Robinson
Blake Carrick
Shane Hopkins
Jared Van Bebber
Mike Benson
Adam Walters
CJ Humphries
Tony Gualda
Jake Morgan
Justin Henry
Mike Cook
Wingless Sprints
Jake Morgan
Shannon Newton
Jesse Love IV
Kaimi Moniz-Costa
Terry Schank Jr
Alan Miranda
Jarret Soares
Peter Paulson
Scott Martin
Ryon Siverling
Brandon Burd
AJ Alderman
Pure Stocks
Dan Jinkerson
Russ Murphy
Nick Baldwin
Chase Griggsby
Jason Palmer
Matthew Tilford
Ryan Peter
Dave Silva
Scott Grunert
Rick Grunert
Kevin Jinkerson
Ronnie Richards
Matthew Chacon
Mini Trucks
Alex Gutierez
Derek Boarman
John Littlejohn
Megan Curtis
Chris Schaaf
