Post by cw on Jun 15, 2018 8:28:34 GMT -6
Sprint Cars, A Modifieds Headline Jerry Hetrick Memorial Race At Antioch Speedway
Antioch, CA...Antioch Speedway will be having their Third Annual Jerry Hetrick Memorial Race this Saturday night. The event pays tribute to the man who raced in the Sportsman division throughout the 1970s and into the early 1980s. Jerry was known as somebody who could do more with less equipment than most others on the track, and he was always willing to help his fellow racers.
The lineup of divisions this Saturday night includes the Winged 360 Sprint Cars, A Modifieds, B Modifieds, Hobby Stocks and Dwarf Cars. The championship battles are in full swing in all divisions, and this promises to be another exciting race.
Last week, Matt DeMartini picked up his second Winged 360 Sprint Car win of the season in front of Burt Foland Jr. He used it to take over the point lead as two-time reigning champion Art McCarthy remains not too far behind him in second. McCarthy finished third that night, but he's still in search of his first feature win of the season. Despite some difficult luck, Tim Burcher remains in the Top 5 in the standings, but he will be in fourth as David Dias used a fifth place finish in the recent race to move into third. As is the case with these races, you never know who might show up for a run at the money this week.
Two-time Petaluma Speedway champion Nick DeCarlo drove a great race to pick up his third A Modified Main Event win of the season last week. DeCarlo is keeping the pressure on reigning champion Bobby Motts Jr. Motts won his heat race and came from the last row to finish second last time out. The battle remains close between these two.
With his third place finish last time out, Sean O'Gara strengthened his advantage in the race for third in the standings. Rookie Buddy Kniss used his sixth place finish to move up into the Top 5 in points. Both drivers will be looking for better results this week, and other racers to watch for include Raymond Lindeman, Trent Wentworth, Bobby Montalvo, Mike Salazar and Gary Hetrick.
B Modified point leader Trevor Clymens had his work cut out for him last time out. Having won three races in a row, he was starting back in tenth in the Main Event. He made his way up to battle for the lead, but nobody was stopping Merced visitor Tanner Thomas from winning. This included a great effort by Aaron Crowell to move by on the inside. Clymens picked up good points for his finish and stretched his lead to over 100 points ahead of Guy Ahlwardt. Ahlwardt came out the victim in a race for second that left him with body damage that he needed to make a pit stop to repair. Though he has a win at Watsonville, Guy is hoping to get one at Antioch.
They competition level in the B Modified division at Antioch has risen so much that it becomes perhaps the most entertaining race of the night when the stars all choose to come out in support of the show. Some of these great competitors include rookie Brent Curran, Ryan DeForest, Todd Gomez, reigning champion KC Keller, Kenny Neu and Chuck Golden. Work is proceeding on the Nick Caughman Jr car as he should make an appearance soon.
Hobby Stock point leader Chris Sorensen was forced to settle for second last week as reigning champion Cameron Swank won for the second time this season. However, Sorensen still stretched his lead over Michael Cooper, who received a black flag after a contact incident resulted in leader Billy Garner spinning. Garner has been getting faster with each race and seems poised for his first career feature win. He battled back to finish fourth at the checkered flag.
Another driver looking good last week with his second straight third place finish was Anthony Vigna. Anthony is off to a late start, but If he can continue this pace, a move into the Top 5 in the standings is within his grasp. Tanis Rangel was looking good in his heat race win, and it could be that he's the next rookie, following John Wacht, to get his first feature win. Other drivers to watch for include Breanna Troen, Chris Bennett and Josh Leach.
David Michael Rosa had been on the verge of his first career Dwarf Car Main Event win with several second place finishes. Last week, he finally got it done. To get the win he had to hold off point leader and four time winner Mike Corsaro. At this stage of the season, a second is fine for Corsaro, who has enough of a point lead to miss a race and still be leading.
Recently, 2010 champion Jerry Doty returned. Jerry raced Stock Cars back to the 1980s. He finished fifth this time. Another Top 5 star going back to the previous decade is Tony Carmignani. He finished third last week, and he is certainly somebody to watch in the battle for victory. Other drivers to watch for include David Rosa, Charlie Correia, Mario Marquez and Lonnie Tekaat.
Saturday night is an opportunity for Antioch Speedway to pay tribute to one of the great racers of the past. The Jerry Hetrick Memorial is a race that long time racers want to be a part of. It should be a great night of racing. For further information, go to www.antiochspeedway.com.
DeMartini, DeCarlo, Thomas Win Antioch Speedway Races
Antioch, CA...June 9...A good crowd turned out to watch All Star Series racing Saturday night at Antioch Speedway. The Winged 360 Sprint Car division was back to make their third appearance of the season, and Matt DeMartini gained the point lead with his second 20 lap Main Event victory. DeMartini and fellow second generation racer Burt Foland Jr each won eight lap heat races to grab front row starts for the Main Event. After a few new drivers spun for early yellow flags, It was DeMartini winning the battle with Foland, who settled for second. Reigning champion Art McCarthy finished a solid third ahead of Jacob Tuttle and David Dias.
Nick DeCarlo returned to the Winner's Circle in the 20 lap A Modified Main Event. DeCarlo got the pole for the race after Eric Berendsen scratched due to mechanical issues in his season debut. DeCarlo charged into the lead from the start as point leader Bobby Motts Jr came up from the fourth row. Motts managed to get up to second, but there was no way he could stop DeCarlo from getting his third win of the season. Sean O'Gara was a solid third ahead of Brian Cass and Bobby Montalvo. Cass and Motts were heat race winners.
Merced Speedway star Tanner Thomas came to Antioch Speedway about 25 years to the date from the night his father, Darren Thomas, scored an unlikely Street Stock win from the back of the pack. This time, Tanner Thomas had a front row start and led all 20 laps for the feature win. However, he had to contend with 2004 Modified champion Aaron Crowell, who made several attempts to get by on the inside before settling for second. Trevor Clymens battled from tenth starting to finish third, followed by Brent Curran and Kenny Shrader. Thomas, Todd Gomez and Tommy Fraser were heat race winners.
Reigning champion Cameron Swank picked up his second 20 lap Hobby Stock feature win of the season. Billy Garner charged into the lead at the start and led for seven laps ahead of Anthony Vigna. However, on a restart, Michael Cooper got together with Garner, resulting in a Garner spin in Turn 2. Cooper was black flagged from the race. Vigna had the lead, but it wasn't long after the next restart when Swank charged past him and pulled away from the pack. Point leader Chris Sorensen also made a move around Vigna for second during the final ten laps of the race. Vigna settled for third ahead of Garner and Anthony Wellborn. Wellborn, Swank and Tanis Rangel won their heat races.
David Michael Rosa finally picked up his first career 20 lap Dwarf Car Main Event victory. Rosa started back in the fourth row and worked his way to the front. Once he got there, he had to contend with four time feature winner and point leader Mike Corsaro. However, Rosa was up to the task as he held off Corsaro for the victory. Tony Carmignani finished third ahead of Lonnie Tecaat and 2010 champion Jerry Doty.
Next week is the Third Annual Jerry Hetrick Memorial Race. All Star Series divisions include Winged 360 Sprint Cars, A Modifieds, B Modifieds, Hobby Stocks and Dwarf Cars. For further information, go to www.antiochspeedway.com.
Unofficial Race Results
All Star Series
Winged 360 Sprint Cars
Heat Winners (8 Laps)-Matt DeMartini, Burt Foland Jr. Main Event (20 Laps)-DeMartini, Foland, Art McCarthy, Jacob Turtle, David Dias, Kurt Nelson, Tim Burcher, Geoffrey Strole, Ryon Nelson, Chris Nelson NS.
A Modifieds
Heat Winners (8 Laps)-Bobby Motts Jr, Brian Cass. Main Event (20 Laps)-Nick DeCarlo, Motts, Sean O'Gara, Cass, Bobby Montalvo, Buddy Kniss, Tim Balding, Eric Berendsen NS.
B Modifieds
Heat Winners (8 Laps)-Todd Gomez, Tanner Thomas, Tommy Fraser. Main Event (20 Laps)-Thomas, Aaron Crowell, Trevor Clymens, Brent Curran, Kenny Shrader, Chuck Golden, Guy Ahlwardt, Doff Cooksey, Mike Mates, Robby Senn.
Hobby Stocks
Heat Winners (8 Laps)-Anthony Wellborn, Cameron Swank, Tanis Rangel. Main Event (20 Laps)-Swank, Chris Sorensen, Anthony Vigna, Billy Garner, Wellborn, John Wacht, Josh Leach, Ed Letterman, Lindsey Buirch, Breanna Troen.
Dwarf Cars
Heat Winners (8 Laps)-Mike Corsaro, Lonnie Tekaat. Main Event (20 Laps)-David Michael Rosa, Mike Corsaro, Tony Carmignani, Tekaat, Jerry Doty, Chris Becker, Chris Mello, Mario Marquez, Timmy Ryan.