Five Division Program Scheduled For Saturday Night AtOrland

Orland, CA...With summer now upon us, there are some great rivalries developing at Orland Raceway. This Saturday night, the exciting Pure Stocks head up a five division lineup of racing. The Mini Trucks are also back along with the Wingless Gas Sprints and 250 and 600 Micro Sprint classes.

Saturday's race will also serve as a fundraising event for iconic local couple Bob and Priscilla Pasero. The couple are recovering from a house fire and major medical issues they both are currently experiencing. Bob continues to be a huge part of our small town community. He continues to serve the town with fairness and kindness. He is an advocate for our veterans and is very involved in the Missing In America Project.

The Pure Stock division has been a battle at the front of the pack between reigning champion Jeremy Langenderfer and 2015 champion Paul Stevens during the past two races. Langenderfer has won both of them as he now has four wins. Stevens has had a fast car all season, and he didn't come back to settle for second. Paul has won some big races through the years, including last year's $1,000 Battle Of The Axels, and he'll be looking for his second win of the season this Saturday.

Nobody on the roster has raced more than Shannon Collins this year. Last season's championship runnerup planned an ambitious schedule that has him racing sometimes twice each week. Last week's third place finish was one of his best this year at Orland, though he wasn't happy with himself for a tangle that dropped rookie Thomas Pavlik further back in the finish. Shannon has won at Marysville this year, but he'd like to get a win at the home track.

Another driver anxious to get his first win of the season is two time champion Steve Martin. Martin has been running strong so far, and the win could come this week. Other racers to look for this include Amanda McAbel, Thomas Matlock, Cody Bundy and Earl Adams.

It may have been short notice for the hastily booked Mini Truck show two weeks ago, but reigning champion Keith Ross still found his way to the winner's circle. Ross has been battling 2016 champion Dan Webster and Jeff Bennett this season, and the other two drivers have also recorded victories. Bennett was able to make the last race, but he may have wished he hadn't after crashing into a tractor tire and getting his front wheels way in the air. Fortunately, Jeff wasn't injured and the truck is fixable. Saturday night should be another good show, and other drivers to watch for include Kevin Kvalick, Tony Quinonez and William Fogle.

After winning the first two Main Events of the season, multi time champion Josh Jacobo may have thought It would be easy going for him in the Wingless Gas Sprint division. However, he's been shut out of the winner's circle for the past three races. It was Josh Tucker winning the next two races, including a photo finish across the line with Tanner Thomson. Then, the news got even better for the fans of the division. It was reigning Chico champion Tony Richards returning at the most recent race to pick up the Main Event victory. The competition level has risen in this division as RJ Baker, Rob Worthington, and David Johnson are other drivers to watch in the race for victory this week.

The track will be running both Micro classes this week. The difference is the size of the engine. Both are running motorcycle engines. There are 600cc and 250cc classes. Last time out, Antonia Boscacci was the latest driver to win a 600 Micro Main Event. Other stairs in the division include Kyra Michelet, Tony Alosi and Cody Gray. Meanwhile, Alex Fowler was the most recent 250 Micro class winner. Other stars in the class include James Barnes, Pax Gonzalez and Zach Webster.

Saturday's racing program on Rich Hood's 1/5 mile dirt oval should be a good one. For further information, go to the Orland Raceway Facebook site.