5-31-10 The First Leg of the Tri-Holiday Classic Saw
Jacob Gomes in Victory Lane in Front of a Crowd of
Nearly 3,200 Source: David
Holman
Stockton 99 Speedway
The bowl of evening hides the
amber flits and sheds the dust of day. A south wind
stirs the orchard’s trees, swirls twilight in our
eyes. The grandstand streams dreams down its
furthest slope, an instant's width then washed away
as the lights come on to chase the leader to the
checkers. Such was the imagery on Saturday, May
29th, as the NASCAR Whelen All American Racing
Series continued with the First Leg of the
Tri-Holiday Classic in its Memorial Day Race.
Included on the card for the event were the Western
Late Models in Twin 50's. Also, the Grand American
Modifieds were back in action along with the Street
Stocks, Bombers and the extremely fast NCMA Sprint
Cars.
We are
quickly approaching mid-season. And, with State and
National Points becoming even more precious, the
car-count in the Western Late Model Division was at
a premium (24) compared to any other weekend to
date. These teams are getting serious at this time
of the season, and the seriousness certainly came to
the forefront tonight in the form of good, hard
racing. Third generation driver Nic Belletto (15) of
Modesto grabbed the pole due to luck of the invert
with Trevor Schlundt (28) of Clovis starting P2.
Schlundt nabbed the holeshot and went back and forth
with Belletto for the lead until lap 5 when Michael
Wendt (2) of Lodi passed them both to lay claim to
that all-important real estate out front. However,
on lap 12, the slower car of Zach Huffman (55) of
French Camp was trying to get out of Wendt’s way up
between three and four, but unfortunately he drove
across Wendt’s bow which brought out the first
yellow and sent Wendt to the pits for repairs. On
the restart, Schlundt quickly picked up the pace
which paid large dividends in the form of the lead
where he would stay until a lap 20 restart when the
Legendary Harry Belletto (74) of Modesto and
California’s State Points Leader Matt Scott (35) of
Pine Grove made contact coming out of four and down
the front-stretch, which unfortunately collected
Division Points Leader Chad Holman (9) of Manteca in
the resulting melee bringing with it yet another
yellow and a quick end to Holman’s race and Scott’s
night. On the ensuing restart and several
thereafter, Schlundt continued his dominance up
front until a lap 36 restart when 2009 National
Rookie of the Year Jacob Gomes decided it was his
turn, so he grabbed the lead and never looked back
as he crossed beneath the checkered/yellow in front
of the pack for the very popular victory. “Schlundt
was good in the middle and good on the bottom so I
drove the top,” said the talented Gomes, “We were
pushing a little, so I thought I would try it out
and we got it.” Schlundt held on to finish second
while Zane Lovelace Jr. (46) of Roseville had
another impressive finish in third. Modesto’s Mike
Beeler (6) came home fourth with Danville’s Tim
Spurgeon (86), racing hurt, rounding out the top
five. The race was plagued by a total of seven
caution periods and one red flag. Earlier in the
day, Three-Time Track Champion and 67 year old
Legend, Harry Belletto, won the Trophy Dash in front
of an extremely appreciative crowd.
In the
second WLM Twin-50, Carlos Vieira (51) of Livingston
and Paul Dorrity (44) of Modesto were awarded the
front row due to their finishing order in the first
50 lapper. Vieira got a great start and took control
until lap 7 when Jonathan Mawhinney (17W) of
Roseville drove under Vieira for the lead where he
would pull away to put a comfortable distance
between himself and the rest of the field until lap
37 when Lovelace and Schlundt came to rest against
the wall between turns three and four bringing their
nights to a sudden stop, which caught the attention
of the flagman who threw first the yellow, then the
red. Tim Spurgeon got a great restart as he took
command of the front row until lap 44 when Gomes
gave Spurgeon a bump and dove below him where he
held tight, despite the heavy gnawing on his back
bumper by Spurgeon, to the checkers for his second
win on the night. Spurgeon stayed close, but
couldn’t return the favor, try as he might, to
finish second. Mawhinney slipped back a bit, but
still managed a podium finish in third with Wendt,
coming back from his first-race disaster, finishing
fourth and Modesto’s Jeff Belletto (12) bringing her
home fifth. After the first-race misfortune,
Division Points Leader Holman recovered to finish
sixth in this one. Unfortunately for State Points
Leader Matt Scott, his car was unable to compete in
the second race.
With AAS all
but dark this week, the Grand American Modifieds
enjoyed a higher car-count than usual as well. Larry
Tankersley (96) of Stockton and Gary Glenn (50) of
Orangevale paced the field to green to bring this
one to life with Glenn grabbing a huge hunk of
forward bite at the outset to gain the point where
he would race, undisputed, to the checkers for the
flag to flag, very impressive victory. “Last week at
Roseville we ended up on our lid, so we had to work
on this car all week and even today at the track,”
Glenn said, “I would like to thank all my sponsors
and family and friends and our troops for making
this possible.” Meanwhile, the battle for second did
not go unnoticed as Jason Philpot (15A) of
Sacramento and Scott Winters (24) of Tracy, both
sensational Modified drivers, disputing the
territory behind the leader with Philpot proving to
be too much on this night. Of course, that put
Winters on the podium in third with Points Leader
Allen Ryder (62) of Stockton bringing her home
fourth and Rich Lindgren (27) of Rio Linda finishing
a solid fifth.
In the
Street Stock Division, Points Leader Sammy Solari
(79) of Escalon got back on track last week with
another win after a dismal weekend of
disappointment. But, the question was could he stay
in front of Stockton’s own Ben Lewis II (22) enough
to retain the top spot in the points battle? Robert
Daniel(s) (17) of Lodi started this one on point
with Modesto’s Dennis Saunders (91) alongside. When
the green flag dropped, it would be Daniel(s)
showing his strength early as he jumped quickly to
the lead and pulled away until lap 12 when Steve
Geiser (70) of Tracy lost a rear wheel coming down
the back-stretch which brought out the first yellow
of the race. On the lap 12 restart, Jason Aguirre
(45) of Atwater took over up front where he would
stay the remainder of the race, despite the
unbelievable pressure from Solari as the two battled
it out nose to nose and door to door over the last
few laps with Aguirre coming out on top as they
crossed the stripe in this hotly contested, closest
race of the night. “I’ll tell you what, he (Solari)
is one tough driver to pass,” said the well-spoken
Aguirre, “That guy don’t want to give up the lead
for nothing. You know, he got a little sideways
coming off two, so I tucked it in there. He made one
mistake and it cost him the race.” Solari finished
in what was most likely a disappointing second with
Daniel(s) holding on to a podium finish in third.
Saunders slipped back a bit, but still managed a
respectable fourth while Livermore’s Mark Squadrito
(3) finished in the number five spot. This raced was
marred by four yellows, none of which influenced the
final outcome.
After an
absolutely fantastic finish last week, the Bombers
were back in action to put together yet another
great show for the fans in the stands to thoroughly
enjoy. The #93x of Tyler Guzman from parts unknown
landed on pole to get this one underway with the
#370 of Stockton’s own George Connor at his side.
Connor jumped out to the early lead but was slowed
on lap 5 when Freddy Rathjen Jr. (029) of Stockton
made contact with Lodi’s Robbie Knittel (3) coming
off turn two which put Knittel hard into the
backstretch wall and brought with it the first
yellow of the night. On the lap 5 restart, Points
Leader Travis Tucker (350) of Stockton took control
of the top spot, but on lap 9 he surrendered it to
Dave Grimes (810) of Livermore. Once out front,
Grimes, the elder statesman in the Division, the
“old guy”, if you will, showed the youngsters a
thing or two as he took complete control of the race
through to the checkers for his first-ever win in
only four starts. “I just kept my foot to the
pedal,” said the very likable Grimes, “It started
shaking about the second to the last lap when I felt
something going on, but I just kept pushing it.”
Grimes lost his motor as he crossed the finish line.
Tucker would hold on to finish second and retain his
Points Lead with Stockton’s Tom Dahl (004) finishing
on the podium in third. Connor fell off a bit, but
still managed a fourth while Rathjen Jr. made up the
top five.
The NCMA
Sprints rumbled back onto the high-banks to display
their talent behind the wheels of these high-speed,
light-weight rockets. These drivers never fail to
amaze, and everyone always enjoys the pure racing
pleasure this Division produces. William Logan (98)
of Stockton and Steve Amador (7) of Patterson
brought the field around to greet the green, but as
they raced back to the flag-stand to put lap 1 in
the books it would be Morgan Hill’s Rob Hammond
(17H) showing the way. Hammond always puts on a
strong run at Stockton, and this night would be
another great night as he held strong to the lead
until lap 30 when Jim Riddell (19) of Ripon, working
his way up from the back of the pack, took control
of the number one slot with the #93 of
Copperopolis’s Thomas Leiby hot on his heels.
Unfortunately, on lap 36, Leiby, Riddell and Amador
made terrific contact going off into turn one which
resulted in a red flag and the end of the race.
Hammond was declared the winner with Napa’s David
Goodwill (3) second. Leiby and Riddell finished
third and fourth, respectively with Bill Didion (44)
of Manteca rounding out the top five.
Next
Saturday, June 5th, the NASCAR Whelen All American
Racing Series will be taking a well-deserved two
week break. But, that certainly doesn’t mean the
track is going black. Instead, come on out and watch
as 99 Drift Competition returns to the Speedway
along with the Stockton 99 Speedway Swap Meet & Car
Show. Mark your Calendars.
The New
Stockton 99 Speedway is located at 4105 N. Wilson
Way, ¼-mile west of Highway 99. For more information
on tickets and times, please contact the Speedway
Office at (209)466-9999 or visit their Website at
www.stockton99.com.
The New
Stockton 99 Speedway is sponsored by Jackson
Rancheria Casino Hotel, California Welding Supply,
Budweiser, Alamo Alarm and Lodi Hampton Inn and
Suites.
5-31-10
Newlywed McQueen Scores BCRA Midget Triumph at
Marysville Source Robert Haugh
Photo M&M Racing Photos
BCRA Midgets
After taking the lead on Lap 7, Bakersfield’s Shannon
McQueen cruised to the 25-lap Bay Cities Racing
Association Midget feature in dominating fashion,
wheeling her own #7 Spike/Esslinger to victory at the
1/4-mile Marysville Raceway Park on Saturday, May 29.
Following the
newlywed McQueen to the checkers nearly three seconds
back were 2008 BCRA Midget champion and current BCRA
Midget points leader “Young Lion” Nick Foster, Jr. of
San Jose in Jim Fowler’s Zero-Zero Motorsports’ #1 “Blue
Bayoo” Windows Unlimited Beast/Esslinger, Scott Nail of
Visalia aboard his #16 Stealth/Riolo Chevy, Chico’s
Dillon Silverman in the RAM Racing #14 Spike/RRE Chevy
EcoTec and 7-time BCRA champion “Ageless Wonder” Floyd
Alvis rounding out the top five aboard his newly
acquired #83 ex-Cliff Servetti Stealth/Gaerte.
Bill Lindsey of
San Carlos claimed sixth in Stu Donaldson’s #8x Farajian
Farms-Rite Way Wheels Stealth/Pontiac with Angwin’s
Britton Bock claiming seventh aboard his #67 TCR/Esslinger.
Oakdale’s Danny
Parker claimed eighth aboard Bob Roza’s #28 Stealth/Esslinger
with Lonny Alton in Lana Alton’s #5a Stealth/SCREAM
SuperFocus in ninth, three laps down.
Mike Donaldson
spun and exited on Lap 14 in Stu Donaldson’s #5b
Ellis/Pontiac.
Jimmy Christian
and Britton Bock made contact in Turn 4 on the opening
lap, sending Christian out on the hook aboard Dave
LaMott’s #0 HotHead Engine Heaters Stealth/Bob Wirth
Honda – ending the car’s recent dominance in BCRA
action.
Foster took the
initial lead at the green over Alvis.
Nail claimed
Heat 1 over Silverman, Alvis, Lindsey and Alton.
McQueen claimed
Heat 2 over Christian, Bock, Foster and Donaldson.
Citing
indifference between officials, reigning BCRA champion
“Mr. Excitement” David Prickett of Fresno parked the #15
Neverlift Motorsports TCR/Van Dyne after hot laps.
Tremendous
tip-of-hat to Marysville Raceway Park promoters Paul and
Kathy Hawes for turning out an excellent race track –
after fighting rain and hail storms during the week.
Foster maintains
the 2010 BCRA Midget points lead over Nail, Silverman,
Lindsey and Alton.
The BCRA Midgets
continue their 67th season of racing next week, when
they make their second of three 2010 appearances at the
1/4-mile Placerville Speedway on Saturday, June 5.
The race was the
seventh of 21 total races and second of three BCRA
Midget appearances at Marysville in 2010 (April 17, May
29, August 28). The race was the fifth of 13 Dirt races
on the 2010 BCRA Midget schedule.
Visit
www.bcraracing.com for information on the BCRA Midgets
and www.marysvilleracewaypark.com for additional
information on Marysville Raceway.
5-30-10 17-year-old from
Manteca takes both main events at Stockton 99 Source: Scott Linesburgh
Stockton 99 Speedway
(May 30, 2010 12:00 AM) STOCKTON -
His car wasn't perfect. But Jacob Gomes has learned how to adjust and
find a way to win.
Matt Scott of Pine Grove spins out after hitting the wall on the front
straightaway during the first race of the NASCAR Western Late Model main
event of the Tri-Holiday Classic on Saturday at the Stockton 99
Speedway. Jacob Gomes of Manteca won the race and also claimed the
second main event later in the night.
Gomes, the reigning NASCAR national weekly racing rookie of the year,
worked with a vehicle that was a little loose but managed to win both
50-lap Western Late Model main events in the Tri-Holiday Classic at
Stockton 99 Speedway on Saturday. Gomes won in his first appearance of
the season in Stockton in front of a season-high crowd of 3,128.
Gomes, a 17-year-old from Manteca, was part of a field of 24 WLM cars,
the most of the season at the track. There was plenty of bumping and
spinning in the first race, with six caution flags and one red-flag
stoppage for a multi-car crash on lap 20.
Gomes won a duel with Trevor Schlundt of Clovis, passing him twice
during the first main event with the same move. Gomes came out of the
final turn high both times and shot down the track and in front of
Schlundt.
Gomes grabbed the lead on lap 18, lost it to Schlundt three laps later
and took over first place for good on the 37th lap.
"The car was kind of pushing," Gomes said. "But I was able to go up
there and get that run off the corner. It worked for us."
Michael Wendt of Lodi seemed to have a great chance to get the victory
when he took the lead on the fifth lap, but he was knocked out of the
first race when he was hit by the car of Zack Huffman of French Camp,
who was about to go down a lap.
"A lapped car came down on me, and they came over and apologized," Wendt
said. "You don't feel good about it, but it's a part of racing and it
happens."
Veteran driver Harry Belletto from Modesto made an appearance at the
track to compete with his son, Jeff Belletto, and grandson, Nic Belletto,
Harry, 67, won the trophy dash. He began racing at Stockton 99 in 1970
and is a three-time track champion.
"No more racing for points or championships for me. I just want to come
out and have fun," Harry Belletto said.
Jason Aguirre of Atwater passed Sam Solari of Escalon for the lead on
the final lap of the Street Stocks feature to get the win, and David
Grimes of Livermore won his first Bombers race at Stockton 99.
5-30-10
Mangili and Addison Win Soapy Slippery Enduro Race at
All American Speedway
Source: All American Speedway
All American Speedway
ROSEVILLE, California — 20 cars started
the 200 lap Enduro race at All American Speedway in
Roseville Saturday night, and it was a thrilling race.
The No. 02
co-driven by Doug Mangili and Joe Addison dominated the
race and took the checkered flag after 200 slippery
laps.
Enduro racing is
a lot of fun. First, the track is sprayed with water,
and then the entire track is soaped. There are also
other substances like syrup and goop put on the track.
The Enduro
Series is a class designed to keep costs down. They are
stock cars that are usually wrecks to begin with, but
with rebuilt engines.
The slipping and
sliding is exciting, but there are not as many wrecks as
you might think. Cars get sideways, but the drivers seem
to be able to straighten them out before any real damage
is done.
In the first
100-lap race, the lead was traded back and forth between
No. 02 Addison and No. 13x Loren Chitwood. On lap 24,
the No.02 took the lead and kept it for the remainder of
the first 100 laps.
After a break,
the green flag fell for the second 100 lap race, with
No. 02 Mangili starting from the front, followed by No.
2 driven by David Papst Jr., with his daughter 16-year
old Ashley as a passenger in the car. No. 7 Chris
Lancaster started third and Chitwood started fourth. No.
95 Larry Moniz rounded out the top five.
Mangili led the
race until lap 124 when Papst went around him for the
lead. There were some great laps of racing between Papst,
Mangili, Lancaster and Chitwood. On lap 139, Lancaster
got the lead away from Papst, and then on lap 145, Papst
stole it back. By this time, Mangili was back in second
after getting loose on lap 125 and dropping back to
third.
On lap 168
Mangili was able to get the lead back after some great
maneuvering through traffic.
"It feels
great," Addison said after the race. "We're always in
the top five, but we needed this win.” Addison and
Mangili have been Enduro racing for 13 years.
Second place
finisher Papst said, "The 02 team are tough. We have not
refreshed our motor lately. I think we were just lacking
a little bit." He also said that everyone is getting
faster, so the series is getting tougher. "I've
dominated at Roseville the past couple of years, so I'm
OK with second. Papst regularly races at AAS, Stockton
and Madera.
Papst's 16-year
old daughter is her father's regular passenger in the
car. "It's a blast," she said. "It's an adrenaline rush.
You think you are going to spin out, but my dad has good
control of the car. I trust him a lot."
Third-place
finisher Chitwood was happy after the race. "I feel like
we ran smooth and stayed out of trouble.” Chitwood races
Enduro races all over northern California.
Next Saturday,
June 5, All American Speedway will feature NASCAR
Championship number seven with a 100-lap LM Toyota/TRD
100 race. Also racing will be Modified, Bomber, Street
Stock, NCMA and SRS cars. For more information go to:
www.allamericanspeedway.com.
5-30-10 Forsberg Thrills Fair Crowd at Chico
Source: Silver Dollar Speedway PR
Silver Dollar Speedway
Chico,
California -- Auburn's Andy Forsberg thrilled a
capacity crowd at Silver Dollar Speedway by winning
the 25-lap sprint car main event Saturday night.
“This week we lost a real true Outlaw racer in Jesse
Hockett and all of our thoughts are with his
family,” said Forsberg in victory lane. Forsberg
took the lead on lap eight and was the dominant
driver for the rest of the race. “Andy's usually not
good on that type of a track but I made some
adjustments and we found something that made him
good,” said Brian Cannon, crew chief on the #47.
Three divisions with over 60 cars lined the pit
area. It's always a beautiful sight at night with
the cars on the track and lights of the fair in the
background. Racing resumes Sunday night with the
California Sprint Car Civil War Series.
The track
was a real racers track tonight that provided lots
of passing and excitement for the fans. “Tonights
track was a gemstone,” said former track champion
Johnny Rodriguez who was visiting the track for the
first time in two years. “I've been all over the
Country and I forgot how awesome this place.”
Rodriguez also gave praise to Alan Handy. “It's not
often that within five minutes of the checkered flag
the promoter is out there on the grader getting the
track ready for tomorrow night.”
It was an
emotional victory lane for Paradise driver Justin
Funkhouser. The wingless driver had not visited
victory lane since 2006. “I have to thank my family
for sticking behind me even when I have done some
dumb things in a race car,” Funkhouser said with a
smirk. Funkhouser was still visibly shaking during
his interview and showed how much this win meant to
him. The last two laps of the main event were
amazing. Johnny Reeves and Funkhouser swapped the
lead three times and banged wheels for almost the
whole final lap. “I wasn't sure if I was going to
win or flip,” said Funkhouser.
Two-time
track champion Phil Marino lead all 20-laps to win
the street stock main event. Marino's win wasn't as
easy at it looked. “I kept waiting for the #99 to
creep to the inside of me,” said Marino. “Tonight
was a challenging but fun track. Thanks for everyone
coming out.”
With the
Silver Dollar Fair on the fairgrounds there was not
an empty seat in the house. Fans had a trilling time
watching the races and enjoying their Memorial Day
Weekend. Tonight should provide the same thrills and
spills
The 20 car
starting sprint car field was led to the green flag
by Mike Henry. The Sacramento driver led the first
fews laps without a challenge. However, on lap five,
Forsberg moved around Mason Moore for second and
began to mount a charge on Henry. On lap seven the
two went into the first turn and Henry slid up the
track. Forsberg dove to the bottom and moved ahead
of Henry as the two raced down the back straight.
Going into the third turn Henry choose the high line
and missed the cushion by an inch. This sent his car
off the track and he rolled over. The red was
needed. Henry stayed in his car and was ultimately
pushed back to the work area where the team made
repairs and Henry continued on.
Forsberg
restarted as the leader and began to check out. The
real race was between Mason Moore, Ryan Gomes,
Stephen Allard and Colby Wiesz. These four drivers
put on a driving clinic exchanging positions on the
track. On lap 15 Wiesz went from fourth to second
with an amazing top side pass around Moore and
Gomes. With four laps to go Allard began his charge.
He moved around Moore and then a lap later he passed
Gomes. Allard finished in the third spot and brought
home another good finish for the Steve Smith #14.
Wiesz finished in the second spot driving for the
Main family. This weekend the Main family ran the
#77 in honor of their friend Jesse Hockett. On
Sunday night the track will do a memorial lap in his
honor. Forsberg crossed the finish line with a
sizable lead and got the popular win.
Phil Marino
is one of the best drivers to ever strap into a
street stock at Chico. Marino showed his
championship form on Saturday night as he led all 20
laps to win the street stock main. The race was
marred by numerous cautions. Yet, with all the slow
downs the race was still a very entertaining event.
Heather Bartlett tried to give Marino a run for his
money. The popular defending champion was also in
her own battle for second. Scott Rogers shadowed
Bartlett all 20 laps in hopes of moving into the
second spot. The final few laps had the crowd
focused on the second place battle. At the finish
line Rogers made a daring move to the inside but was
unable to get by Bartlett. It was a great way to
finish the street stock main event. Marino was the
winner. Bartlett finished in second and Rogers was
third. Joe Longmire once again had a top five
finish. Longmire always is a consistent racer and
brought his family car home in fourth. Fritz Zanker
was the only other car on the lead lap. Zanker
finished in the fifth spot. The street stocks will
return on June 18.
The wingless
main event provided the best finish of the night.
The race started with Kody Smith taking charge of
the race. Smith was on a rail the first part of the
race and was running the high side to perfection.
Unfortunately, lap 14 was the trouble spot for
Smith. Smith went into turn three and drifted off
the track. He slid back onto the track but the
damage had been done. A few laps later he exited the
track and was done for the night. Justin Funkhouser
was the new leader with five laps to go. Nick Green
was another driver moving through the field. On lap
17 Green moved into the second spot. He started to
move in on Funkhouser. On the final lap Green made a
run to the inside of Funkhouser. Going into turn
three Green went to the bottom while Funkhouser went
to the top. Both were trying to avoid a slower car.
The slower car went low and boxed in Green. This
made Green stall his car and he stopped. The yellow
came out and it would set up a two lap dash to the
finish. Johnny Reeves was the mover and shaker of
the event. On the first lap he spun out and had to
restart at the rear of the field. The next 18 laps
saw him charge through the field. After Green had
his problem, Reeves moved into the second spot. On
the final restart Reeves banged wheels with
Funkhouser for the lead. At one point Reeves slid
ahead of Funkhouser. On the white flag lap the two
banged wheels again going through turns one and two.
The final turn was breath taking as Funkhouser was
somehow able to pass Reeves and hold on for the
exciting win. Jimmy Pettit finished in the third
spot and Brett Youngman was fourth.
5-26-10
West Evans Win NMRA-TQ Midget Main at Bakersfield
Source: Tim Kennedy
NMRA-TQ Midget Series
BAKERSFIELD, Ca — may 22 – West Evans
became the fifth different winner in the fifth NMRA-TQ
Midget Series feature this season on Saturday at the
third-mile clay Bakersfield Speedway. The Moorpark-based
TQ racing organization was part of a multi-division card
at the historic Kern County track that began hosting
races in 1946. He drove his own No. 36 Spike chassis
powered by a Bob Wirth Suzuki engine to the first-ever
main event victory for a Spike TQ midget chassis. Evans
started second in a ten-car field and led all 25 laps.
The winner is the Spike West Coast dealer for Spike
chassis owner/manufacturer John Godfrey of Brownsburg,
Indiana.
It was Evans'
fourth NMRA feature triumph since he and others in 2002
reformed the three decades-old NMRA-TQ sanctioning body
after USAC dropped TQ racing to sanction Ford Focus
Midget racing. USAC sanctioned TQ racing for 15 years
from 1987-2001. Evans was a super-modified driver in
events such as the Copper World Classic on the Phoenix
International Raceway mile as well during his racing
career. He won two USAC TQ main events and both came in
back-to-back races during the seven event final USAC
2001 season. He won initially on July 21 at Bakersfield
and then on September 2 at Santa Maria driving his own
No. 36 Stealth. He finished sixth in driver points that
year.
Chuck West
started sixth and finished second to his cousin Evans at
Bakersfield in the No. 38 team car owned by Evans
Motorsports. Bruce Hiroshima (from fourth starting spot)
trailed in third position. Jimmy Dodson (from fifth),
Scott Niven (from third) were the other drivers who
completed all 25 laps. Sixth through tenth place drivers
were: Bakersfield's Dakota Schweitzer (from ninth),
Amanda Thomas (from pole) and Dave Lambert (from
eighth). Seventh starter Anthony Lopiccolo dropped out
on lap 6 and Ron Ahrendt did not complete a lap.
Evans (from
second) also won the first of two five-car, eight-lap
heat races. His teammate West (from fourth) took the
second five-car eight-lap run. Every driver completed
eight laps in both heats. Hiroshima, from the pole, won
the four-lap trophy dash for the first two finishers
from both heat races. Evans' feature victory propelled
him from fifth to second in2010 driver point standings.
Lopiccolo retained his point lead but his DNF cut his
point advantage from 43 to 38 points after five of 16
scheduled races. Lopiccolo's car owner (dad Paul) point
lead slipped from 27 points to four over the Evans No.
38 TQ, which has been raced by West in four events and
by Greg Edenholm once.
NMRA feature
winners so far this season have been Hiroshima (No. 5) ,
Dodson (No. 6). Lopiccolo (No. 21) and Schweitzer (No.
59) in the last event. The next NMRA-TQ event will be
held on Saturday, June 12 at the third-mile clay Santa
Maria Speedway as part of another multi-division program
at the racy speedway on the central coast of California.
NMRA has four remaining race dates at Bakersfield
Speedway on June 26, July 24, August 21 and September
11.
5-26-10 Next
Ocean Sprint Car Series Presented by Taco Bravo Event to
Pay $2000 to Win and $200 to Start at Ocean Speedway Source: Gary Thomas
Ocean Sprint Car Series
WATSONVILLE, California — As an added
treat to teams and a way of showing thanks for the
support the next Ocean Sprint Car Series presented by
Taco Bravo event on Friday June 4 at Ocean Speedway will
pay $2000-to-win and $200-to-start the 30-lap main
event.
So far this
season car counts have been very strong for the Ocean
360 Sprints with two of the three night’s at Ocean
Speedway featuring over 30 cars and also car counts of
26 and 27 during the series events at Santa Maria and
Tulare respectively.
“I just want to
say thanks to everyone who has supported the Taco Bravo
Ocean Sprints so far this season and we're going to
throw a little more money into the purse for our next
race,” said promoter John Prentice. “The car counts have
been great this year and the depth of the field’s each
night has been pretty amazing.”
The first five
races of the 2010 Ocean Sprint Car Series presented by
Taco Bravo season have seen five different winners with
Campbell’s Bud Kaeding, Easton’s Tommy Tarlton,
Prunedale’s Justin Sanders, Elk Grove’s Kyle Larson and
most recently San Jose’s Tim Kaeding claiming checkered
flags this year.
Going into the
$2,000-to-win/$200-to-start event at Ocean Speedway on
June 4 the top-three drivers in the Ocean 360 Sprints
standings are tightly bunched at the top with defending
track champion Tarlton holding a six-point advantage
over second place Larson and Campbell’s Brent Kaeding
just seven-digits back of the lead in third. Clovis,
CA’s Peter Murphy and Salinas, CA’s Ronnie Day currently
round out the top-five in points.
5-26-10
NASCAR Whelen All-American Western Late Models in Twin
40's on Memorial Day Weekend Source: David Holman
Stockton 99 Speedway
Next Saturday, May 29th, the NASCAR Whelen All American
Racing Series continues with the Memorial Day Race.
Included on the docket for the event will be Western
Late Models in Twin 40's. The Grand American Modifieds
will be back in action with the Street Stocks, Bombers,
NCMA Sprint Cars, and MMRA Mini Cups.
Pit Gates open
and registration begins at noon with practice commencing
at 2:00 PM. The Grandstands open at 4:00 PM with
qualifying set for 4:30 PM and green flag racing slated
for 6:00 PM. Ticket prices for the evening will be as
follows:
General
Admission (16+) $20
Juniors (11-15) $15
Kids 10 & Under FREE
Seniors (60+) $15
Military (W/ Military ID) $15
Family $55
(2 General + 2 Junior’s)
FRIDAY PRACTICE:
Open Testing. All Divisions welcome on May 28th for
Friday Night Oval Testing. In an effort to keep costs
down for the fans and drivers with the rising costs of
operations, it has become necessary to keep the
grandstands closed on practice day.
Pit Gates Open
3:00pm
3pm Pre-Tech
4pm – 7:30pm Practice
Open Testing Day
The New Stockton
99 Speedway is located at 4105 N. Wilson Way, ¼-mile
west of Highway 99. For more information on tickets and
times, please contact the Speedway Office at
(209)466-9999 or visit our Website at
www.stockton99.com. And remember, The New Stockton 99
Speedway is always Family Friendly.
The New Stockton
99 Speedway is sponsored by Jackson Rancheria Casino
Hotel, California Welding Supply, Budweiser, Alamo Alarm
and Lodi Hampton Inn & Suites.
5-26-10 Petaluma and Calistoga Highlight Big
Memorial Day Weekend for Golden State Challenge
Series This Friday, Saturday and Sunday Source: Gary
Thomas
Golden State Challenge Series
CALISTOGA, California —
For just the second time in the past 10-years the
Golden State Challenge 410 Sprint Car Series will
head for three-consecutive nights of racing
beginning this Friday evening at the Petaluma
Speedway. Following that the tour will then be in
action at the historic Calistoga Speedway half-mile
on Saturday and Sunday.
This
Friday's show at the Petaluma Speedway will be the
10th overall round of racing for the traveling
series and the second stop of 2010 at the always
hooked up 3/8 mile clay oval. The front gate is
scheduled to open at 4:30 pm with all seating being
general admission. Adult tickets will be $16,
juniors $12, seniors 65 and older $10 and children 5
and under free. The Petaluma Speedway is located in
the southern part of the wine country at the
Sonoma-Marin Fairgrounds just off Highway 101 in
Petaluma, California. For more information visit
http://www.petaluma-speedway.com
Saturday and
Sunday's event at the Calistoga Speedway will be the
traditional Memorial Day Weekend double-header at
the beautiful and picturesque track and will serve
as rounds 11 and 12 for the Golden State Challenge
Series. Sunday's event will be the annual running of
the Salute to Walter T. Ross, a night paying respect
to the former Northern Auto Racing Club President
and long time car owner. Ross' famous No. 56 graced
victory lane at the Calistoga Speedway on 11
occasions and was one of the most recognizable
sprint cars of its era. His car was driven by some
of the biggest names in Northern California sprint
racing including Gary Patterson, Dave Bradway Jr.,
Leroy Van Connett, Mike Andreetta, Rendy Boldrini
and others.
As president
of NARC Ross was crucial in moving the club forward
following the retirement of Louis Vermeil in the
mid-1980's. He was also named one of the 40 most
influential people in Northern Auto Racing Club
history. Ross passed away in 1987 from A.L.S. and a
race recognizing him has become a tradition on
Memorial Day weekend. Former Calistoga Speedway &
Napa County Fair manager Mike Kenney said of Ross in
a past racing program, "As a former president of
NARC, Ross brought the racing club into era of
sponsorship, but most of all Walter T. Ross was best
known for his heart. He cared about people, sprint
car racing and his friends and family."
The hottest
man at the moment in Northern California sprint car
racing is San Jose's Tim Kaeding, who will be
looking to make it three in a row in Golden State
Challenge competition on Friday night. "TK" has
driven the Roth Motorsports, DTR Transport No. 83 to
wins at the Tulare Thunderbowl and Giant Chevrolet
Speedway the last two weeks with GSC since returning
to California, after following the World of Outlaws
tour over the first two months of the season.
Kaeding has also captured five feature victories in
his Calistoga career, including the opener of last
year's Memorial Day weekend double-header.
Coming into
the triple-header weekend the battle at the front of
the Golden State Challenge Series standings
continues to be a close one with just eight-points
separating the top-three. Two-time King of
California Jonathan Allard of Chico goes into the
Memorial Day events holding a six-digit advantage at
the top of the points following a runner-up finish
in the feature last Friday evening in Hanford. The
driver of the Williams Motorsports, Red Line Oil No.
0 scored victory when GSC competed in Petaluma
earlier this season and last year brought home a
pair of podium finishes at Calistoga over Memorial
Day Weekend.
Keeping pace
with Allard by utilizing some strong consistency
over the early part of the year has been Campbell's
Brent Kaeding, who is still searching for his first
win of the season and will have three chances at it
this weekend. "BK" finished runner-up aboard his
Al's Roofing Supply, High Five Pizza No. 69 at
Petaluma in April and on Friday will also be looking
for his first win at the track since GSC returned to
the 3/8 mile clay oval in 2005. The 13-time King of
California last year finished second at the Salute
to Walt Ross and in his career is the second
winningest driver in Calistoga Speedway history,
with 21 triumphs through the years.
Going into
the big weekend only eight-points behind Allard for
the lead and looking to chip away at that advantage
will be Elk Grove's Kyle Larson, who has tallied
podium finishes in five of the last seven Golden
State Challenge events this year. In April Larson
drove his Stadelhofer Construction, Peppermill
Casino No. 99 to a third place finish at Petaluma
and last season scored a best finish of sixth over
Memorial Day Weekend, in what was his 410 debut at
the intimating Calistoga Speedway half-mile. The
17-year-old last year was also very impressive over
Labor Day weekend without the wing with the USAC CRA
Series and this weekend will look for his first win
at the track.
After making
his Calistoga Speedway debut last year Scotts
Valley's Evan Suggs goes into the weekend looking to
improve upon a best finish of seventh last season at
the track aboard his Suggs Racing, HoservilleCA No.
33e. The 23-year-old racer currently sits fourth in
the Golden State Challenge Sprint Car Series
standings going into Friday's event at Petaluma and
will be looking to rebound after getting upside down
in the main event last week in Hanford. In April
Suggs brought home a fourth place finish at the
Petaluma Speedway and will be hoping to move his way
even further up the order this time around.
Rounding out
the top-five in the GSC standings coming into the
weekend is Vancouver, Washington's Zach Zimmerly,
who will be making his first ever appearance's at
the Calistoga Speedway on Saturday and Sunday. The
16-year-old driver will also be gunning for his
first ever series victory on Friday evening at the
Petaluma Speedway, the track where he won his ever
sprint car race at last September when he claimed a
Civil War Series triumph. The driver of the
Christian Stover Foundation, McMillen Motorsports
No. 94 had a good night going in April at Petaluma,
until getting upside down while running fifth in the
feature.
Returning to
her home track of Petaluma Speedway with the 410
under the hood on Friday and sitting sixth in the
Golden State Challenge Series standings will be
Penngrove's Alissa Geving. The 18-year-old driver of
the Chicko-O-Motorsports No. 3x battled motor woes
en route to a 10th place finish in April at Petaluma
and during this weekend will also be making her
second ever appearance with a 410 at the Calistoga
Speedway. Last season Geving scored a 15th place
finish during the opener of the two-night stand at
the half-mile.
Coming off a
top-five effort last week in Hanford, Grass Valley's
Jason Statler will be shooting to get back into
Golden State Challenge Series victory lane this
weekend aboard his DF Rios Construction No. 00. In
April Statler had tough luck end his main event on
the opening lap in Petaluma and the former King of
California will be looking to change that up on
Friday. "The Big Guy" also claimed the Calistoga
Speedway track championship in 2006 and in his
career has raced to three overall victories at the
famed Napa County Fairgrounds oval. Statler year
also scored a fourth place finish on opening night
at Calistoga during Memorial Day Weekend.
Returning to
Golden State Challenge Series competition at the
Calistoga Speedway will be Campbell's Bud Kaeding,
who last week took over the USAC Silver Crown Series
point lead and will bring it into Friday's series
event at the Indiana State Fairgrounds' annual
running of the Hoosier Hundred. Kaeding so far this
year has been one of the strongest drivers in Nor
Cal sprint car racing having tallied five top-five
finishes in his seven GSC starts, including a
victory at his home track of Ocean Speedway in
April. For the Calistoga weekend he is scheduled to
make his fourth and fifth starts of the season
aboard the Roth Motorsports, HR Cattle No. 83jr
mount.
First year
Golden State Challenge Series driver Matthew Davis
will have a trio of races close to his American
Canyon home this weekend and comes into the Memorial
Day events ninth in the standings. The former Silver
Dollar Speedway Rookie of the Year has picked up a
pair of top-10 finishes at the helm of his Matthew
Davis Racing, K&N Filters No. 11md.
After
missing the past two races with the Golden State
Challenge 410 Sprint Car Series Elk Grove's Bobby
McMahan will return to competition this weekend in
Petaluma and Calistoga behind the wheel of the
Racing for the Troops, C&H Veteran Enterprises No.
26b. The defending Silver Dollar Speedway champ has
four victories in his Calistoga Speedway career and
always enjoys racing at the intimidating half-mile.
"When I was away from this sport the track I missed
most was Calistoga," McMahan said last year. "When I
got the deal to drive for Steve Harris Racing the
one track I wanted to come to more than any was
definitely Calistoga."
All seating
will be general admission during the weekend at
Calistoga Speedway with the front gate opening at
4pm. Adult tickets will cost $20 and kids 4-10 will
be $10. Children under four will be free. For more
info on the event contact 707-942-5111 or log onto
http://www.calistogaspeedway.org
The
Calistoga Speedway is located on the beautiful Napa
County Fairgrounds in Calistoga, California and is
located at 1435 North Oak Street. Don't forget to
get to the track early each day as most of the teams
will be on the grounds working on their race cars
and many will also have merchandise for sale at the
same time.
For results,
the full point standings and more on the Golden
State Challenge Series please visit http://www.goldenstatechallengeseries.com
5-26-10
Lunkerdaddy Tri-Holiday Classic Time at Chowtown USA Source: Chowchilla
Speedway PR
ChowChilla Speedway
The hottest three race series in the area kicks off this
weekend at the Chowchilla Speedway, the series is called
the Tri-Holiday Classic and the sponsor is LunkerDaddy.
The Tri-Holiday
Classic has been on the pavement at Madera Speedway
since 2007, but it has been moved to the dirt track of
Chowchilla for the three race event in 2010. The dates
for the series are May 30th, July 4th and September 5th.
“We are trying
something different this year by giving the teams at
Madera the Holidays off and moving the series to the
Chowchilla Speedway. The goal is to give the fans the
best show possible and we believe the line up we have
will more than accomplish this.” Kenny Shepherd.
Talk about a
line up, wow what a line up with the Dirt Modifeds, Spec
Sprints, Super Stocks, Dwarfs, Hobby Stocks and
4-Bangers! Each of the classes is racing for big money
and a three race point series that is worth some big
cash. On top of that these are local point races for the
track championship drivers. If that is not enough these
races are also Two-Track Challenge events for the Hobby
Stocks and 4-Bangers, and in this series the drivers
compete on both dirt and pavement to see who will be on
the stage at the banquet with the right to claim they
are the best.
What do you get
when you put the best drivers on the fastest dirt track
in the area, and they are racing for big prize money?
Answer, the best racing you will find in the USA will
happen at the Chowchilla Speedway this Sunday afternoon
May 30th!
Pit gates open
at 1:00pm, grandstands at 3:00pm, with racing action at
4:00pm. Adult tickets are just $12, youth are $7 and
kids five and under are free with a paying adult.
5-26-10
Modifieds Ready to Tackle Historic Calistoga Speedway Source: Dennis Daniel
Calistoga Speedway
CALISTOGA, California — On Memorial Day
weekend, 50 open wheel Modified drivers will take to the
track to compete on one of California’s most historic
racing facilities, Calistoga Speedway. Calistoga
Speedway has hosted racing events dating back to 1939.
Known nationally as a Sprint Car and Midget track, last
year Calistoga opened to door to one of America’s most
popular divisions, the Modifieds. Fans were treated to
an exciting show and the drivers raved about the racing
on the high speed ½ mile oval.
This year, the
Speedway only accepted the first 50 entrants to race on
two back-to-back days, Saturday May 29th and Sunday the
30th. Within a couple weeks of announcing the event, the
entries were filled. Offering up $1,200 to the winner
each day no doubt attracted some of the top drivers from
Northern California. Throughout the field of entrants
you will find many former champions of track, state and
even national levels. Many of the top Modifieds drivers
that will be on hand also travel around the state, and
even the country, competing at some of the biggest
Modified shows. Fans will see some of the top talented
drivers, all competing for the prize money and bragging
rights – the right to say they won at Calistoga
Speedway.
Last year, it
was Jeff Olschowka and Bobby Hogge IV who picked up wins
during the two days. Olschowka is entered to try to
become the first Modified driver with 2 wins at the
track, while Hogge will miss the event to race at Santa
Maria Speedway in his Super Late Model. The Modifieds
will be joining the premier travelling Sprint Car Series
in California, the Golden State Challenge Series. The
best of the high-flying, 410 cubic inch powered, winged
warriors in the Sprint Cars will also be there to try to
stake their claim to Calistoga fame and put their name
in the record books.
The racing
action is set to begin at 6:30 PM each day, with the
grandstands opening at 4:00 PM. General Admission
tickets are $20, while juniors (4 – 12) are $10. Kids
under 3 are admitted free. The Modifieds will use a pill
draw to draw a starting spot in one of several 8 lap
heat races. Those not earning a starting spot in the
feature will run in a 12 lap B Main event, while the
feature will consist of 20 hard fought laps. The pits
open both days at 2:00 PM.
Below is a list
of the Dirt Modified drivers who are entered in this
special event:
Car # Driver
1 Randy McDaniel - Hurst
1jr Jerry Roy, Jr. - Santa Rosa
2C Duane Cleveland - Plumas Lake
3 Todd Hermosillo - Watsonville
3 Jim Pettit II - Prunedale
4 Shawn DeForest - Hayward
4p Richard Rapenhausen - Chico
7 Jeff Thomas - Penngrove
7 Randy Larsen - Petaluma
7k Kent Bickford - Antioch
10 Ryan McDaniel - Hurst
11 Mike Learn - Vallejo
12 Joe Carr - Petaluma
14 Mark Haas - Petaluma
14p Ryan Porter - Atwater
15 Bill Egleston - Atwater
17 Nick DeCarlo - Martinez
17f Joe Flower - Butte City
23 Oreste Gonella - Petaluma
24 Dan McLean - Napa
25 Rick Karnes - Martinez
25dd Danny Dozier, Jr - Oakley
27 Mark Abouzeid - Chico
28 Junior Dawson - Santa Cruz
28 Chester Kniss - Antioch
28b Keith Brown - Pittsburg
31 Jeremy Prince - Martinez
32 Nick Caughman - Suisun
33 Don Camilli - Santa Rosa
46 Joel Myers - Santa Rosa
54 Brian Azeveda - Petaluma
59s Paul Anderson - Windsor
62 Jeremy Newberry - Brentwood
66 Kevin Fitzgerald - Brentwood
66p Paul Stone - Winton
68 Norman Boeck - Novato
73 Scott Busby -Martinez
73 Steve Stone - Winton
74s Chris Sieweke - Santa Rosa
80 John Pierce - San Jose
80 Matt Petrell - Oakley
82 Sean O'Gara - Fairfield
83 Kellen Chadwick - Oakley
84 Robby Jeppesen - Merced
90 Jeremy Petrell - Oakley
96 Jeff Olschowka - Chico
99 Kenny Neu - Oakley
u81 Bobby Motts, Jr. - San Pablo
225 Bill Smith - Sparks, NV
It
was hard to tell whether or not Mother Nature was going
to participate this past weekend at Redwood Acres
Raceway. All week prior, nobody was sure if it was going
to rain or not on Saturday.
There were
showers in the morning that worried folks, but track
officials stuck to the game plan and by the afternoon it
looked as though there would be racing on the night.
Thankfully, there was.
Joining the
local classes of cars for this race were the Airport
Auto Brokers Late Model series (AABLM) for their first
of two points-paying visits at the Acres in 2010.
Things got
exciting from the very get-go of the night. In the real
stock trophy dash, Jim Redd spun in turn four collecting
Shawn Craig.
Craig’s car
suffered extensive front-end damage, but he was able to
return to the track later on. Redd ended up taking the
dash win over
Ryan Robinson
and Nick Green. Green was victorious in the heat race
ahead of a
dead-heat for second place between Ray Middleton and
Casey Mitchell. Bill Middleton took the lead early on in
the main event but was challenged by Redd for the lead
on lap three. The two came together in the first turn
briefly causing Redd’s car to get sideways, but both
drivers continued. Redd fought back and on lap 8 he and
Robinson were able to move past Middleton. Robinson rode
closely in Redd’s mirror until the final lap when Redd
pushed high off turn two allowing Robinson to maneuver
inside. The two raced side-by-side going into turn
three. Of the fourth corner, Robinson was able to
prevail in the low line and he crossed the finish line
first over Redd, Mitchell, Craig and Bill Middleton.
Raleigh
Willoughby stayed perfect in the roadrunner trophy dash,
winning the fourth out of four dashes this season. Nick
Hansen, Robbie Nelson and Charlie Anderson rounded out
the finishers. Hansen took the heat race win over Kolby
Jackson, Jimmy Murray, Nelson and Anderson. The main
event got off to a slow start. Going into the third turn
on lap one, Timothy Arvada got into the back of Michael
Lawrence sending Lawrence spinning. Anderson with
nowhere to go hit Lawrence’s rear end giving Anderson’s
car front-end damage. Both drivers were able to continue
in the race.
After the
restart, things appeared to go more smoothly as Murray
was able to take the lead ahead of the field. However on
lap two, Justin DelBiaggio spun coming off turn two into
the infield. At the same time going in turns three and
four, Nelson spun. Willoughby slowed and moved high to
avoid Nelson but behind them, Jake Moxon wasn’t able to
slow and rammed into the back of Willoughby’s car.
Unfortunately the ambulance was called onto the track
for Willoughby. Safety officials used the jaws of life
to extract Willoughby out of his car and he was taken to
the local hospital where he was later released with no
major injuries. Because of the time taken during this
period, the race was shortened to prevent the 11:00
curfew from becoming a factor. The green came back out
with Murray leading but it would only be briefly. On lap
five, Hansen moved by to take the lead. Hansen was able
to withstand several challenges from Jackson to win his
first ever main event. Murray placed third with Anderson
fourth and Nelson fifth.
David Henderson
took the trophy dash win in the thunder roadster
division ahead of Paul Peeples, Jr., Brandon Barnwell
and Mike Ward.
Barnwell won the
heat over Peeples, Chris Sarvinski, Tommy Payne and
Henderson. Bruce Ziemer held the lead early on in the
main event but on lap six Sarvinski took the lead
bringing Peeples and Barnwell with him. A lap later,
Peeples moved under and past with Barnwell following in
second. The top two ran nose-to-tail for the duration of
the event with Barnwell trying to find the momentum to
make a run on Peeples but he couldn’t find it. Peeples
held on to win over Barnwell, while a fast closing
Henderson placed third, Sarvinski fourth and Payne
fifth.
The win in the
sportsman trophy dash went to Joe McDonald over Mic
Moulton, Dennis DelBiaggio and Angelo Marcelli.
DelBiaggio took the heat race win over Jerry Peterson,
Marcelli, Moulton and Donnie Brown.
DelBiaggio used
his outside front row starting position to his advantage
as he took the lead from the start of the main event.
While the rest of the field fought for position second
on back, DelBiaggio pulled out to a substantial margin.
McDonald was the first to break through into second and
later Moulton in third. Moulton was able to pass
McDonald in the waning moments of the race, but
DelBiaggio’s margin was too big to overcome. At the
checkered it was DelBiaggio, Moulton, McDonald, Marcelli
and Pries.
Randy Houston
took the victory in the fast dash for the AABLM cars
over Corey James, Mike Lovell, David Miller, Mike Doss
and Kevin Ostern. In the slow dash, Dallas Shane and
Mike Bourbon got together in the third turn sending
Bourbon in the wall and out for the rest of the night.
Jeremy Donahoo took the slow dash win ahead of Allen
Gibney, Shane and Brandon Barnwell. The 75-lap feature
got off to a fairly smooth start with Clay Caturegli
taking the lead from pole position over outside
pole-sitter, Jim Stillman, Jr. while farther back in the
pack, Doss had issues and had to make his way from the
very back of the pack. Misfortune struck Eric Gannon on
lap three as his car began smoking forcing him into the
pits and out of action. A few laps later, Houston’s car
began showing smoke and he too would be forced into the
pits and out of the race. By the tenth lap, the major
players for the race were in the top five as Caturegli
held the lead over Stillman, James, Miller and Lovell.
On lap 12, Miller moved under and by James for the third
position. A lap later, Stillman was able to move under
Caturegli for the lead. Caturgeli was freight-trained
out of the top five as now it was Stillman leading
Miller, James, Lovell and Ostern. The caution flag flew
on lap 20 when Donahoo hit the water barrels in turn
two.
Miller wasted
little time after the restart taking the top position
lap 22. Miller began pulling away as Stillman and James
battled for the second spot. On lap 43, James moved by
Stillman for second.
Miller’s
toughest challenge would come on lap 45 when Caturegli
spun in the fourth turn right in front of him.
Fortunately, Miller avoided any contact. Miller’s only
other obstacle would come at lap 50 when Gibney and
Shane got jammed up entering pit road in turn two. After
the restart, Miller drove away from the field. By the
time the checkered flag flew, Miller was more or less in
his own area code as he handily won over James, Stillman,
Lovell and Doss who narrowly beat Ostern to the finish
line for sixth.
Racing returns
to Redwood Acres Raceway on June 5th with the Northern
California Pro-4 Modifieds making the first stop of the
season. The AABLM series will be moving on to Lakeport
Speedway this weekend, May 29th. The AABLM cars will
return to the Acres July 31st.
5-25-10
Pounds Wins Second of the Season
Source: KT Racing
Bakersfield Speedway
BAKERSFIELD, California — “The
Dominator” Brad Pounds drove his ONIT CHASSIS IMCA to
it’s second win of the season at Bakersfield Speedway.
Pounds started 8th on the grid and quickly passed 4 cars
in the first 2 laps and found himself in 4th place. On
the 6th lap he was in 2nd place. He and Larry Hood
dueled it out for the next 9 laps and Pounds finally
went low in one and two and gave Hood a little bump up
the track and went by. Pounds then took off on the field
and won the race.
Pounds and Hood
both drive ONIT CHASSIS designed and built by Brad
Pounds and Scott Pounds Racing. Pounds has the lead in
points in the IMCA Division at Bakersfield
Speedway. Larry
Hood is leading in the points race for the California
State IMCA Championship and is in 2nd place in points in
IMCA Western Region.
Pounds won 17
times in 2009, finishing 2nd in points at Bakersfield
Speedway and 2nd in the California State IMCA
Championship. This is Pounds 124th career main event
win.
Pounds also
drives a Super Late Model on the dirt and has finished
2nd and 3rd in 2 of 3 races he has run so far this year.
You can watch
most of his races on RealFast.TV on The GoLiveStream
Network.
www.bradpounds.com
5-25-10
Whelen Night at the Races Produces a First Ever WLM
Victory for Seventeen Year Old Michael Sandoval
Source: David Holman
Stockton 99 Speedway
When viewed through endless summer fields, the
Speedway’s unobtrusive face: a jewel across the seamless
grass, so satisfying. And, if you like satisfaction you
were definitely filled to the brim on Saturday, May
22nd, as Stockton 99 Speedway Presented Whelen Night at
the Races with the NASCAR Whelen All American Racing
Series Western Late Models, Grand American Modifieds,
Street Stocks, Bombers, Basically-4-Cylinders and Mini
Trucks/Mini Stocks. Double Track Points were up for
grabs in all Divisions.
After a week of
some controversy and some penalties being levied, the
Western Late Models rolled back into action in what
might be construed as more cautious beginnings. And
alas, as the green flag flew, these boys were whistling
through the wind. Rookie Michael Sandoval (17) of Ripon
started on point with track newcomer, Jeff Streeter (88)
of Chowchilla flanking him to the right. As the green
flag fell, Sandoval jumped quickly to the lead with WLM
Points Leader and Rookie Chad Holman (9) of Manteca in
hot pursuit. On this night, Holman would shadow
Sandoval’s every move until the final laps when a couple
of slower cars came into play which allowed Holman to
get to Sandoval’s bumper, but to no avail. Sandoval held
on like a seasoned veteran as he crossed beneath the
checkers for his well-earned, first-ever Late Model win,
going wire to wire. “This is what we were hoping for: to
get out front with no yellows,” said the very
well-mannered Sandoval, “I can’t believe we won, it’s
like it isn’t even real.” Holman was denied another win
and had to settle for second, but said, “I could have
bumped him out of the way for the win, but that’s not
how I drive. My hat is off to the kid (Sandoval), he
stayed cool under pressure and he earned the win.”
Modesto’s Mike Beeler came through the field to finish
on the podium in third while fast-timer Tim Spurgeon
(86) of Danville brought her home a close fourth.
Newcomer, Streeter, rounded out the top five.
The Grand
American Modifieds returned to the Speedway after
enjoying a week off. Unfortunately for the Division, the
car-count continued to hover around two. Of course, the
steadfast Points Leader AJ Ryder (62) of Stockton was
ever-present and started on pole with Tyler Wentworth
(17) of Rocklin at his side. When the green flag dropped
it was as though Wentworth had been shot out of a canon
as he grabbed the lead and never looked back, despite
the fact Ryder hugged his back bumper throughout the ten
lap duel. At the checkers it would be Tyler by half a
car-length over Ryder. Some might think to the contrary,
but this was actually a good race between two equal
cars. And these guys put on a great show.
Last week,
Points Leader Sammy Solari suffered a rare evening of
bad luck. This week, he was back in force with the hopes
the Racing Gods would be smiling on him. Dennis Saunders
(91) of Modesto and Robert Daniel(s) (17) of Lodi paced
the field to green to get this one up to speed. Saunders
showed impressive strength early as he ran out front for
the first eight circuits, but on lap 9, Stockton’s own
Ben Lewis II (22) blew by to lay claim to that much
sought-after real estate up front where he looked as
though he could smell victory as he pulled away from the
pack in a dominate manner. But, to absolutely no one’s
surprise, Solari was behind Lewis eating up the racing
surface as he gained huge hunks of asphalt lap after lap
until finally, on lap 36, after a stern nudge to the
back bumper of Lewis, Solari dove low coming out of four
to capture the lead on his way to his fifth victory in
six starts this year. “I usually run better when it’s
hot,” the confident Solari said, “This car is running so
good, I don’t think the temperature outside affects it
that much.” Lewis held on to finish second with Saunders
on the podium in third. Daniel(s) fell off a bit, but
still managed a fourth while Atwater’s Jason Aquirre
(45), a driver very impressive so far this year, making
up the top five.
The Bombers hit
the speedy asphalt surface with vigor and resolve. So
much so, their emotions couldn’t help but to ignite the
fans in the stands. At the outset, a coin was flipped to
decide the direction things would go, and tonight, these
drivers would be turning right. Due to the eight-car
invert, Stockton’s Jeremy Tucker (051) would inherit the
top spot in this one with Kevin Terpstra (111) of
Modesto alongside. The race would go to green with
Tucker jumping out early only to be slowed on the first
lap when Peggy Sue Jared (313) of Lodi stalled out on
the back-stretch and came to rest on the grass which the
eye of the flagman who promptly brought out the yellow
flag. On the restart, J. Tucker assumed his position,
but was just as quickly unseated on lap 3 when Terpstra
went low for the lead where he would stay until lap 6
when Stockton’s Tom Dahl (004) tagged the #007 of Mike
Masone spinning him backwards down the front-stretch
which eventually came back around to collect Dahl and
bringing with it the second yellow of the race. When the
race went back to green, J. Tucker once again claimed
the number one slot but would surrender the lead on lap
9 to Stockton’s Freddy Rathjen Jr. (290) until lap 13
when Masone did a solo spin down the front-stretch
bringing out the third and final caution on the night.
On the restart, Rathjen would hold point until lap 20
when last week’s Main Event Winner, Robbie Knittel (3)
of Lodi, after working his way up from P8 on the
starting grid, decided it might be time for a repeat as
he dove low for the lead. However, on lap 29, Brandon
Jones (33) of Lodi, who had a win taken away earlier
this year, appeared as out of nowhere and coming around
to the checkers, slipped by Knittel for the win in what
was one of the best races of the night. “I was pretty
sure I could pass him (Knittel), but it got hectic there
coming off the last turn,” said the young, soft-spoken
Jones,” It was fun and it feels great to get a win I get
to keep.” Knittel would have to settle on what was most
likely a disappointing second place finish with Rathjen
slipping back to third. Points Leader Travis Tucker
(350) of Stockton hung in there to bring her home fourth
while J. Tucker rounded out the top five.
Although the
Basically-4-Cylindar’s are a little smaller and equipped
with a little less power, that certainly doesn’t deter
the drivers from running all out, and it certainly
doesn’t take away from the excitement they produce. Two
Modesto drivers, Tommy Wood (28) and Daniel Durbin (13)
got this twenty-five lapper underway from the front row
with Durbin jumping out to grab the early lead which was
extremely short-lived when, on lap 2, Modesto’s Larry
Toon (88) decided it was time to go. And go he did as he
managed to put a full straightaway between himself and
his nearest competitor as he crossed the stripe in what
was a lopsided victory over the rest of the field. The
#22 of Jake Morgenstern, starting deep in the field,
made a hard-charge through the pack to finish a very
impressive second. Defending Division Champion Richard
Hull (23) of Modesto managed a podium finish in third
with JD Silva (56), also of Modesto, crossing the finish
line in fourth. Points Leader Kelle Bobbitt (61), from
parts unknown, came home with a top five.
The Mini
Stocks/Mini Trucks roared back into action for the first
time in several weeks. And it was obvious, they were
ready to go. Chris Parker (21) of Manteca sat on pole
with Modesto’s Jim Morgan outside front row. However, by
the time they came back around to greet lap 1, Ron
Robeck (3) of Milpitas had already shown his hand as he
sped beneath the flag-stand with the lead which he would
carry through, virtually untouchable, to the checkers
and the victory. Jim Morgan (29) of Manteca would finish
a distant second with the #68 of Stockton’s own Chet
Hopkins on the podium in third. Parker suffered
mechanical woes on lap 12 which sent him to the pits and
an early end to his evening. With the absence of Points
Leader Rodney Oliver (27), this night will most
assuredly place Jim Morgan at the head of the Points
List.
Next Saturday,
May 29th, the NASCAR Whelen All American Racing Series
continues with the Memorial Day Race. Included on the
docket for the event will be Western Late Models in Twin
40's. The Grand American Modifieds will be back in
action with the Street Stocks, Bombers, NCMA Sprint
Cars, and MMRA Mini Cups.
The New Stockton
99 Speedway is located at 4105 N. Wilson Way, ¼-mile
west of Highway 99. For more information on tickets and
times, please contact the Speedway Office at
(209)466-9999 or visit their Website at
www.stockton99.com.
The New Stockton
99 Speedway is sponsored by Jackson Rancheria Casino
Hotel, California Welding Supply, Budweiser, Alamo Alarm
and Lodi Hampton Inn and Suites
5-25-10
Twenty with Twenty- SRL Driver Jared Vorse
Source: SRL Media
Releations
Spears SRL Southwest Tour
BAKERSFIELD, California -- The round
trip for one race is sometimes over 2000 miles for
SPEARS SRL Southwest Tour Series driver Jared Vorse and
his team. We caught up with the 22 year-old driver from
Olympia, Washington to get some insight on him, his team
and their decision to be part of the SRL in 2010.
"My dad
started me racing cars in 2005. We raced at South
Sound Speedway in Tenino, Washington, in the pure
stock division my first year, placed 5th in points
and were awarded Rookie of the Year." —
Jared Vorse
20 questions for
the driver of the #20 Knight Fire Protection Chevrolet,
Jared Vorse:
1. What
led to your team making the decision to travel all the
way from Olympia, WA to compete in the SPEARS SRL
Southwest Tour Series? We decided as a team to run the SRL because we
thought it would be a good opportunity to be part of the
strongest series on the West Coast.
2. What
are the biggest challenges for you and your team
competing in the SRL (other than the travel)?
So far, the mechanical failures that we’ve had this year
have taken us out of possible podium finishes in every
race. We’re hoping to have all that behind us now.
3. You
bought your equipment in the off-season to prepare for
the 2010 SRL season, tell us about that scenario (from
who, when, what…). Larry Collins (not of the SRL), our setup guru
and family friend, had gotten in contact with Kenny
Shepherd about buying all of his tour equipment. We
decided six weeks before the SRL season opener at
Roseville to purchase the equipment and began rebuilding
Shepherd’s previous tour car into our primary SRL car.
4. You
obviously have a lot support from your team to be part
of a series based in Southwest. Who are the people who
have come together to make this happen?
Randy Knighton, my car owner, sponsor, boss, and family
friend, became a first-time car owner this year, has
always been a great sponsor and supporter of my racing.
Larry Collins, co-car owner and setup guru, also has
taken on a lot this year by taking time out of his busy
schedule as a business owner to build our shocks and set
up the car.
Lee Cole, my spotter, plays a large part in
transportation of the car and equipment, which means he
must take a lot of time off to make it happen. He also
helps in the maintenance of the car.
Kelly Vorse, my dad, makes it all happen. He is also a
business owner and must take an enormous amount of time
out of his schedule to accompany Lee in the
transportation of the car. He has done the majority of
the fabrication on the car and is my biggest supporter.
5. Any
interesting travel stories so far while coming to an SRL
event?
My dad, Lee, Larry, and Vance were hauling the equipment
to Las Vegas for the Blackjack 121 and hit a snowstorm.
They had the (65 ft) hauler and trailer completely
sideways and finally decided it was time to stop and
wait it out. They said it was a good choice and very
comical to watch motorists struggle through the ice for
6 hours.
6. Are
you enjoying your time in the SRL so far?
Yes, we are as a team. We feel we are doing a good job,
but due to the mechanical failures we have experienced,
our finishes have not been what we had hoped for.
7. How
did you get started in this sport?
My dad started me racing cars in 2005. We raced at South
Sound Speedway in Tenino, Washington, in the pure stock
division my first year, placed 5th in points and were
awarded Rookie of the Year. In 2006, we won the pure
stock championship and set 3 track records and we
excelled from there.
8. What
other sports are you good at?
I used to race quads and won many championships. I ride
motorcycles now for fun and snowboard when I get the
chance.
9. How
do you relax?
I never relax. I’m always on the move, but I’m ok with
that.
10.
Favorite activity away from the racetrack?
Riding motorcycles with my dad and my buddies.
11. One
sport you would never try?
I would be willing to try any sport once.
12.
Favorite racing moment?
Winning the “Firecracker 125” at Montana Raceway Park in
2008.
13.
Worst household chore?
Cleaning the cat box.
14. Who
has made the most impact in your life?
I’d have to say my dad. He has always done whatever it
has taken and
pushed me harder than anyone else to the best I can be.
He has also provided us with some of the best equipment,
no matter what kind of racing it has been. He has also
taught me just about everything I know.
15. If
you could chose anyone in the world to be your crew
chief, who would it be?
Chad Knaus, because he is the greatest crew chief of all
time.
16. Most
embarrassing moment in racing?
The first time my girlfriend’s mom was at the track, she
walked in on me changing into my driving suit…luckily I
was in my boxers.
17. What
pays the bills? Job/occupation?
I am currently a journeyman pipefitter and underground
foreman at Knight Fire Protection, installing fire
suppression systems.
18.
Words to live by?
You only get one chance at every day, so make the most
of it.
19.
Racing goals for 2010?
Due to mechanical failures we have had, we now hope to
finish inside the top 5 in the SRL championship.
20.
Greatest racing accomplishments:
2008-
Firecracker 125 Champion
2008- ARCA
West Circle K Late Model Challenge Series Rookie of
the Year, 2nd in points
2007- Late
Model Rookie of the Year at South Sound Speedway
2006-
Champion, pure stock class at South Sound Speedway
2005- Rookie
of the Year, pure stock class at South Sound
Speedway
Jared and his
Knight Fire Protection team will see Stockton 99
Speedway for the first time at the upcoming SPEARS SRL
Southwest Tour Series “Mid Valley Iron and Metals 130”
on June 12th.
5-23-10
Tim Kaeding Comes Out on top of Ultra Exciting Ocean
Sprint Car Series Presented by Taco Bravo Main Event
Saturday Night at Groppetti Automotive Thund
Source: Gary Thomas
Ocean Sprint Cars
TULARE, California — When it comes to
thrilling races at the Groppetti Automotive Thunderbowl
Raceway San Jose, California's Tim Kaeding is routinely
in the thick of things each time and on Saturday night
the former King of California once again put his name
towards the front of the field and claimed victory in
the 30-lap feature with the Ocean 360 Sprint Car Series
presented by Taco Bravo.
The most recent
360 sprint car event at the Tulare, California based
track had seen Kaeding score the win at the annual
Trophy Cup, coming from 24th to first during the final
night's main event and his victory this past Saturday
marked his third career triumph with the Ocean Sprints.
"That was some
of the most fun I've had racing there and trading the
lead with Kyle Larson and Tommy Tarlton through traffic
because you can't get much better than that," said
Kaeding, who also captured the final two events of the
2009 Ocean Sprints season last October. "We had a real
great track tonight so that made for some great racing
again here and I have to thank Dennis & Teresa Roth, my
whole team and all you fans for coming out tonight."
With the number
zero pill being drawn it put fast-qualifier Tommy
Tarlton on the pole with T. Kaeding on the outside and
when the green flag waved the San Jose driver jumped
into the lead aboard his Roth Motorsports, DTR Transport
No. 83. Early on it was apparent that great racing was
going to be seen as drivers used every inch of the
expertly prepared Thunderbowl Raceway 1/3 mile clay
oval. Following a couple of caution periods Tarlton
started to hound the rear of Kaeding and with a handful
of laps down the current Ocean Sprint Car Series point
leader and defending champ made the move by to claim the
lead.
The final
caution of the event would come out on lap-six for Grass
Valley's Jason Statler and Vancouver, Washington's Zach
Zimmerly, who had both come to a stop in turn four. When
flagman Willie Williams waved the green once again the
final 24-circuits were clicked off caution free and
featured some tremendous racing as side-by-side action
was seen all throughout the pack. Elk Grove's Kyle
Larson made his presence known on the lap-six restart by
carving his way into fourth after starting from the
sixth row aboard the Stadelhofer Construction,
Peppermill Casino No. 99 mount. The fight for the lead
remained a torrid one as T. Kaeding closed back in and
around lap-12 would make his way back by Tarlton for the
top-spot.
Tarlton showed
that he wasn't done just yet however, and returned the
favor shortly after to re-claim the lead as the pair put
on a thrilling show for the crowd on hand. As the midway
point was reached Larson continued his charge to the
front and dispatched of Salinas, CA's Ronnie Day to
claim third, before quickly closing in and making it a
three-way fight for the lead. The trio proceeded to put
on some of the best wheel-to-wheel racing you could ever
see as they went three-wide multiple times with lapped
cars in the mix every step of the way.
With about
10-laps remaining Larson then got the bite needed to
slip under both Tarlton and T. Kaeding to make it
three-abreast down the front stretch and push his way to
the front of the field as the crowd got on their feet.
"TK" stuck his machine at the tip-top of the raceway
though and charged back around Larson to move to the
front of the field off turn two heading down the back
straightaway. The 17-year-old youngster stayed with it
and got side-by-side with the Roth No. 83 sprinter
multiple times over the next few laps, until T. Kaeding
got into a groove and put some distance between he and
the rest of the field.
With T. Kaeding
stretching the lead out Larson now had to deal with
Campbell's Brent Kaeding, who had come out of nowhere
and sliced his way under the youngster with just
six-laps remaining to steal the runner-up spot aboard
his Al's Roofing Supply, High Five Pizza No. 69. As "TK"
had the race in hand out front the battle to watch was
the fight for second between the BK Motorsports
teammates with B. Kaeding and Larson having a tremendous
duel over the closing laps.
When flagman
Willie Williams waved the checkered T. Kaeding crossed
under it in first with B. Kaeding winning the fight for
second and Larson finishing in third. Both Brent Kaeding
and Larson started in row six and had great runs in the
feature to round out the podium. Completing the top-10
in the exciting Ocean Sprint Car Series presented by
Taco Bravo main event were the Corporate America Lending
No. 21 of Tarlton, the Keith Day Trucking No. 22 of
Ronnie Day, the Buster & Ziggy Enterprise No. 11 of
Clovis' Peter Murphy, the KRC Saftey No. 3 of Fresno's
Craig Stidham, the BR Motorsports No. 94t of Visalia's
Steven Tiner, the Ray Scheidts Electric No. 2 of
Pleasanton's Brad Furr and the DF Rios Construction No.
00 of Jason Statler.
The evening's
b-main was captured by Gilroy's Kurt Nelson with the
three eight-lap heat races being won by Prunedale's
Justin Sanders, Statler and Zach Zimmerly. Tarlton set
fast-time to begin the evening with a clocking of 13.816
around the 1/3 mile clay oval. Full results will be
available at http://www.oceansprints.com
Also winning
main events during the night at the Groppetti Automotive
Thunderbowl Raceway were Alex Stanford, who won his
fourth consecutive dirt modified feature at the track
and Chris Smith, who scored victory in the inaugural
Tulare appearance for the west coast street stocks.
The Ocean Sprint
Car Series presented by Taco Bravo will take this coming
week off before resuming action at the Ocean Speedway on
Friday evening June 4. The Groppetti Automotive
Thunderbowl Raceway will be back in action this coming
Sunday night with the annual Salute to Indy featuring
the USAC/CRA Wingless 410 Sprint Cars.