Post by cw on Jun 6, 2019 22:52:17 GMT -6
Been a while since I've logged on. Still covering several different tracks. Will try to post more here. One of our two racing blogs features Antioch Speedway, Petaluma Speedway and more. It's dcrrbook.blogspot.com/
Aton Wins Civil War Sprint Car Race At Antioch Speedway
Antioch, CA...June 1...Billy Aton scored the victory in the 30 lap Civil War Series Winged 360 Sprint Car Main Event Saturday night at Antioch Speedway. This was the only appearance of the Sprint Car tour, which is now in its 29th season of operation. After winning his heat race, Aton had the pole for the Main Event and was never seriously threatened for the lead.
Aton raced into the lead at the start ahead of fellow heat race winner Kurt Nelson. The other heat race winner, Ricky Brophy, saw his race come to an end on the back stretch after a tangle with Shawn Arriaga. Aton continued to lead the way over Nelson and Arriaga on the restart. The race had three additional yellow flags, the last happening on lap 26 for a car in Turn 2. Aton didn't let that stop him as he led when the green flag waved and brought it home to a satisfying victory. Nelson settled for second, followed by Arriaga, reigning Petaluma champion Jake Haulot and Joel Myers Jr.
Brent Curran scored the victory in the 20 lap All Star Series B Modified Main Event. In the process, Curran matched his championship rival Tommy Fraser with three feature triumphs. Curran raced into the lead at the start ahead of Kevin Brown. Brown surrendered second to Kenny Shrader with a front stretch pass on lap four. Todd Gomez had settled into third by the time the only yellow flag flew on lap seven. Curran continued to set the pace with Shrader and Gomez right behind him. Gomez began to challenge Shrader for second before making the pass on lap 16. Curran used the battle behind him to stretch his advantage just a little bit more and picked up the win. Gomez finished second, followed by Shrader, Fraser and Cameron Swank.
Scott Dahlgren won the 20 lap Dwarf Car Main Event. In the process, the current point leader became the first two-time feature winner in five events. Thomas Leiby led the first five laps of the race before Dahlgren dove low entering Turn 1 and emerged with the lead. With Leiby still in close pursuit as they worked slower traffic, Dahlgren made all the right moves. Only one yellow flag slow down occurred on lap 10, but Dahlgren continued to run strong and scored the victory with Leiby not far behind. Travis Dutra took third from Devan Kammermann on lap six and drove a great race to finish third, followed by Kammermann and David Michael Rosa.
Next Saturday is a special event at Antioch Speedway. It's the Third Annual Jerry Hetrick Memorial race, featuring All Star Series A Modifieds, DIRTcar Late Models, Wingless Spec Sprints, B Modifieds and Hobby Stocks. For further information, go to www.antiochspeedway.com.
Unofficial Rece Results
All Star Series Antioch Speedway
Civil War Winged 360 Sprint Cars
Heat Winners (8 laps)-Billy Aton, Ricky Brophy, Kurt Nelsen. Main Event (30 laps)-Billy Aton, Kurt Nelsen, Shawn Arriaga, Jake Haulot, Joel Myers Jr, Emily Williams, Jake Andreotti, Jacob Tuttle, Joey Ancona, Bradley Dillard.
B Modifieds
Heat Winners (8 laps)-Cameron Swank, Todd Gomez. Main Event (20 laps)-Brent Curran, Todd Gomez, Kenny Shrader, Tommy Fraser, Cameron Swank, Kevin Brown, Haley Gomez, Dennis Gilcrease, Tommy Clymens Jr, Mark Garner.
Dwarf Cars
Heat Winners (8 laps)-David Michael Rosa, Scott Dahlgren. Main Event (20 laps)-Scott Dahlgren, Thomas Leiby, Travis Dutra, Devan Kammermann, David Michael Rosa, David Rosa, Troy Stevenson, Mario Marques, Timmy Ryan, George Carvalho.
Antioch Speedway Prepares For
Third Annual Jerry Hetrick Memorial Race
Antioch, CA...This Saturday night is a special night of racing at Antioch Speedway. Not only is there an exciting lineup of five All Star Series racing divisions, it will be an occasion on which we remember Jerry Hetrick. This is the Third Annual Jerry Hetrick Memorial race.
Hetrick was a Sportsman racer at the track in the 1970s. Some of his highlights include being a track qualifying record holder with one of the first 15 second laps turned on the then quarter-mile clay oval. He was also a feature winner and a Top 5 ranked point competitor. He retired from racing following the 1981 season.
Jerry was known as one of the racers who could do more with lesser equipment then many of his fellow competitors. He was well respected among his peers as somebody who would help others when he could. Long after he retired, Jerry was still helping other racers. When he passed away prior to the 2017 season, Promoter John M Soares added this race in his memory.
Divisions competing on the 3/8 mile clay oval this Saturday night will be the A Modifieds, B Modifieds, DIRTcar Late Models, Hobby Stocks and Wingless Spec Sprints. A strong turnout is anticipated for this event, and some are speculating that this could be the biggest supported event of the season so far.
The A Modified championship battle has taken on a different look with young Buddy Kniss and Danny Wagner locked in a close race for the point lead. Kniss is a feature winner this season, and Wagner also has a victory to his credit. As it stands, Kniss holds a slim eight point lead over Wagner following the most recent event, which was won by Kellen Chadwick. Chadwick is anticipated for this weekend's memorial event, and two-time winner and reigning champion Nick DeCarlo could be there as well. DeCarlo was a winner in the recent race at Petaluma Speedway last week.
Third place is another close battle as Buddy's father Chester Kniss leads rookie Frank Furtado by just nine points. 22 points behind Kniss is the tied Sean Wilson and Chadwick. Most of these drivers should be there this week, and others to watch for include Brian Pearce, Jeff Decker, Gary Hetrick and Ron Brown. You never know who else might show up as this race has quietly become one of the bigger events for the track.
The B Modified championship battle is the closest at the speedway. Last week, Brent Curran joined Tommy Fraser as a three-time Main Event winner. As a result, the duo are tied for the lead, 10 points ahead of rookie Cameron Swank, who brought it home to yet another Top 5 finish. Swank will be hoping to get his first win this week. Todd Gomez took a step closer to getting a win as he finished second last week after a good battle with Kenny Shrader. Might this be his week to shine?
Kevin Brown is another driver hoping to get some Main Event glory. He's only 24 points out of the lead and 14 behind Swank. Other drivers to look for this week include Tommy Clymens Jr, Haley Gomez, Dennis Gilcrease and Mark Garner. Trevor Clymens has been missing for two weeks following his recent surgery. We haven't heard when the two-time champion will return, but he's anxious to get behind the wheel as soon as he is cleared to do so.
The Late Model division has pretty much been the Richard Papenhausen show after three races. Papenhausen has won all three races by a wide margin. The battle has been for second, and Rod Oliver and Kimo Oreta have both finished as high as second in the Main Event. Oliver is 20 points behind Papenhausen and just eight ahead of Oreta in a closer battle for second in the standings. 16 points out of second is Mike Hynes. Beating Papenhausen may be easier said than done, but these three drivers will certainly give it their best. Others to watch for this week include Dennis Souza, Rob Norris and Danny Malfatti.
Much like the Late Model division, the Wingless Spec Sprints have been pretty much dominated by Shannon Newton. Newton has won all four Main Events so far this season aboard the Richard Basden owned entry, and it hasn't really been that close. With two second place finishes among his season highlights, ageless veteran Roy Fisher is just 20 points out of the lead and 20 ahead of division original Rick Panfili. Both drivers are looking to win this week, and for Panfili, a win would be the first of his career. Panfili leads Mackenzie Newton by 14 points in a closer battle for third.
Adam Teves and two-time division champion Dan Gonderman are the other drivers to finish as high as second this year, and both would figure to be the drivers with the best shot at beating Newton. Word is that reigning champion Bob Newberry is poised to make a return very soon. Newberry would emerge as the biggest threat to beat Newton. Other drivers to watch for this week include rookie Jeff Scotto, Cameron Martin, Troy Ferry and Kevin Box.
The Hobby Stock division has seen an influx of talented new drivers in the past two seasons. However, it's experience that's getting the job done at the front of the pack. Two-time reigning champion Chris Sorensen now holds a 42 point lead over Josh Leach. Sorensen has won three Main Events this season and hasn't finished worse than third. With that kind of consistency, it's going to be difficult to evict him from the top position. With one victory to his credit, Josh Leach now holds second by six points over Breanna Troen.
Troen has led several laps of the past couple of Main Events, but unfortunately the victories have eluded her. She and Sorensen are the only two drivers with all Top 5 finishes so far this year. Troen seems poised to get her first win of the season at any time. Will Buirch has done a good job in what is essentially his rookie season. He holds a 26 point advantage over Ken Johns in a good race for fourth in the standings. Other drivers to watch for this week include Philip Oreta, Dalton Jewel, John Wacht, Luke Brignoli and Jeff Betancourt.
The Jerry Hetrick Memorial will be a special night at Antioch Speedway and an event that you won't want to miss. Not only will we be remembering one of the past greats, but it will be an exciting five-division lineup. For further information, go to www.antiochspeedway.com.
Copeland Wins King Of The West Sprint Car Race
At Petaluma Speedway
Petaluma, CA...June 1...Colby Copeland won the 33 lap NARC/King Of The West Fujitsu Winged Sprint Car Series Main Event Saturday night at Petaluma Speedway. Copeland becomes the third different winner in as many races. Copeland had to endure three overtime restart attempts before taking the checkered flag in the thrilling race. He was piloting the Goodguys Rod & Custom entry, which is owned by Antaya Motorsports
Copeland led the race from the drop of the green flag, but Chase Johnson stayed close behind him. They were into slower traffic by lap eight, but Copeland continued to make good moves to keep Johnson behind him. Bud Kaeding was running third when the first yellow flag of the race waived for a Jason Statler spin in Turn 2 on lap 27. Johnson put the pressure on Copeland on the restart. There was a good battle as they entered the final turn, but a red flag waved for an Eli Deshaies rollover on the front straightaway. Under Series rules, this meant that the race would go into overtime.
Again the field took a white flag with Johnson making a move on Copeland, only to see a yellow flag wave for a spun Kaeding in Turn 2. Copeland again led the restart. After taking the white flag, Johnson went just a bit high through Turns 1 and 2, allowing DJ Netto to make a slide job pass. The two cars got together on the back straightaway, resulting in a Johnson spin. The third overtime restart attempt saw Copeland lead the way and pick up the win, followed by Netto, Geoff Ensign, Ryan Bernal, Dominic Scelzi, Kaeding, Statler, Johnson, Willie Croft and Nathan Rolfe.
Croft was the quickest qualifier of the 19 car field with a lap of 14.269 on the 3/8 mile adobe oval. Croft also won his ten lap heat race ahead of Scelzi. Ensign outran Netto to win the second heat, and Johnson picked up the third heat win ahead of Copeland. Copeland earned the pole for the Main Event with his six lap Trophy Dash win ahead of Johnson.
Nick DeCarlo won the 20 lap McLea's Tire Service IMCA Modified Main Event. DeCarlo is a two-time track champion at the speedway and most recently was the champion at Antioch Speedway last season. DeCarlo started in the third row, but after two restart attempts, he took the lead on the opening lap ahead of reigning champion Oreste Gonella. Brian Cass made an inside pass on Gonella for second on lap five and took up pursuit of DeCarlo. However, DeCarlo was just a little too fast for the competition on this occasion as he won the race. Cass settled for second, followed by Gonella, Mitch Machado, Jeff Faulkner, Michael Paul Jr, Trevor Brady, Gary Zwicker, Justin Yeager and Terry Kaiser. Gonella and DeCarlo won the eight lap heat races.
Mark Hanson won his first 20 lap General Hydroponics Redwood Dwarf Car Main Event. Hanson had the pole and raced into the lead at the start ahead of Chad Mattthias. A red flag waved after three laps when Darren Fridolfs rolled in Turn 3. Marcus Hardina had moved into second behind Hansen on the restart, and another red flag waved when Garrett Brady rolled in Turn 4 on lap eight. Hanson continued to lead Hardina, and the lead two cars ran closely at the front of the pack. After a final yellow flag on 15, Hanson continued to fight off the challenges of Hardina and would score the well-earned victory. Matt Hagermann made a late move into third, followed by Matthias, John Peters, Buddy Olschowka, Michael Curry, Michael Williams, Adam Johnson and Jake Van Tuyl. Eight lap heat race wins went to Hardina, Matthias and Fridolfs. The 12 lap B Main win was earned by Alan Heeney ahead of Olschowka and Johnson.
Jeremy Tjensvold won his third 20 lap Jake's Performance Hobbies Mini Stock Main Event. It was Tom Brown leading the opening lap before he spun in Turn 4, handing the lead to Tjensvold. As Tjensvold led the pack to the green flag, Brown began his charge back to the front. Danny Manzoni held the second position for just a lap before Brown went racing by on the backstretch on lap three. Tjensvold held a straightaway lead at that point. Tjensvold began to slow just a little bit during the second half of the race, allowing Brown to cut the lead. However, Tjensvold held on to win ahead of Brown, Bill Manzoni, Antonio Miramontez, Danny Manzoni, Roy Deering, Jason Grover and Cody Bolles. The eight lap heat race win went to Brown ahead of Tjensvold.
Racing continues next Saturday night with the PitStopUSA.com Winged 360 Sprint Cars back in action along with the Lumberjacks Restaurant Super Stocks, Jake's Performance Hobbies Mini Stocks and the BCRA/POWRI Midgets. For further information, go to www.petaluma-speedway.com.
Sprint Cars Back In Action At Petaluma Speedway
Petaluma, CA...The PitStopUSA.com Winged 360 Sprint Cars will roar back into action this Saturday night at Petaluma Speedway. There's been some great racing on the 3/8 mile adobe oval this year, some of which has been provided by The Lumberjacks Restaurant Super Stocks. Joining these two divisions on Saturday will be The BCRA/POWRi Midgets and the Jake's Performance Hobbies Mini Stocks.
John Clark probably doesn't come into the pits with much fanfare, but he's quietly been having his best season yet in Winged 360 Sprint Car competition. Not only has he had some good finishes at Petaluma, but he's also had additional Top 5 success at Marysville and Watsonville this year. After four races, Clark has earned three Top 10 finishes with a pair of Top 5 efforts. This gives him a 34 point advantage over Joel Myers Jr. Myers is only two points ahead of two-time winner Chase Johnson, who thrilled the crowd last week as he battled fiercely with Colby Copeland for the lead in The King of the West Sprint Car race. Unfortunately, his race that night ended on a slide job pass from another driver late in the race. If Johnson competes on Saturday night, he could be the driver to beat.
Another driver with a win to his credit this year is Fremont's Brent Bjork. Bjork races regularly at Silver Dollar Speedway, but he's made a pair of appearances at Petaluma and done well on both occasions. He could be in line for his second feature win. Another driver who is a winner this year is young Angelo Cornet. He picked up his first career victory in Antioch two weeks ago, and he could be a threat on Saturday. Other drivers to watch for include David Lindt II, Shawn Arriaga, Brent Rollag and DJ Freitas.
We are three races into the Lumberjacks Restaurant Super Stock season, and the partnership between reigning champion Mitch Machado and Fred Baker of Baker Motorsports has made Machado even faster. Machado has three-straight wins, but he's not riding too far ahead in the standings as he's been chased across the line all three times by two-time division champion Steve Studebaker. Studebaker would like nothing more than to snap the winning streak of Machado, and he would certainly be the best bet to accomplish that goal.
The steady Manny Avila is holding third in the standings in a close battle with two time-champion Matt While and Austin Ohlinger. Only ten points separate the three drivers, and all of them should not be counted out in the battle for victory this week. Other racers to watch for include Paul Hanley, Gary Adams, Shawn McCoy and rookie David Spindell.
The BCRA and the national sanctioning of POWRi have joined forces this year in an effort to jump-start the struggling Midget effort in California. So far, there have been mixed results. However, there were a dozen competitors last Saturday at Placerville Speedway in a race that was won by Shane Golobic over Robert Dalby. It was the second-straight Midget win for Golobic.The BCRA keeps a very active schedule that sees them running on both dirt and pavement, and it seems like it's their goal every year to race at as many different California tracks as possible.
This weekend, the group will be running on Friday at Watsonville and Saturday at Petaluma, and good car counts are anticipated for both races. They keep dirt, pavement and overall points, and the overall leader is Robert Carson, who finished six last week behind the season best fifth place finish of Marvin Mitchell. These two are expected this Saturday night, and other drivers to watch for include Top 5 ranked JR Williams, Shannon McQueen, Cory Elliott, David Pricket and Alex Schutte.
The Jake's Performance Hobbies Mini Stocks has continued to be a battle between Jeremy Tjensvold and reigning champion Tom Brown. There hasn't been a repeat champion in this class in over a decade, and Brown is trying to accomplish that goal. Last week, he spun from the lead, handing the lead to his teammate. Tjensvold won for the third time, but Brown managed to charge back to a second-place finish to keep things close at the top. Roy Deering had been in the hunt as well, but motor issues last week have set him back just a little bit. These three drivers are anticipated this week along with Danny Manzoni, Bill Manzoni, Sophie Shelley, Jason Grover and Roberta Broze.
Saturday's show should be a good one as the Winged 360 Sprint Cars always deliver the excitement and there should be a good turnout of Midgets as well. Add in the Super Stocks and Mini Stocks and you can't go wrong. For further information, go to www.petaluma-speedway.com.