Post by cw on Jun 17, 2016 16:51:02 GMT -6
Five Divisions Of Racing This Saturday Night At Southern Oregon Speedway
White City, Oregon...The Southern Oregon Dwarf Car Association is back as part of a five division show at Southern Oregon Speedway this Saturday night. They join IMCA Sport Modifieds, Open Stock Cars, Mini Stocks and Hornets as part of an exciting five division program on the 3/10th mile clay oval track.
Promoter Mike McCann noticed that there were some Late Models and other Stock Cars just sitting around waiting for a race. The Open Stock class was added as a way to get these cars back to the race track. The division has an open motor and tire rule. Basically, drivers can just bring their cars to the track and go racing. All fendered Stock Cars are welcome.
Long time Late Model and Sprint Car racer Mike Linder won the inaugural race two weeks ago ahead of Bob Dees. Dees has held on to his Late Model for the past few seasons in the hopes that he might get a chance to race it again at his home track. "We were trying to keep the Late Model division going about five years ago, " Bob explained. "There were a few of us showing up to race. Then, it got to where I was the only driver coming and that was it."
Bob's son Garrett was one of the last Street Stock drivers competing when his division was dropped in 2014. His car is legal for this division, and he's hoping to come race when his busy work schedule will allow it. Bob's other son, John Dees, has a Late Model in the works for the class. "I'm hoping this class will really take off, " said Bob, who was fourth ranked in Late Model points in 2011. "We need a class like this here. They're a lot of fun to drive, and they put on a good show for the fans."
It might seems like a long distance from the Hornets division to Open Stock, but a racer has to start some place. Hornets are basically stock four cylinder race cars for the budget minded and new comers to the sport. Tim Hedges made his first start two weeks ago and won his heat race. He got into the class for less than $1,000. "I've been following (Vern) Wheeler and decided I needed to get my own car, " Tim explained. "It wasn't gonna be a Sprint Car. These are cheaper."
The affordability is what got Darrel Nelson Jr. into a Hornet. His car also priced in at under $1,000, and he won the season opener. Darrell sees this as the gateway class for youngsters getting into racing at the big track. "There are a few kids who have raced at the Kart Track for a few seasons and have sold their Karts and gotten one of these, " Nelson explained. "This class is the perfect opportunity for them to get some experience on the bigger track. The nice part is it's not too expensive either."
New drivers are coming into the growing Hornet class, which is a good thing. Three of that division's racers from last year, Dillen Lausen, Devon Weiser and Mikey Johnson, have all moved up to the Mini Stock division. Mikey is following in the footsteps of his father, past Mini Stock champion Mike Johnson. At 14 years old, Mikey isn't even old enough to legally drive on the street, and he's been learning how to drive a stick. Mikey's runnerup season in Hornet points last season came in a car with an automatic transmission.
The experience factor in Mini Stocks has played in the favor of point leader Bob Burkett and 2014 champion Gary Anderson. They run 1-2 in the standings, and Burkett is coming off of his second feature victory. "A lot of these drivers are pretty new to this, " said Bob, who has ranked second four times in his career. "Give them some time, and they will get better."
Burkett also sees potential feature winners in 14 year old Marissa Henson and Andrew Hall, who rank third and fourth, respectively. "She's (Henson) gotten much faster this year. " Bob admitted. "I can see her getting a win this season the way she is going."
Two time defending champion Jorddon Braaten has all Top 3 finishes so far as he leads the track and state IMCA Sport Modified point races. He's hoping to get a win this week. That is the goal of Bob Nelson, who is just ten points behind Braaten in the standings. Also in the hunt right now is reigning state champion Mike Medel, who finished fourth last week. Though he's trailing Braaten in the state, he's not giving up. "We've still got lots of racing to do, " said Medel. "Anything can happen. We had a rough night to start the season, but we're getting the car figured out. We're gonna go out there and give it our best."
Medel could be the driver winning this week, and several SODCA Dwarf Car competitors are hoping to write their names onto the winner's list this week. Thus far, reigning champion Josh King has two wins at the Medford track, while incoming point leader Kalvin Morton has two wins at Yreka and was second at the most recent visit to Southern Oregon Speedway. "We came into this season thinking we had a good shot at the championship, " explained Morton, who was fourth in points last season. "I think we have the car working the way we need it to, and I'm really hoping to get a win here. Josh is very fast, but I think we can beat him. I know we'll have earned it when we do."
The five division show this Saturday night offers something for everybody. From the fast little Dwarf Cars to the exciting new Open Stock class. Sport Modifieds offer open wheel stock car racing excitement and the four cylinder classes are pretty evenly matched and competitive. Gates will open at 5:00 p.m. with the first race at 7 p.m. Adult tickets are $12 with Seniors and Juniors $6. Children five and under are free. More information can be found at www.southernoregonspeedway.com.
Point Standings
IMCA Sport Modifieds
84 Jorddon Braaten 117
8n Bob Nelson 107
4y Jimmy Lipke 107
30m Mike Medel 99
4m David Marble 94
76 A.J. Parker 92
7j Fred Ryland 77
69 Dwayne Melvin 72
7 Patti Ryland 69
27b Tony Bartell 58
88 Randy Fernandes 58
Mini Stock
43 Bob Burkett 109
0 Gary Anderson 96
17h Marissa Henson 89
007 Andrew Hall 86
89 Kristopher Mix 71
87 Dillen Lausen 55
9c Mike Cloud 46
2d Devon Weiser 42
49h Eric Hanson 40
7 Mikey Johnson 38
Hornets
8g Darrel Nelson Jr. 34
14 Tim Hedges 33
67 John Houck 29
77 Garrett Fredrickson 26
Open Stock
22 Mike Linder 35
6 Bob Dees 32
3d Miles Deubert 29
Mini Stocks, Hornets To Race Southern Oregon Speedway Saturday
White City, Oregon...The Mini Stock and Hornet divisions are an important part of the racing program at Southern Oregon Speedway. Since the gates opened at the speedway in 1996, Mini Stocks have been on the lineup of divisions. They have served as a gateway class in getting new racers onto the 3/10th mile clay oval. There is a mixture of experienced and new drivers in the class.
Three years ago, the Hornet division was added as a means to make an even more affordable path for the new racer to get involved. There has been a struggle getting it started, but Promoter Mike McCann has reaffirmed his support for this division as well as Mini Stocks.
The biggest challenge facing Mini Stocks right now is the rest of the roster overcoming the experience factor of Bob Burkett and Gary Anderson. Burkett is a four time point runner up who has won his share of races through the years. In fact, he won for the second time this season last Saturday.
Burkett sees a challenge coming, and he looks forward to it. "A lot of these drivers are pretty new to this, " said the current point leader. "Give them some time, and they will get better."
Burkett sees challenges coming from the likes of Marissa Henson and Andrew Hall. "She's (Henson) gotten much faster this year. " Bob admitted. "I can see her getting a win this season the way she is going."
Even more impressive is the fact that Henson is only 14 years old. She goes to high school with another 14 year old in the division, second generation racer Mikey Johnson. Johnson was second in Hornet points last season, but he's a bit more of a newcomer than Henson. He's still learning the ropes and getting better with each start.
Marissa has lots of seat time in Outlaw Karts, where she ranked third in the 250 division three years in a row. She entered Saturday night's program ranked a strong third in the standings, and she proved Burkett right on his prediction. She held off 2014 champion Gary Anderson to win her first Trophy Dash Saturday night.
Another driver coming on strong is the #007 car of Andrew Hall. Hall is driving a unique Ford Pinto Wagon. "The car has been around for a while, " Hall explained. "The guy I got it from only ran it once before parking it for a few years. Before that, somebody else ran it."
Andrew is in his first full season in the class, and he started the season off with back to back Top 5 finishes and heat race wins. In a desire to get more seat time, he made a trip to Yreka a week ago. That trip resulted in his car suffering damage. There was still work to be done to make it better, but he wanted to race. "We have things we need to fix on it, " Andrew explained. "We'll get it fixed a little at a time."
It had to be gratifying for Hall to drive to a career best second place finish last week. The distance between winner Burkett and him was about a straightaway, and that never really changed during the last ten laps. This time, however, Andrew didn't spin or mess up in getting the good finish.
It's a rare thing to see Gary Anderson make a mistake, but he did on Saturday. Early in the Main Event, he looped it in Turn 4. Many veteran racers would park their cars and draw a yellow flag, but Gary took it as a challenge. He gathered it back up and mounted a charge back to the front of the pack from eighth. When he caught third place Eric Hanson, he was unable to overcome his lose setup and would settle for a fourth.
For Hanson, the season has started on a rough note with carburetor and fuel issues keeping him from even starting the first two races. "We've had a few motor issues, " Hanson admitted. "We're working on something for later this season, but we're trying to make this work for now."
The third place finish was encouraging for Hanson, who was fourth in points last season. He actually made a trip during the off week to run at Coos Bay. It helped him dial things in as he got a fourth place finish there. "I enjoy going there, " Bob remarked. "We ran with the Mini Outlaws. At first they didn't like us running with them, because they are like the Super 4's here. But, we keep them from having to run with the Hornets. They like us now, because they get their own race when we come."
We've been talking about the bad luck that Hanson has been having this season, but his C&H Racing teammate Mike Cloud can top that. Cloud had a car destroyed in a crash last year with Randy Simmons. It was bad, and he even needed help from the safety crew getting him out of the car. Despite that, he still managed to improve on 2014's sixth place ranking by moving up to fifth. He is still in the hunt to maintain fifth, but his motor problems last time out resulted in him scratching from the Main Event. The one thing Cloud and Hanson were looking forward to was running side by side in a good battle, and that will happen soon. You can't keep either of the two down for long.
Fifth ranked Kris Mix was practically raised at the race track. His father is Stock Car veteran Keith Mix, who was there in the pits supporting his son. Kris made a trip to Yreka a week earlier and ended up getting a little banged up in the Main Event. "We got tore up, " Kris explained. "We had to replace the clutch, then we went back out and got dumped again."
Saturday was a little better for Mix, who finished sixth ahead of Hornet graduates Dillen Lausen and Mikey Johnson, The Hornets are back with some new drivers in the field. One of them was Darrel Nelson Jr. Darrell and 13 year old Gabe Nelson, like many others, started racing on the Outlaw Kart track. "There's actually a few kids who sold their Karts and have Hornets, " Nelson observed. "They want to start racing on the big track."
Nelson was driving the same number that 2015 champion Drew Fielder ran last year, and he looked like a champion in lapping the field for the feature victory. What was nice was the cost of purchasing this car to go racing. "It was about $400 to get the car, " Darrel revealed. "Plus, it came with a spare motor."
Tim Hedges is another newcomer to the Hornet division, and he was excited to be a part of the action. His first race resulted in a heat race victory. Tim had an influence in his decision to start racing. "I've been following (Vern and Jake) Wheeler, and I decided I needed to get my own car, " he explained. "It wasn't gonna be a Sprint Car. These cars are cheaper. It was less than $1000 to get the car. Plus, it's cheaper to run one of these."
The Mini Stock and Hornet divisions will take a break this week, but both classes are back on June 18th for more racing excitement. Not only do these divisions help bring in the next generation of race car drivers, they are fun classes to watch.
Mini Stocks are back on June 25th as well, along with Pennzoil Winged Sprint Cars, IMCA Sport Modifieds, Super 4's and OTRO Hardtops. Also, don't forget Monday July 4th's event, which includes IMCA Sport Modifieds, Dwarf Cars and Outlaw Pro Stocks, plus a Fireworks Display. For information on these and other divisions, check out www.southernoregonspeedway.com.