DON'S CALIFORNIA RACING RECOLLECTIONS

Looking Back: The Early Days Of The Street Stocks At Antioch Part 2

2009-11-23T00:02:00.000-08:00

While I attended the races at Antioch back when they started the Street Stock class, I have no memories of the very first races for them in 1978. The first name that stuck out with me was a Stock Car driver named Corby Davis. I recall he had done something bad and was booed for it. The Stock Car division served well as the entry level class, and such stars at J.D. Willis, Darryl Shirk, Richard Johnson, Mike Green and Willie Myatt started in Stock Cars.

When Street Stocks came along in 1978, it really served notice that racing evolution was about to come. The Sportsman division headlined since 1965 (following the Hardtop division) and were ruling the roost throughout the 70's. What a great division, nicknamed the "Skinny Cars". Of course, in the late 70's, they became more of a full body class, and car count slowly died. It was still okay until 1981.

So, in 1979, you had Sportsmans, Stock Cars and Street Stocks. The Stock Cars didn't run full time that year, just 8 or 10 races, if that. Deal Cline won his first championship by a mere two points of Donna Walton. You'd think Deal would have won a title before that, but he's never been about points. Dean had the 1968 Stock Car title in hand when he sold his car to eventual champion Wayne Price. Also notable in the Stock Car field that year was David Rosa's brother Anthony.

They were called Hobby Stocks briefly, then Pure Street Stocks and then Street Stocks by 1981. The cars were kind of beat up, as you'd expect from a car not built to be a high performance race car. It was designed to be the entry level class, and drivers were encouraged to move up once they got the knack. The Stock Cars were being groomed to take over headline status, which happened in 1982 with the introduction of the NASCAR Regional points deal.

Rob Waldrop was another of the early competitors in the class. Years later, in 1998, he eanned a much deserved championship. Back then , he drove a white #2a car, painted similar to that of Sportsman star J.D. Willis. If I'm not mistaken, Rob may have been a Willis crew member before getting his own car. He would eventually sell this car to Joe Ortiz.

People may know Chuck Smith as the guy who built those cool push buggies, but in the late 70's, he raced Street Stocks. He actually raced before that. Now, Chuck was a feature winner. He also won several Enduro and Charger races in the late 80's. Another of the early competitors was Dave Fletcher, in a car painted like David Pearson's car. His father butch was a track official. I don't recall if David won a feature, but he was competitive.

The Sportsman class could wreck with the best of them. Keith Brown was nicknamed "The Flying Dutchman" for his rollover crash with J.D. Willis. The most famous flip in Street Stock history may be Debbie Clymens and her rollover in Turns 3 & 4. Dianne Mills was the passenger as they were allowed back then, and the car stood on it's nose for a few seconds before coming down.

We had brothers who followed their older brothers into the sport. After Scott Busby moved up to the Sportsman class, his brother Phil earned the name "Flipover Phil" Busby for his Street Stock rollover on the front stretch in which he still kept going. In 1983, John Bellando was leading a race, drove up on the wall and rolled over and still went on to finish sixth.

While on the subject of brothers, Mike Green's brother L.C. Green was a top Street Stock driver and I believe even a feature winner in 1980 before moving up to the Sportsman class. While Ron Brown was in the Sportsman division, his brother Randy had a brief run in Street Socks. Stock Car and Sportsman racer Jim Coleman's brother David Coleman was a Street Stock feature winner in 1980. Lots of drivers came out and tried their luck in the Street Stocks in those early days. People may not recall Kelly Sanders, Chuck Jacobs or Bobbi Carter, but they helped keep the class going in those early days.

Two drivers who come to mind as top competitors and feature winners in 1981 were Vince "Beep Beep" Mills and Stan Holmes. Mills got the nickname as he was sponsored by AAMCO Transmissions (Double A, beep beep, M C O). Mills made an attempt to move up to Stock Cars, but it didn't last long before the car was sold to Norm Weilsh, who had been sharing driving duties with Steve Huelsmann in Street Socks in 1983. Despite a hard crash at the end of the 1981 season, Holmes moved up and ran Stock Cars briefly at Baylands.

It's common place to see women not only winning races, but championships as well. In the 60's, this was pretty much only done in "Powder Puff" races, and it was a big deal at that time. The women competed with each other, and it was publicized. Doors started opening in the Stock Cars with ladies like Leslie Green, Gloria Johnson and Donna Walton. Debbie Clymens is probably the most famous. After husband and Sportsman racer Tommy had injured his back, Debbie started racing Street Stocks in 1979 and was competive immediately. You couldn't intimidate that woman.

From the Myatt-Skaggs camp, Barbara Skaggs and Mercury Skaggs raced Street Stock in 1980, and both were feature winners. Sportsman and Stock Car racer Don O'Keefe Jr. put his wife Linda behind the wheel in 1981, and she was top five in points for a while there. It's because of these early pioneers that ladies like Megan McCown, Melissa Hansen and Joyce Ford would go on to have successful championship seasons at Antioch in later years.

Slowly, it became less taboo for women to race. So what if a woman is racing, she's still kicking your butt. Of course, this didn't sit well with some guys, but most were accepted. Lori Kearns and Candi Boyer came along in 1983, and both were competitive. The ladies of Antioch could easily have their own story, and in fact, The DCRR did do such a story back in the 90's. Perhaps I should dig it up and post it here or something.

By 1981, it was obvious this Street Stock division would last, and be just as entertaining. What it lacked in speed, it made up for in close and competitive racing. If there is a shame in the whole deal, it's that there were some talented drivers who never had a chance to move up. Not everybody had the money. Bob "Speedy" Cassillas and Larry Baird came along in 1982. With the Bellando brothers, they had cars number 56 through 59, so I'm assuming they were a team or at least buddies. Baird was a feature winner and ended up selling his car to Dave Bellando.

Two of the biggest cars in the field were "Everyready" Everitt Brice and Frank "The Snake" Breckenridge. I don't recall either winning a main event, but Breckenridge had his moments in his brown #82 car. A yellow #83 car came along in 1983, driven by Tim :"Wacky Acky" Ackerman. Tim's high water mark was second. I recall him leading the feature on at least one occasion before being spun out. This seemed to happen to him a lot, as it did to Brian Holden when he first started racing in 1985.

I recall Holden being spun out in a Main Event that year by "Rookie Of The Year" hopeful Jim Robbins, causing Robbins to get disqualified and ending those rookie hopes. Whether that had anything to do with things that happened between these two in future Figure 8 races, I can only speculate. There was a time where Holden had cracked the 18 second barrier in qualifying for the track record in 1986.

"Loopin" Tom Leopold was a Street Stock driver in 1980 before moving up to the Sportsman class. He earned the nickname for a slow rollover in in his Sportsman car in 1981. Tom came back to Street Stocks and was a top driver in the late 80's. Steve Jones had a red #7a car in 1983 and was very fast, a feature winner in fact. There was talk of a move up to Stock Cars, but it never happened and he retired.

Jessie Gutierrez won a main event in 84 or 85 as I recall and was another fast competitor. He ran a trucking company I believe, and his #91a car was one of the fastest cars out there. The #97a car of Andy Canessa came along in 1983, and he would become a top ten driver and feature winner. He really had something, and he's another driver I'd have to believe could have been a top Stock Car competitor. Some people never got those opportunities.

Don Mauls and a teammate I don't recall at the moment shared driving duties in the #01 car, painted like the General Lee of the Dukes Of Hazard. The car was nicknamed "The General Hazard". I recall them having a top five finish at some point in 1984. Wayne Estes was a top driver in 1982 and a feature winner before moving up to Stock Cars for a couple years. Two others from the early days who made their mark were top ten ranked driver Ross Lindbloom in 1983 and Stan Tittle, a feature winner in 1984.

Ray Crosetti, George Arth and his son Ron Arth came along in 1983 and all had their moments. Ron was a feature winner and top five point runner in 1984. I believe Judy Allison was part of the team in her red #74 car in 1983. Like Crosetti, she was a top 20 point runner, and Bob Brown drove her car to an early season point lead at Baylands. Judy dug the car out of mothballs, as Gary Jacob would say, and put Bob Brown behind the wheel for Figure 8 races in 1988, and I think Bob actually won a Figure 8 feature in that big old beast.

So many names I can recall, like "Bonsai" Bob Walker, Allen Lumsden, Jack Shelloe. All three were ranked in the top 20 at some point from 19982 to 1983. I suppose I'll end this trip down memory lane with another Street Stock star named Mike Gummus. Mike came along in 1983 and he would rise through the ranks to become a top fiver racer, winning some features along the way. He was another driver would could have made his presence known in Stock Cars with the right backing. He did briefly move up, but that didn't last long. I also recall him doing some racing at Altamont.

So many drivers and stories to talk about with the Street Stocks. I've done two columns without even going past 1985. Maybe I'll have to continue this. But I will say that those early days were special. The division was defining itself, and you really never knew what was gonna happen next.

Then, Troy Shirk came along and rewrote the record books, but that's for another column. I'll end this here.

Looking Back: The Early Days Of The Street Stocks At Antioch Part 1

2009-10-20T19:07:00.001-07:00

The Sportsman division was lined up along the front straightaway, parking lot style next to each other. The slowest were in the front and the fastest in the back, plus the top two from the semi main. We had about 30 cars, so sand bagging to get at the front if the feature was a risky proposition. Do it wrong and risk being in the semi main. Ah yes, I loved inverted features. Not staggered inverted, but actual inverted features and heat races.

I'm sure the fast guys complained a little, but then they drove to the front. Guys like Marv Wilson, J.D. Willis, Dennis Furia, Dana Auger, Mike Gustafson, to name a few. When 1979 came to an end, some of those drivers retired. The era of the Sportsman division was coming to an end, but something pretty neat was just beginning. It was the Street Stock division.

After the Sportsman division feature ended, some people rushed to the exits. What they missed was a pretty good race in this new entry level division that had started at Merced and Watsonville as well. We had drivers like Scott Busby, Keith Shipherd, Julio Jones, Debbie Clymens and Chuck Carter, all battling just as hard as the Sportsman drivers for the win. Dad always wanted to leave early too, but I didn't. I came to watch this division too.

They didn't do a standard point race that year, but Busby was honored as the top performer. Busby, Jones and Shipherd wasted little time jumping up to the Sportsman class, but Carter and Clymens stayed put. Debbie might have won the title that year, but for a hot shot out of Hayward by the name of Joey Rodrigues. The guy was fast, and he won most of the features that year. Carter was no slouch. To me, he was one of the best drivers never to win the championship in his beat up yellow #66a car. I recall a beat up yellow #66m car out of Merced winning a feature at Antioch, driven by Grant Ford.

Vince Mills, Mercury Skaggs, Barbara Skaggs, another Hayward leadfoot, Jeff Rhoton, Ted Ferre and a guy named John Bellando also joined up that year. The class was growing fast and more people were staying to watch that year. 1980 was the first year I never missed a race at the track. I couldn't. I had to be there. As Rodrigues moved up to make a run at Sportsman "Rookie Of The Year" honors, Rhoton was there to take over, battling Dick King for the championship.

1981 was a interesting year for the Street Stocks. We had the Bellando brothers, John and Dave, and the Brown brothers, Bob and Dennis. Ferre was not to be ignored, and there was this very consistent driver named Duane Hodges, another one of those drivers who never won a championship but was still quite good. This was the final year of the Sportsman class, the return of Stock Cars and BCRA Midgets were a regular attraction as well. It was a year of transition.

I was told by John Bellando, nicknamed "Boom Boom" for good reason, that then track manager Paul Bender told him not to be afraid to wear the black hat. He wore it well. I have a Bellando story from an old DCRR I need to dig up. John claimed in that story that he was not credited for all of his points in 1983, costing him the championship to a talented young Santa Cruz racer named Kevin Pylant. A year earlier, a Watsonville regular named Steve Wilson won the Antoch crown. That was a year noted for a fight in the pits and a suspension for the remainder of the seaaon for Bellando.

Let me tell you, John was probably THE best Street Stock driver at Antioch never to win the title and he would be on my top five of all time division greats. Until Troy Shirk came along, John's 17 wins were the most of all time in the division. Of course, Savid Rosa surpassed Shirk and is still there to this day. I once saw Bellando come back from four laps down to win a 200 lap Enduro. It so happens I kept score in 1983, and according to my stats, he has a point about the championship. Back in those days, I kept track of the race results, but not points. It wasn't until I went back and added things up that I realized he may have had a good argument.

Fact is, there is such a thing as "NASCAR material" as they used to say, and John probably wasn't it. While the black hat might have worked for Bender, for Dennis Huth it was another story. Therefore, John's high water mark in points was second. He did come back a few years later and won a 50 lap Figure 8 race. There was a rivalry of sorts between the Browns and the Bellandos. All four were fast and competitive. Dave may have seemed to be in John's shadow, but he could kick a butt or two on the track and had the wins to show for it.

Bob Brown was more the conservative one on the track in those days. His Brother Dennis was not affraid to let it all hang out. Dennis visited the winner's circle on more than one occasion in bis battered white #27a car and top fived in points in 1982. Bob went on to contend for the 1985 Street Stock title at Baylands and nearly won the 1989 Figure 8 title at Antioch.

1984 was the year B Mains became a regular part of Antioch's Street Stock show. An up and coming racer named Walt Haas stepped onto the scene a couple years prior, but through consistency, he won the 1984 title. In later years, Walt ran Antioch Parts Depot, where many racers went to get parts or engine work. He went on to be a top star in Street Stocks and Modifieds at Stockton and Altamont. In 1984, Steve Huelsmann won many features, but he was no match in the point race to the consistency of Haas.

A big and talented racer named Ed Shepherd burst upon the scene in 1984 and top fived in the points, as did that season's top rookie, Bert Elworthy. Elworthy was good. He won the title a year later before moving up to a successful Late Model and Dirt Modified career. Back in those days, you never knew who would win. It was wide open. This was before the talented trio of Shirk, Bart Reid and Don Shelton took over.

Shelton actually ran his first race in 1984 is Rob Waldrop's old car, which was nicknamed "The Tank". This was also the year a racer named Joe Morganstern came out and won a B Main and feature in the same night before selling the car to Kelly Daukrsch (I'm sure I butchered the spelling here). Kelly's dad Gary was a Stock Car racer at Antioch in the 70's. IN 1985, we had a string of several differehnt winners in a row to start the season. How many, I don't recall at the moment, but it was high. Shelton, 1987 champion Steve Wagerman, Jim Robbins, Ron Murray, John Humphrey, Duane Hodges and John Keith were among them.

Humphrey was a bit of a local celebrity in that he ran Destruction Derbies and was on TV 20 at one point, dressed as Darth Vader for a Derby. John and Brian Keith were another brother duo at the track, and both had their moments. John had a car that was so beat up that even Bellando drove it in hot laps one night and remarked he was amazed he could win with it. John won several races and is another one of those great racers to never win the title.

The early years of the Street Stock division were an interesting and wide open time. I don't now how many people even remember them, but I do. The division was a doorway for people to get into the sport. Some hit, some missed. It was always nice to see drivers move up and become stars in other divisions. Sometimes things got a little crazy, but it was never boring. Well over 100 drivers won at least one feature, and it was nice to watch the division become something people wanted to stay and watch.

Talking about this makes me nostalgic, and I could go on and on, but I'll end it here. Until next time...

Fighting For The Cause (We're Right Behind You)

2009-10-20T19:06:00.000-07:00

I was very young when I started going to the races, and I don't recall some of those times. I think it was a Sportsman race at the Contra Costa County Fair, and I was in and out of the stands. It's been so long. My memory of that day is that I looked at the lineup for the race, there was a yellow #4a car driven by Len Mello, I pointed and said I wanted that car to win and he did well in the race. Don't recall if he won, but that's the day I became his fan. I want to say this was 1977 or '76, but I'm not sure.

My brother was a Mike Green fan, my sister was a Dennis Furia fan. I still recall the arguments me and my brother had over Green versus Mello and who was better. Mike definitely had the better stats. People didn't understand why I cheered for a B Main guy like Len. To me, he is my hero in racing. I can't explain why really. He just became my favorite driver. Boy, when he won that championship, coming out of nowhere, it reinforced my belief that anybody can accomplish anything if they try.

That's my belief, and it got me places in racing. I can remember the final race of Len's championship season. Len could still lose it to Richard Johnson with a bad race, but he was running up front. It just so happened that Green was behind him in Dana Auger's car, a much faster car if I recall. My brother joked it would be funny if he took him out. What I didn't know until a few years later is Mike would have had reason to. He and Richard were friends and Len was not a popular guy. I think me and his wife were his cheering section.

It was a few years later when I talked to Mike and he recalled that race. He said the thought crossed his mind to take him out, but he didn't. That's not Mike's style, and I respect him for that. Always have. He always fielded the nicest looking cars and would settle for second or third and a car that was still in one piece. Sure, he could have won more, but finishing races was important to him. It was in 1989 when I wrote the column that got me kicked out of the pits. The Editor's Viewpoint.

That dam column was sometimes an albatross around my neck. I mean, people loved it. Sure, I get in trouble calling it like I see it, but what the heck. I edited myself many, many times, because I thought I'd gone too far. I'd worry about how much trouble I'd get into for my latest opinion. And, yes, I would get into trouble. People, for the most part, agreed with me and told me so. When I'd get tossed out of the pits, they'd say, "Freedom of the press."

Yeah, sure. To some, I guess I was a spokesman for the little guy, for the racer. To management, I was a pain in the ass. The second offer I had to work in racing was an easy gig. Bert Moreland let me into the pits for putting up the flag and knocking the dirt off the front stretch fence before the races. It got me into the pits for the first time at Antioch. The first time for me in racing was Baylands when I was 15 and Al Norstrom used to sneak me in in his van. Al gave me my first opportunity to really understand the sport and basically took me into his home there for a few years.

The third time I was given an opportunity in racing, the late George Stiles hired me as a score keeper to work with Sharon Smith and Julie. I had already pissed Sharon off before when I had been giving racers my recaps, and they would argue with the posted finishes and get them changed. To me, it wasn't personal. I was just trying to help the racers. But, I can see where she would not like me or want me around. I was moved away from scoring and put on timer/scoreboard duty within the first month or so, and I did not care for that.

I believe I was the last person to run the timer two cars at a time, which was challenging. But, I was good at it. The last straw for me came when I had a different leader on the board than they had on their score sheets about ten laps into a Street Stock feature. Brynda happened to be there. I can't recall the racers involved, but I think one was Ron Parker and the other Brad Coelho. Well, Brynda tells me I have the wrong leader. I'm frustrated at that point. Turns out I was right. I quit that night. If I wasn't going to be used properly, what's the point? This is supposed to be fun.

I focused in on the magazine and learning how to do it right and make it better. That was my second year doing it weekly and the first under The DCRR name. In 1989, I got myself into trouble with that damn column of mine. Rich Richards, a man I respected because he ran one of the best local teams and was an advocate for the racers. He'd call it like he saw it. Buzz Enea had stepped aside as driver after 1988 and Rich needed a driver. This is the brief period before the successful teaming of Richards and Keith Brown.

Mike Green happened to be the driver, and he had a bad night. Brynda had made her son Rod the chief steward, and Rod asked Richards why he was hiring drivers to take out the out of town drivers. Really, that's more of a Terry DeCarlo thing, hehe. Just kidding Terry, but Terry never took any crap. If you gave it, you'd better be ready to receive it. I grew to respect Terry because he's basically a good guy, just don't think you're gonna knock him around and get away with it. Not gonna happen.

Quick side story. Terry had his run ins with racers, two of them were the Gates brothers of Watsonville. Well, the brothers were no pushovers either, so they'd give it back and it continued. Terry and Al Nordstrom brought cars to Watsonville one night. I recall Al's car was running pretty good at that time and he was battling for a top ten when he got stuck in the middle of a payback moment.

What I found interesting about DeCarlo was that he did get respect from one racer, Jim Pettit II. When Pettit came back to Antioch after briefly racing at Merced, DeCarlo ended up with Pettit sponsorship. I'm not saying Terry did anything for Pettit as far as problem's with Pettit's rivals, but Pettit and DeCarlo never had any problems with each other. For the record, I don't think Terry went looking for trouble with anybody, but like I said, there were a few drivers who expected any car with the "a" on it to be a push over. That's probably why Richards chose not to have an "a" on his car.

So, anyway, Green was accused of taking out the out of towners, and I knew Mike better than that. I wasn't gonna let a comment like that slide by, so I basically slammed Rod for saying that about Green. It was brutal, popular, but brutal. I could have phrased it differently and probably should have, but I don't regret my decision at all. I'd write it again. Sadly, Mike retired after that. He was one of the best racers Antioch Speedway ever had that didn't win a championship in my opinion.

It was the second time my magazine had gotten me into trouble. In 1987, Moreland confiscated the 20 or 30 Xeroxed and hand written copies I had made. It wasn't because I had written anything bad, but because I might have. This was late in the season and featured a cover story on Jim Pettit II. In those days, I'd hand wrote the magazine, sell what was needed to print next week's issues and whatever was left got spent having fun.

I was gonna make a name for myself in racing. Nobody was gonna do it for me either. If I got kicked out, I'd come back next week, talk to the drivers in the parking lot and after the races and just keep doing what I was doing. I didn't care. I had a right to publish the magazine, and that wasn't changing. I look back now and think maybe I spent too much time on this and in the end it wasn't worth it. As a body of work though, I'm proud of what I did, successes, mistakes and all.

People might ask me why I didn't just come back in 2002 when I was kicked out again for an opinion in that damned opinion column. I had a right to. I was a paying customer in the grandstands and honestly wasn't selling magazines on the premises at that time. I could have won. There was nothing wrong with my opinion in that magazine and most people agreed with me. So, why not fight?

I've seen people take a stand at the races. Lonnie Fish was vilified for standing up on the safety issues at the track back in 1996. I looked at that with great interest, but Brynda advised me to stay away from it. Out of respect to her, yes, I said respect, I left it alone. But, if you look at the bid proposals in 1997 and how they were graded, Lonnie's efforts helped change track promoters. Was it what tipped the scales? Maybe not, but it helped. I find it interesting that all the people who loved the previous management remained silent when it could have made a difference.

Back in 1996, I think, Jerry Caton was standing up for a purse increase for Street Stocks. At Antioch, the drivers had an informal meeting in the pits, to discuss taking a stand. Track management noticed and called the pit meeting early to break it up. I could name names of who were the first to fold like cheap umbrellas, but I'll just say I stood there with David Rosa and Larry Cates who were like, "What can we do now? The others are gonna race."

One night I happened to go to an NCMA race instead of Antioch. I come back and Jerry Harless was in the parking lot by his trailer. I asked what had happened. He told me that everybody was going to take a stand in the Modified division about a rule change, but he was the only one standing.

It's like this one episode of a show called Are You Being Served. The employees at the department store are upset about what management has done, so they go to their leader of the men's department, Mr. Granger. Now, he's not the kind who likes to rock the boat, but they convince him to go to management's office on their behalf. "We're right behind you, " they say.

So, he reluctantly goes, and management singals him out. He's in trouble. He's looking for the others to back him up for taking a stand for everybody, but they did not. "We're right behind you, " says one of then, and the under his breath adds, "just not so close."

My buddy Don O'Keefe Jr. found that out the first year of Wingless Spec Sprints. Let me tell you, I get credit, and I appreciate it, but without Don, this thing is dead. Don took that division on his shoulders. Ego? I'm not gonna tell you Don's the best racer in the world, but if this was all about a championship to him, he would have won it no problem. He wanted a division and looked out for the little guy. He spent time going to other racer's houses to get their cars ready, and they won features on more than one occasion. Why? Because it's Don, and that's the kind of guy he is.

On that day in 1999, officials were telling him and others what they needed to do with their cars, but they didn't know the rules. Don could quote them any rule without the book, and they didn't know what they were talking about. Well, Don figured out that if somebody didn't take a stand on this, things would go down hill fast. Sure, it's a success now, but people have no idea of the things going on behind the scenes to destroy it before it started.

So, Don loads up his car and heads out to the parking lot. The guys in the pits are clueless. It's a "More points for me" or "That's just Don" mentality. Sometimes you've got to stand up for what's right, even if the people who will benefit don't act like they appreciate it. Well, John Soares Jr. and Don discussed things and Don came back and raced. It was about respect for the division, not individual ego.

So, as I'm having Steve Sutherland escort me from the grand stands, telling me I need to retract that column and offer a written apology, I'm just in shock. Hey, if I wrote a story that was about the races or whatever but not an opinion, and I got out of line, I could see the point. This was JUST MY OPINION. That's all. And others agreed with me, which is why drivers started leaving en mass that year. Now, I bear no grudge with Steve, because he's just a guy trying to keep the peace, not looking to take any stand. I would bet he volunteered to escort me off the premises because he thought it would be better coming from him.

As I walked out of the parking lot, I realized this wasn't fun anymore. I just wanted to have fun, not feel like a crusader. I didn't have it in me to fight any more. This was the man I stood up for kicking me out. How did it come to this? Well, partly because we both had people in our ears bad mouthing the other person to us, and we didn't communicate. People took delight in that. That's part of it anyway. As I say, when you get something you want in life, you'd better believe there is somebody there waiting to try and take it away from you.

I walked down L Street and racers waved at me through the fence. Yeah, funny joke guys. By the way, my comments on track conditions needing to be improved was about making it better for you, but go ahead and laugh. Funny, huh? I recall a meaningful conversation with Bob Brown, who left Antioch within a few months or so after I did. I told him I was done crusading at Antioch. I could fight, but why? I thought I was past that after John got the track.

I only went to Chowchilla because there was something so special about it. Tom and I are a lot alike in some respects, and he poured his heart into that track. I was content to spend the rest of that year at Chowchilla and start going to Merced. That first night at Merced was extremely sad. We're talking four Street Stocks, four Pure Stocks and 10 IMCA Modifieds. It brought a tear to my eye, because the place has a richer history than Antioch. I resolved to use me efforts to help rebuild things, and by season's end, it was not bad.

I'm not gonna tell you it was the best racing, but it was good. In about a two year span, the track was making a nice comeback, and I was happy to be a part of that. As is always the case, though, somebody will come along and try to knock you down. It never fails. I don't know why it has to be that way, but it does. I couldn't take it any more. It's why I left. I forgot why I was doing it in the first place and just reacting over and over again.

Let me tell you something. There is enough ugliness in this world. Look around. Compare things to ten or 20 years ago. I'm not talking technology wise, but humanity wise. Look around and think about it. So, when I get to the races, I want to enjoy myself, make things better where I can but not be on a crusade for a cause. I felt like it was a pointless endeavor. Making Antioch better, Tom versus Chuck, who will run Watsonville, the fall of dirt NASAR, lack of track unity. In the end, who cares? If it's meant to be, we will find a way.

I really hope I didn't bore you too much. This wasn't what I intended to write, but it's what came out.

The BCRA Made Me Do

2009-10-20T19:05:00.000-07:00

Yeah, it was the BCRA. It's all their fault. It's a funny thing really. I can't claim to be a big BCRA Midget fan, or I wasn't when I was younger. Those days when our regular program was altered to bring them in made me very grumpy. Or when they were a part of the regular show in 1981. Oh look, a flip. Red flag. Stop the cars. Looks like somebody's race is getting cut.

I didn't appreciate it then. Yeah, the battles between guys like Ted Montague, Rick Bussell, Floyd Alvis, Bobby Morrow, Tim Joyce... Okay, there was good racing, but I had a Stock Car mentality at the time. Well, the Sportsman division will always be my favorite. Maybe it has something to do with it being the first division I saw as a child and being awe struck by it. Can anything that comes after compare to those memories?

You know, the third year I was score keeping as a fan, which would be 1985, I was given my first offer to be a part of something. BCRA needed score keepers and were offering $50 a night to do it. I didn't have a ride, but they even had that covered. I declined. Couldn't leave Antioch Speedway for that. That's what I really wanted, to be a part of that.

But, BCRA has never forgotten their roots. This is a group that once upon a time sanctioned race tracks and had a Hardtop series that rivaled anything else back in the day. I actually have a bunch of stuff about that in my notes. Pictures and stories.

At one time, BCRA held the London Bash and Hall Of Fame Picnic at Antioch, then it moved, then it came back in the late 1990's. I really feel the racing got better in BCRA when they took off the wings. Just my opinion. Anyway, in 1999, they had the picnic there, and I got to thinking. Why not an Antioch Speedway Hall Of Fame? BCRA has a rich history that they honor every year, and so should Antioch. This was my thinking.

What you have to understand at that time is that Jackie and I were doing a lot of stuff for the track to help make things better. This was never about the money for either of us, which is a good thing. Also understand that in 1999, by mid season, things were starting to unravel. People were talking behind people's backs and games were being played. John had reason to be grumpy, though I think he forgot that most people were supporting him and wanted him to be successful.

I had things being said to me, but all I wanted to do was the best I could. I was announcing, doing points, doing new souvenir programs every week and other little things here and there. Jackie was in change of bringing in advertisement, which she did very well, selling magazines and programs, being a sort of "unofficial" hostesses for the races as people loved talking to her and went to her for help sometimes, and she did whatever was needed to help.

1999 should have been my best year, but it was down rght miserable. The beginning of the end. By 2000, I was looking for anything that could bring back the fun feeling that made it all worthwhile, which led me to Chowchilla. But, that's for another time. Jackie and I were quite serious about a Hall Of Fame Picnic, and we could have pulled it off too without John having to lift a finger, just run the races that night and we'd do the prerace barbecue like BCRA did.

Furthermore, the Antioch library had a display case at the entrance, and on the day I finished researching Antioch Speedway history, I discussed the possibility of doing a display for a month on Antioch Speedway, past champions, pictures, an overhead shot of the track and that sort of thing. It was a go. For the Hall Of Fame, I went to people who had been a part of the track for 20-30 years to get their opinions, and I had a list of 10-12 drivers, all of whom I feel are very deserving.

I went to John for his opinion, and he didn't like the list. Fine. What does John think? He never gave me his thoughts on who belongs. I sensed at that point I needed to drop it. I didn't feel like it was appreciated. If you don't have that, what's the point? So, the display case and the Hall Of Fame never happened. It's a shame. Antioch Speedway ought to do a better job of honoring it's past and keeping the community aware that it's been active weekly for 50 straight seasons now.

To this date, Harvey Mason and Darryl Shirk are the only racers in the track's Hall Of Fame, though this fact isn't quite known to most people I'd bet.

If I were to induct people, I'd start with John Soares Sr. Wouldn't have been possible without him. I think Bill Brown and Gary Pacheco should be in the first year. Jimmy Stewart, champion the first two seasons, should be in. Probably put Dave Logan in as well. All of this would be open for discussion. Thing is, if you don't get in the first year, there's always next year. This would be a part of the tradition.

I think the BCRA has this right. The sad thing is, I don't think it matters to most people. Maybe I have an antiquated way of looking at it. Maybe all that really does matter is what happens week to week, not the past. Maybe it's just a Saturday night short track and nothing else. Then again, maybe not.

Actually, what brought up this line of thought was something I read in John Kelley's MotoRacing magazine recently. BCRA is apparently working on rules for another Midget division, and the name listed as helping with that is Rick Young. I'm not sure if this is the Rick I'm thinking about, but Rick Young had a CMA Modified in 1994. This was when Mike Johnson and I started the California Modified Association, a rival for the NCMA that nobody thought would even get off the ground.

We started it to get better purses, bigger car counts and more respect for this form of carbureted Sprint Car racing. This is something I've always been for. Well, Mike fielded three cars from his own garage, but his buddy Steve never produced the two cars from his garage that we had hoped for. This made Rick the only CMA member with his own car outside of Mike's garage, but Ruck struggled to put it together. I think he was hoping for some guidance from Mike, but I don't think Mike was particularly helpful.

Rick made a race or two, but the car didn't run that well as I recall. I think if he had the help, things would have been different. He wanted to help promote the cause and get CMA into Sacramento Raceway. One day he came out there for some hot laps. Anyway, I'm not sure this is the same guy, but I do wish BCRA well in their efforts to keep things going into the next decade.

Looking Back: Taking A Stand For Antioch Management Change

2009-10-20T19:02:00.000-07:00

Sitting here bored on a Sunday, so I thought I'd post something. I've been a part of some things in racing I'm very proud of. Just to be a kid in the grandstands, unaffiliated with a racer, to become track announcer and be a part of helping make things better, I really am lucky. In terms of money made and status in life, maybe not so much.

But I have to be honest with you, I never thought I'd get rich. Actually, the only reason I ended up doing what I did in racing is because people liked what I did. As somebody who didn't have a a lot of confidence or self esteem, when people are telling you you are doing a good job, it resonates with you. So, this is where I focused my attention. My life revolved around the sport.

Why take a vacation? What can be more fun than a day at the races? Well, I missed weddings, missed a lot of nights where I could have hung out with other friends. Then again, it didn't matter. I hear certain people on TV or radio or the net, and they're gonna "save the world" or whatever. Well, I really believed I was gonna save racing. If only they would just listen to me, hehe. Yeah, what do I know?

I could tell you an interaction I had with Antioch management in 1999 that just pissed me off, but I won't just yet. I stand by my decision to back John Soares Jr. for track promoter based on what I knew at the time and my beliefs at the time. What happened to the man since then, well, I don't know. I know some of the stuff he dealt with back in 1998 and 1999, especially, and it can change you. I'm not making excuses here.

Most of the people were trying to throw love his way, but the vocal minority can get to you. I know. The hate thrown at me was a factor in my departure from the sport. Not the only reason and maybe not even the main reason, but a factor. Anyway...

Looking back, Brynda Bockover wasn't a bad track manager at Antioch. She really wasn't. People need to understand she had her hands tied at times, and she had to follow the plans of her boss. This meant not always running things the way she wanted to. I'm not even going to presume to speak for her. It's not my place to do that. One thing that would have been different had she had her way was there would have been more Late Model racing. There were things being discussed back then.

I'll never forget her asking me to sit on a story I was prepared to write about the Late Models. The next thing I know, the local newspaper ran a similar story. That annoyed me a bit, I'll admit. She was constantly referring John Cardinale, Tim Tyler and others to me for information, even though I never was officially employed by her. I merely was allowed in under my press credentials. I helped these other reporters because I wanted to help the sport. It'd like to think their stories were better partly as a result.

Plus, I have a lot of respect for Cardinale. Class act there. Tyler, on the other hand, stepped all over himself in the end. Why? I don't know. It was speculated that he was paid by track management, but that's just speculation. Tim felt he needed to use the newspaper to come out against Soares, and that's what he did. It was quite brutal, and words he wrote had a direct bearing on what went down in the 1999 Dirt Modified point race. I'll leave it at that by just adding, local newspaper coverage began it's decline at the point Tyler was removed, and now we have nothing.

By the time the 1997 awards banquet came down, former Antioch management knew where I stood and were none too happy with me. I can't blame them. As an editor, I endorsed their competition and worked to help make it happen. Bockover had made the comment to somebody, maybe Scott Busby, that she couldn't understand why I could do that after all she had done for me. How could I? In a way, she was absolutely right. In a way though, I felt I was never given my shot. Knowing me, though, I'd have just pissed them off eventually.

I can admit I am too much of an activist. It absolutely pisses me off when I see somebody getting screwed over. I had been kicked out, allowed back in, kicked out... You get the picture. All because of my Editor's Viewpoint column. The upside is I became a voice for the racers, but the downside is I was screwing myself as far as ever having a chance to move up the ladder. But management didn't buy magazines (they got free copies), it was the racers and fans who did. So yeah, under the circumstances, she did do what she could for me.

The late Mike Conley, Jim Robbins, Andy Faust and a few others controlled the Figure 8 scene. You didn't mess with them, particularly Mike. Conley did many motors for the racers, they were good and he gave them a good deal. My nickname for Mike was "The Master Of Disaster" because he did some things. Oh my. He was one of the nicest guys out there, but those poor officials. To give you an idea, when Mike came back to the track in 1987, he walked up to me and asked if I was a writer and told me he wanted to write a book about all of the cheating he was gonna do.

Now, Mike, Jim and Andy didn't just go out there and do things. They planned them, while considering how officials would react. There was an architecture in their plans. The night they took out Bob Brown and cost him the Figure 8 title, Mike walked up to an official and told him he was gonna get Bob. While the officials were watching Mike, somebody else got him. Always a method to the madness. I don't care what the official reason was, Brynda dropped the Figure 8 because they could not control it. It was totally out of control.

Now, chief steward Ken Taylor had a problem with the Figure 8 gang, and it got worse when apparently Andy Faust slammed Ken's son Chuck Taylor in hot laps the year after the Figure 8 was dropped (1991). Andy was fined and suspended. Thing was, Faust had it all on tape. He was not going to go down without a fight. He claimed he went into Turn 3 too hard on the wet low side and accidentally slammed Chuck's car, severely damaging the car.

Ken figured it was payback against him through his son for his calls a year earlier, and Andy claimed it was an accident and explained it with video evidence to anybody who would listen. I went to his house, listened and reported it (on page two of that DCRR if I recall). The next week I was taken aside by Bert Bockover and "explained" the situation. The racers laughed. It was funny, me being in trouble (I need to do a column about being in the dog house).

Well, back in those days you could go to NASCAR, so Andy did that. He won his appeal and was back at the track. Was it an accident? Don't bet the ranch on that one. It's all water under the bridge now.

So, it's all getting real in 1997. John has made it known to me he is bidding for the track. It's a secret until he tells me to go with the story, so at that time I am talking about an "anonymous bidder" who has big plans for the future. Adding to my pressure was the fact that my stories aren't getting printed in Racing Wheels even though I was sending them. Gary Jacob, who was a major contributing writer for my magazine, rewrote my stories and got them printed in Wheels, without my name on them. So, Brynda had a legitimate complaint about wondering where her ink was.

At Altamont, where I was a free lance writer, Andy Herbst was told he needed to fire me. Well, he didn't do it. About the man who asked that I be fired he said, "He's a jerk." Who is that man, maybe I shouldn't say, but I will say he doesn't deserve to be mentioned in the same breath as those of Bob Barkhimer, John Soares Sr. or Bert Moreland. I'll leave it at that.

So, I put my ass on the line for John. No regrets, mind you, though his comment that day in 1999 upset me. Brynda didn't know what to do. I was told by somebody, maybe Busby, that she was considering bidding a higher bid for the track that year, because she was concerned that her bosses bid wasn't high enough, but she refrained from doing so. That had to be a difficult position for her. What if she had done that? In the end, she lost.

So, I'm sitting at home a day or two before the final banquet of the old management. Who should call me but John Soares Sr. He thinks it would be a good idea if I go to the banquet. Um, sure Pops, that's exactly what I need to do. They're gonna kill me there. Well, he thinks it would be a good idea to have a voice there to reassure everybody that the track is gonna be okay. Later that day, John calls me and pretty much says the same thing his dad did. Um. okay, anything for the team, but I don't feel good about it.

So, I show up. No ticket, not sure I'll get in and only looking to talk to anybody with questions. I am told by Brynda I'm not welcome there. She's a lady, and I won't repeat her words. So, I'm heading out. I don't want problems, but who do I see but Brad Coelho. He has an extra ticket. Oh goody. I'm told by somebody else from the old team I'm not welcome, but I go in anyway and stand in the back. I'm answering a lot of questions. No, people, the track's not closing.

I'm in the back drinking beers with Mike Conley, while people keep mentioning Conley's Machine Shop to the chagrin of the old management, occasionally hearing a plug for The DCRR as well. The minute it's over, I'm out the door. I'm not feeling too safe here. I was told Mike was flat out threatened. Don't know if that's true or not, but I can't blame them for being upset. The show was over for them, and the track was going to change. Racing in Northern California has changed since then.

What upset me about that day in 1999 was John and I were talking about how I was threatened by the old management and could have been kicked out. He pretty much said I'd had it coming to me. Had John lost the bid, I would have been kicked out. The only reason I didn't get kicked out in 1997 is probably because Brynda didn't want negative backlash from the racers. Maybe that's it. A year later with a five year deal, my ass is gone. I guess maybe I felt John should have been more sympathetic to the fact that I had done this to support him.

Fact is, the old management wasn't perfect. I'm not the only person who had doubts about certain point races and what really went down, but every track has that. It did seem back in those days that if you weren't one of "the boys" you didn't get the breaks. But I'll be honest.

The races had a bigger feel to them back in those days. We had the Antioch race, plus the bigger state and Regional point deals. NARC Sprint Car races. Time trials to set the grid, complete with slow, medium and fast heats, which Brynda believed in and I agree. The West Coast Nationals blew the lid off of the Dirt Modified deal. The NCMA and ,in a way, carbureted Sprint Car racing lives in part because of her.

Heck, Bert Bockover attempted to eliminate the specter of favoritism for yellow flags in the main event by having a designated area where all drivers who got flat tires would get the same treatment and chance to get back for the restart. The downside was the Dirt Mod 30 lap features became yellow flag fests, but the intent was good.

Anyway, I'm not sure what brought all of this on, but I'll end it here. That's all for now.

Some Sad News And Some Happy News

2009-10-20T18:21:00.000-07:00

In the most recent issue of John Kelly's MotoRacing Magazine, it was reported that Stewart Reamer passed away. Stewart was the operator of the Racing Promoter's Workshops. These end of the year events in Reno, Nevada serve as a gathering place for all the promoters, leaders of various traveling racing organizations and various companies that do business in racing, where they discuss the state of racing and look to the future.

I attended four of four events, the first in 1993 when Mike Johnson and I were putting the CMA together, and years later with Don O'Keefe Jr. The last year, Stewart acknowledged DCRR Racing News as the magazine I represented. The previous times it was my Racing Wheels credentials that got me in.

Now, this was a big deal to me, because they didn't have to let some publisher of a small magazine in for free. But he did. I was honored to be there. These meetings often served as the place for some of the biggest deals for the sport, and the fans came out the winners more often than not. So, I'll just offer my condolences to the Reamer family. It's people like Stewart who helped make the sport of auto racing a better place.

It's nice when we have history books for racing fans to look back on the past and celebrate it. Yes, I know I should get my butt in gear and put that book together. There is the 50 Years of BCRA History book and Bob Barkhimer's book.

I noticed in MotoRacing that photographer Dennis Mattish has put a book together called The History Of San Jose Auto Racing 1903-2007. It's hard cover, 288 pages. It's $69.95 plus $10 for postage and handling. You can order direct from the author:

Dennis Mattish Photos
2070 Ulster Drive
San Jose, CA 95131

I should point out that Dennis is a very talented photographer and his work has been featured in several publications. It's nice to see something being done to honor the great racing heritage of San Jose.

Finally, congratulations are in order to Kenny Shepherd and the crew for a successful completion of the 2009 Chowchilla Speedway season. While I'm still not thrilled that Tom Sagmiller isn't the man in charge, it's nice to know that they found somebody who could make it through a whole season like Tom did for so many years. Plus, Tom did bring the Freedom Series back to Chowchilla for it's finale this year. Anyway, here's a press release for Chowchilla that I received:

Chowchilla Speedway Media Release – October 7th, 2009

Matt Speed – Media Relations / Short Track Management, LLC

The 2009 Chowchilla Speedway Champions are Announced

The audit of every driver and every point earned by each driver is now complete and the 2009 championship points are certified. The Champions will be honored at the 2009 awards banquet on November 7^th.

The Western Modified Champion is Alex Stanford, Mike Villanueva is second, Robbie Jeppeson was third with Ray Mayer, and Bill Egelston completing the top five. Sixty Eight different drivers competed in the Western Modified Points Championship during the 2009 season at the Chowchilla Speedway.

Mike Shepherd is the Super Stock Champion; Mitch Enos is second with Steven Hannah, Donnie Shearer, and Roy Hart Jr. making up the top five in the points. Thirty Six different drivers competed in the Super Stock Points Championship during the 2009 season at Chowchilla Speedway.

The Hobby Stock Championship was a barn burner to say the least and when the smoke cleared it was Jarod Fast with 541 points and Danny Roe with 540 points. Jarod Fast is the Hobby Stock Champion for 2009.

Roe was the point leader all the way up to the final main event, Fast had won two races in a row to get close to Roe in the points. Fast won the final race making it three in a row, Roe finished third but the car he barrowed for the main event was found to be 120 pounds light in post race inspection. Roe was penalized one position per pound the car was found to be under weight; he earned one point for the race for what would be 123^rd position. He retained his points for the heat race and trophy dash due to the fact he was in his own car.

Had Fast not won all three of the final main events, or even finished second in one of them Danny Roe would be the champion, but Fast matched his name and got a hot hand at the right time, the same time that Roe hit a tough patch in his season. Shannon Marlow, Shannon Porter and Robby Laquaci made up the top five in the points. Forty Five different drivers competed in the 2009 Chowchilla Speedway Hobby Stock Championship.

Kathy Evans is the 4-Banger Champion, followed by Paul Thornburn, David Cox, Greg Mead, and Joe Willoughby for the top five. More than forty different 4-banger drivers competed in the 2009 championship at the Chowchilla Speedway.

Tim Prothro is the 2009 Sportsman Champion, Mike Shearer, Justin Shearer, Mark Odgers, and Mike Henault made up the balance of the top five. Seventeen different drivers competed in the Sportsman class in 2009.

Chris Koontz is the 2009 Spec Sprint Champion, with a hard charging Christian “The Weasel” Hickman finishing right behind him. Twenty Four different drivers competed in the Spec Sprint class in 2009.

The Chowchilla Speedway features the Chowtown Pacific Dirt Nationals presented by Richwood Meats on October 16^th, 17^th and 18^th. Three nights of spectacular main events featuring the Modifieds, Western All Star Super Late Models, Super Stocks and the 4-Bangers. Click on this link for more information.

For more information go to www.racechowchilla.com.

Just Checking In With An Update And Some Comments

2009-09-16T21:50:00.000-07:00

Can't let the 2009 season go without pointing out this is the 50th consecutive season of activity for Antioch Speedway. That means next year with be the 50th Anniversary of that track. Will there be any special plans? Guess we'll find out. Though I'm not optimistic about it, I am hopeful. It's just nice to see the track is still running and doing better in some areas than last year, from what I hear. It would be nicer if they had newspaper coverage here, but...

I'm very sorry for the lack of updates. To say my head has been elsewhere would be an understatement. I haven't given much thought to the book I was planning to write, to be perfectly honest with you. I have finished a non racing related book that I am editing. I have given some thought to pulling out some previously published material for a racing history book of sorts. Some of what I consider to be my best stories, along with Gary Jacob and other writers from past DCRR issues. And some photos, of course. Lots of them.

What would be the point of that? For starters, to get this stuff published and looking more professional than anything I had done previously with The DCRR. The print would be bigger. The look and feel of the book would be like a book you would get at Barnes & Noble. The areas focussed on would include Antioch, Chowchilla, Merced, Watsonville, Petaluma and other tracks. Driver profile stories, the classic 1989 DCRR Series Memorable moments, a look back at Antioch Speedway in the 80's. Never wrote the 1989 installment, but I might just break out an old story from my Antioch '87 magazine about the 1979 season to make it a full ten year series.

Big stories about Antioch and Merced history, some season review stories and other things. At this time, the "angry editor" stuff would NOT be a part of this. The book would be a celebration of racing on a short track level. That's all. How many pages? I figure at least 100 or 200. Is this something that would interest any of you who are lurking? If so, perhaps I can make this happen. The more positive feedback I see, the more inspired I will be to do this, so feel free to post.

I was pleasantly surprised to see Don O'Keefe Jr. not that long ago. It was good to see him again, and he looked great. Seems life in Indiana agress with him. It was nice to catch up with him on things and we of course recalled putting the Spec Sprint class together and the recent publicity we enjoyed in Norm Bogan's excellent story in Flat Out Magazine. It's nice to be remembered and even nicer to know the division is still going strong. Even Antioch has enjoyed some good car counts this season.

Petaluma is doing good things with the division as well. Incidentally, I understand Jim Soares has to renew his contract there. I certainly hope he gets to return. He has really turned the place around. I haven't been to a race in California in over five years, and frequently when I think of going to a race it's Petaluma. I've heard things about that bid. I won't mention here, but if it comes to light in the future, I definitely have an opinion. I support Jim at Petaluma. Yeah Jim, "there's no we" and I'm not looking to come back, but I do respect what you have done there. Pops would be proud of you.

Hopefully, we can keep the negativity at a minimum and move ahead. Some tracks aren't doing well, but others are. The main thng is tracks like Antioch, Watsonville and Petluma have made it throigh some tough times and even Chowchilla is doing okay from what I hear. There will be ups and downs, but there always has been. As long as the ones in charge don't do anything stupid, the drivers will come back and the show will go on.

Anyway, that's all for now. Best wishes to everybody and I hope whatever you're doing you are happy.

Wingless Spec Sprint Points From Antioch

2009-09-16T21:46:00.000-07:00

I've got these for all the divisions, but since we had the recent story in Flat Out Magazine, I thought it would be nice to put the Spec Sprint points up here for the record. Note, I included the NCMA points from 1998 as Antioch management did honor the top point runners that year. Eventually I will get around to posting the other divisions.

Antioch Speedway
Wingless Spec Sprint Points

NCMA MODIFIEDS (1998)*

1 Scott Holloway 596
2 Ed Amador Sr. 543
3 Don O'Keefe Jr. 541
4 Duane Watson 534
5 Jeff PIke 514
6 Andy Archer 495
7 Bill Felver 481
8 Dave Cuhna 437
9 Del Quinn 432
10 Burt Siverling 412

* Official Antioch Standings

1999
Dan Gonderman 558
Andy Archer 456
Don O'Keefe Jr. 451
Travis Berryhill 381
Eric Mentch 339
Jim Perry Jr. 280
Larry Teixeira 215
Phil Pedlar 193
Terry DeCarlo Sr. 191
Rick Brophy III 189

2000
1 11 Travis Berryhill 531
2 10 Eric Mentch 516
3 15P Jim Perry Jr. 450
4 8 Dan Gonderman 417
5 29 Billy Fraser 332
6 7 Brian Gray 326
7 47B John Buccellato 296
8 02 Jimmy Lavell 255
9 21P Jim Perry III 244
10 64 Terry Tarditi 242
11 22 Roy Fisher 241
12 26 Dalton DeOrnellas 234
13 91 Eric Ferreira 227
14 12 Bill Felver 218
15 20 Keith Shipherd 214
16 6 Jeff Rose 211
17 4 Rick Panfili 187
18 2 Phil Pedlar 165
19 18 Rich Butler 161
20 44 Larry Teixeira 153

2001
1 64 Terry Tarditi 555
2 15P Jim Perry Jr. 398
3 29 Billy Fraser 394
4 3G David Goodwill 349
5 2 Brian Gray 304
6 11 Travis Berryhill 277
7 23L Mike Lokmor 270
8 26 Dalton DeOrnellas 263
9 47B John Buccellato 263
10 21P Jim Perry III 257
11 20 Keith Shipherd 247
12 24 Brandi Ford 246
13 16 John Hendrickson 236
14 22 Roy Fisher 222
15 6 Jeff Rose 180
16 55 Scott Merrell 163
17 4 Rick Panfili 159
18 1 Bill Wallace 157
19 77 Daryl Moore 145
20 19 Kraig Collins 144

2002
1 40 Darrell Hanestad 986
2 15P Jim Perry Jr. 935
3 3G David Goodwill 907
4 29 Billy Fraser 881
5 55 Scott Merrell 804
6 16 John Hendrickson 769
7 1M Joey Santos 672
8 64 Terry Tarditi 620
9 24 Brandi Ford 611
10 36 Bob Newberry 554

2003
1 40 Darrell Hanestad 1057
2 29 Billy Fraser 965
3 3g David Goodwill 829
4 36 Bob Newberry 788
5 21 Jim Perry III 768
6 55 Scott Merrell 764
7 11D Danny Olmstead 735
8 9 David Hays Jr. 674
9 4 Daryl Moore 604
10 25 Sal Mannina 588

2004
36 Bob Newberry 819
29 Billy Fraser 791
17 Joey Santos 765
40 Darrell Hanestad 761
15 Jim Perry Jr. 744
55 Scott Merrell 715
9 David Hays Jr. 675
57 Troy Caraway 669
22 Roy Fisher 633
6 Jeff Rose 620

2005
55 Scott Merrell 749
96 Arvo Backholm 743
17 Joey Santos 684
15p Jim Perry Jr. 663
32 Billy Macedo 598
22 Roy Fisher 554
41 David Press 522
18 Dennis Fraser 506
41h Scott Holloway 496
9 David Hayes Jr. 390

2006
1 21p Jim Perry III 694
2 04 Derek Overcamp 588
3 22 Roy Fisher 546
4 4s Dan Simpson 542
5 10 Brandi Ford 472
6 41 David Press 466
7 14 Jeff Kindt 424
8 8 Dan Gonderman 394
9 8x Anthony Ryan 382
10 6 Jeff Rose 360
11 2x Brian Gray 238
12 48v Brian Vaughn 196
13 9 David Hays Jr. 194
14 15c Steve Mannina 188
15 7s Danielle Simpson 168
16 41s Jack Clark 142
17 0x Dave Ellis 113
18 48 Michael Vaughn 104
19 7h John Keith 100
20 57 Troy Caraway 84
21 32 Billy Macedo 80
22 14jr Matt Streeter 80
23 33 Scott Dupont 70
24 41h Scott Holloway 42
25 96 Todd Miller 42
26 36 Bob Newberry 36
27 51 Dennis Fuller 35
28 23 Tyler Henriques 34
29 22d Nick Davis 33
30 17j Jim Riddell 32
31 99 Tom Dupont 28
32 41x Terry Miller 22
33 11d Danny Olmstead 16
34 90 Craig Smith 11

2007
1 15p Jim Perry Jr. 675
2 21p Jim Perry III 613
3 22 Roy Fisher 587
4 14 Jeff Kindt 572
5 26 Billy Aton 530
6 04 Derek Overcamp 525
7 41 David Press 443
8 8 Dan Gonerman 416
9 8x Anthony Ryan 388
10 9 David Hays Jr. 385
11 0x Dave Ellis 302
12 11 Ricardo Rivera 276
13 6 Jeff Rose 244
14 57 Troy Caraway 232
15 m1 Billy Macedo 224
16 41s Jack Clark 220
17 10 Chris Magoon 158
18 48 Micheal Vaughn 150
19 8t Troy Passama 146
20 44 Rick Panfili 139
21 10L Colby Rennert 134
22 23 Nick DeCarlo 82
23 36 Bob Newberry 78
24 22x Kris Koontz 70
25 81 Troy Foulger 64
26 22y Lee Yetter 56
27 41r Randy Lathrop 54
28 10m Eric Mentch 52
29 34 Steve Stein 48
30 9t Tony Boscacci 28
31 59 Tim Burcher 26
32 17t Dusty Green 24
33 3e Anthony Espinoza 24
34 2x Brian Gray 20
35 51 Dennis Fuller 5

2008
1 M1 BILL MACHEDO 684
2 26 BILLY ATON 682
3 8x ANTHONY RYAN 602
4 11 RICARDO RIVERA 524
5 04 DEREK OVERCAMP 448
6 22 ROY FISHER 432
7 31 TROY FOUGLER 424
8 15P JIM PERRY, JR. 396
9 8 DAN GONDERMAN 373
10 41 DAVID PRESS 280
11 44 RICHARD PANFILLI 276
12 87 RYAN BERNAL 256
13 14 JEFF KINDT 198
14 95 ALAN CLARK 172
15. 21P JIM PERRY III 122

An Antioch Speedway Story

2009-09-16T21:40:00.000-07:00

The Antioch Speedway website has been running stories about the races there. They aren't archiving them and there's still no newspaper coverage, but at least it's something. Perhaps they will send them to John Kelley's MotoRacing Magazine, which appears to be the last magazine of it's kind standing in this area. Who would have thought? It's a monthly magazine, but at least it's something to offer a snapshot of what's going on.

Anyway, here's the story from the web page. I'm not planning on doing this all the time, but figured I'd do it this once.

Sep 13 2009 - Welcome back Race Fans...

This weekend brought out some names from days of old; near and recent. Most notably was the return of Todd Tadiello making his return after what I am told was almost a decade of absense. Russ Seiber jumped back into the Dwarf Car and Chris Sorenson graced us with an appearance in a Hobby Stock. These three along with many other competitors picked a great weekend to come to the Antioch Speedway. The racing was thrilling and with limited yellows coming out, gave us some awesome non-stop action to witness. The competition was fierce as always.

Feature division and most entertaining for the night was the Dirt Modifieds. Nick DeCarlo jumped off to a quick start and set the pace for those behind him. He challenged the three behind him to get creative in their line selection. He definitely made Joe Carr and Scott Busby work for their positions. Once the two veterans got passed DeCarlo they managed to inch away from him and we were witness to glory in driving. It was intense to watch when Kenny Neu and Troy Foulger got into the mix of the top 5. There was a collective feeling of awe once the dust settled and Joe Carr was again in the winner's circle. Scott Busby, the winningest modified driver in California, gave him a good battle but settled for a stellar 2nd place finish. DeCarlo wound up in third, holding off the hard-charging and current points leader Neu.

Every week the Hobby Stocks come in and make the statement that they are a division not to be overlooked. As the season progresses, the racing action is becoming more and more notable. This past weekend was no exception and could arguably contend for the best race of the night against the monster machines of the dirt modifieds. Coming off the recent win, Jack Jonker led the pack. Nipping at his heals and waiting for any mistake to capitalize upon were current points leader Fred Ryland and prior winners Nick DeLuca and Erik Schantin. These four have stepped up their game and were put to the test as the lappers came into the picture. DeLuca was able to get past Jonker for a moment before being passed by Schantin. As they navigated around the 3/8 mile dirt oval it came down to who would be the most consistent. The track held up and has been coming in better and better as the year goes by. The hobbies took advantage of all the room and made many 3 wide passing turns. With a slight bobble from Nick DeLuca, Erik Schantin was the first to cross the checkers to the delight of the roaring crowd gaining his third win of the season. Amazingly Schantin won the race without tearoffs. It turned out in turn one of the starting lap, he went to pull a single tearoff and the whole thing came off leaving him without any for the entire A main event. Typically racers have to overcome mechanical and other obstacles but sight is normally not one of them. It makes the win even more thrilling when you find out about the battle inside the drivers seat.

Coming off a recent injury, we were unsure of the status of Daniel Mendes. The current Super Stock points leader underwent some intense medical tests and took some well received precautions prior to jumping back into the black #3. He brought his clearance and for those who were questioning; you were left without any doubts. He is here and he's not going anywhere. Bring it on you, can hear him say when you look at the drive in his eyes. Mendes started in 8th and made a quick charge to the front. Once he got past Larry Damitz and Michael Newman, it was over. He never waivered and was never challenged for the lead. Mitch Machado made a valiant effort following Mendes' move thru the pack but couldn't match the power he had and scored a second place finish. It is no surprise that Larry Damitz finished in the top three. He is as I call him, always Mr. Consistent.

Ricardo Rivera raced in the Dwarf Cars. He won, enough said. Tony Carmignani is staying within striking distance by maintaining his second place finishes. He pulled up on Rivera late in the race but the laps weren't there to make a definite challenge. Worthy of noting, is the improvement of Jerry Doty. He has been watching and learning from the top guys. It shows in his finishes from the past few months. Doty has nearly always finished in the top 5, this past weekend he gained a third place win. He is one to watch in the next year. It is not uncommon for a dwarf car driver to "move-up" to a dirt modified, but it is hardly ever seen in the reverse. This weekend we had last years dirt modified champion, Rob Norris, jump into a dwarf car. It was a nice change of pace for the modified driver. Unfortunately in every division mechanical woes will happen. Norris pulled off early in the main event, returning as it finished. Hopefully the car problems can get dialed in and we can see some more championship racing in the dwarf car division.

The Freedom Series was moved to Chowchilla for the last installment but that didn't affect our local boys. A big congratulations to Kenny Neu for taking the modified purse and Gene Haney for garnering the Hobby Stock win. The soon-to-be retired Haney was back in the familiar seat of his mini truck this weekend. He pulled out a solid third place finish and stayed in the points lead for this division. The Trophy Dash winner Tommy Brown came in second behind Mini Trux winner Mike Harman Sr. It was the first win for both men.

Prior to the Trophy Dash, we observed a moment of silence for those lost in the tragedies of years ago. It shall remain a reminder of loss and the unity of the nation. Let's all take this time to shake the hand of your neighbor, love yourself and your family. We hope that you come to the races with that same sentiment. This is a dying breed and we encourage you to cheer loudly for that which you love.

A reminder of the changes; the 2009 banquet has been cancelled. The Wingless Sprints have a $1500 to win show added to the Western All Stars Late Model event on October 3rd. Antioch Speedway management has added 2 additional dates of racing, the 17th and 24th of October. Divisions to be announced at a later date. As always, the opinion/statements made are not necessarily that of the speedway management.

Antioch Speedway Results

September 12, 2009

Dirt Modifieds
1. 12 Joe Carr
2. 73 Scott Busby
3. 17 Nick DeCarlo
4. 99 Kenny Neu
5. 49 Troy Foulger
6. 28 Chester Kniss
7. 68 Norman Beck
8. 16 Michael Paul
9. 00 Todd Tadiello
10. 44 Jon Haney
11. 61 Jeff Bettencourt
12. 2a Andy Angelo
13. 2 Mike Learn
14. 6 Dan Gonderman

Super Stocks
1. 3 Danny Mendes
2. 22 Mitch Machado
3. 15 Larry Damitz
4. 83 Michael Newman
5. 2 Mike Gustafson
6. 90 Jeremy Petrell
7. 65 Lori Brown
8. 11 Lloyd Cline
9. 8 Alan Beasy
10. 40 Steve Perry
11. 10x Eric Van Hooser

Hobby Stocks
1. 45 Erik Schantin
2. 99 Jack Jonker
3. 24 Nick DeLuca
4. 7 Fred Ryland
5. 03 Philip Gibber
6. 00 Chris Sorenson
7. 87 Wes Bentley
8. 98 Joe Cancilla
9. 56 Chuck Templeton
10. 11 Joanna Kujala
11. 57 Craig Ebert
12. 28 Anthony Roeder
13. 300 Jake Neu

Dwarf Cars
1. 45 Ricardo Rivera
2. 11 Tony Carmignani
3. 55 Jerry Doty
4. 3 Duane Jordan
5. 30 Joel Osias
6. 12 Butch Liston
7. 3s Chuck Golden
8. 1 Russ Seiber
9. 3n Clayton Dortbach
10. 41 Rob Norris

Mini Trux
1. 51 Mike Harman Sr
2. 99x Tommy Brown
3. 45 Gene Haney
4. 4 Ray Bunn
5. 99 Travis Dutra
6. 73 Ron Mayberry
7. 21 Frank Rosa
8. 37 Garrett Mayberry
9. 66x Joe Cambra
10. 11d Danny Wagner

Trophy Dash - Mini Trux
1. 99x Tommy Brown
2. 99 Travis Dutra
3. 21 Frank Rosa
4. 21d Danny Wagner

From The DCRR Archives - Chowchilla Speedway 2000

2009-06-09T18:21:00.000-07:00

What I remember most about the 2000 season was the fun I had at Chowchilla Speedway. Things in 1999 ended on a rather frustrating note and I was not a happy camper at that time. Maybe the writing was on the wall and I was on my way out anyway, but I never expected I would find my smile at a track in Chowchilla of all places. But from the moment I got there and this radical promoter named Tom Sagmiller was talking on the pit PA system and telling people there was a $25 fine if you're not having fun, I was hooked.

Tom did things differently. A $5 adult ticket for the weekly show. Needing point fund money, he shaved his head for donations. On a rainy night, he was about to cancel a show. I recall him asking the fans if they would like the drivers to come back and mud pack the track and race. They loved the idea of course, and the drivers came out and did just that. Tom was always doing things like that that were outside the box. I'm of the opinion, though, that his particular style was needed or it never would have flown.

Tom also liked to come into the California Racing Online chat room and talk with whoever was there on our weekly chats. The Hobby Stock $500 (40 cars the fist year) and Open Wheel Round Up were born in that room. I have respect for Tom and Cindy and what they did at Chowchilla, and they are two of the nicest people in the sport. Did you know that at a time when he and the Merced promoter weren't getting along, Tom let me stay at his place an extra night and even drove me to Merced Speedway so I could announce report there?

Anyway, here is a story from the 2000 Chowchilla Speedway Awards Banquet:

CHOWCHILLA SPEEDWAY ENDS SUCCESSFUL 2000 SEASON

BY DON MARTIN II
CHOWCHILLA, CA...NOVEMBER 12...Just a year ago at this time, the work crews were just breaking ground on the new race track at the Chowchilla Fairgrounds. Now, roughly 250 drivers, crew and officials gathered to honor the accomplishments at the First Annual Chowchilla Speedway Awards Banquet. It was a happy occasion for all who worked so hard to make this dream a reality.

After the Chowchilla Speedway tradition of the invocation before the event, done by Steve Stone Sr., and a delicious roast beef dinner, it was time to get into the awards ceremonies. Handling the Master Of Ceremonies duties were Promoters Tom & Cindy Sagmiller. Charlie Ruth received the "Best Idea" award for providing the inspiration that led to the effort to open the track. Charlie, Kenneth Stone, Leonard Burnett, Perry Thomas, Tom Sagmiller, Mike Bettencourt, Roy Hart, Mark & Regina Fleming were acknowledged for their investments that made opening the race track possible.

Over 30 special awards were then handed out to all the track officials, sponsors and investors for their very important contributions to this special season. The investors had the guts to take a chance on the track when some people were saying it wouldn't happen. Many of the sponsors and track officials worked during the weeks leading up to the season opener and throughout the year to make sure things went off as planned. The track officials worked on a volunteer basis to help the track get started. Without the support of all these people, the 2000 season at Chowchilla Speedway would not have been possible.

A few special awards were then handed out to the drivers. Monty Tomlinson Jr. received the award for "Having The Most Fun" every week. His crew then received the "Golden Wrench" award, and it was pointed out that Monty was the only driver to race regularly at both Chowchilla and Merced this year. Popular Hobby Stock racer Craig Tatum received the award for "Most Dents On A Race Car", and it was jokingly pointed out that Craig had managed to hit every car in the division at least once. The "Most Confused" award went to veteran Larry Folker for the time he spent in a Street Stock before returning to the Modified division, where he has won several championships. Brad LeDuc received the award for "The Most Air Time" after his crash off of Turns 3 and 4 nearly landed him in the airport next door.

"Rookie Of The Year" awards were next, and Brad LeDuc (Winged Sprint), Red Williams (Hobby Stock), Steven Williams (Modified) and Nathan Corn (Street Stock) collected that hardware. The "Most Improved Driver" plaques went to Phillip Lust (Street Stock), Brian Folkner (Modified), Roger Dory (Hobby Stock) and Joshua Lefler (Winged Sprint). Though there were several Mini Stock drivers during the last couple months of the season, only three time feature winner Bob Terry actually joined the track's R.A.C.E. Association, and he was crowned champion. Terry actually beat a field of Hobby Stocks in his Little Truck at the season opener, and he plans to return next season as the division is expected to grow considerably.

All the drivers who were members received trophies and point fund money, and each champion received two jackets in different styles. 16 year old Doug Fisher received the 13th place Hobby Stock trophy and is expected to return in a new car with his sister Amy also getting a car. Kevin Anderson was 12th, Red Williams' crew chief Jaye Aguero was 11th and Scott Van Gelder tenth. The Ford driving Dale Falkenberg was ninth, and both he and wife Tami are planning to field cars next year. Billy Alvis was eighth and two track racer Dan Holcomb seventh. Roger Dory was sixth and Chowchilla based rookie Craig Tatum received the fifth place trophy. Two time winner Sydney Finn was fourth, and Charles Seals enjoyed one of his most successful seasons in third. Five time winner Jerry O'Hagan, who also won the preliminary feature at the big open show, received the second place trophy and is already being tabbed as the driver to beat in the 2001 championship race. Seven time winner Red Williams won the championship in an impressive rookie season to receive the big trophy and jackets. He sold his car to Jay Connelly and is building a Street Stock for next season.

16 year old Joshua Lefler picked up the seventh place trophy for the Winged 362 Sprint Cars. The steady Joe Diaz Jr., who has sold his car to Jim Myers and is looking for another one, finished sixth. All of the top five point runners won at least one feature, and veteran Roy Winters finished fifth. Brad LeDuc claimed the fourth place trophy. Roy Greer ended up third behind his father, two time winner Richard Greer. George Terry, who led the effort to get the carbureted and winged Sprint Car effort going in Chowchilla, won the track championship to receive the big trophy and Jackets. George is hoping to have a new car for next season.

In the Street Stock division, Kevin Pugh earned the 13th place trophy. Robby Jeppesen settled for 12th, Dennis Corn was 11th and Larry Folkner managed a tenth place trophy in the short time he competed in the division. Speedy Davis sold his car to Andrew Krumm during the season and debuted a new car to maintain ninth in points. 65 year old Al Loewen finished eighth and "Mr. Excitement" George Lefler, who definitely lived up to his nickname, finished seventh. Sixth went to Merced champion Ramie Stone, who had some impressive results in his Chowchilla visits and intends to race here full time next year. Phillip Lust grabbed the fifth place trophy and brother Jimmy Lust was fourth. Monty Tomlinson Jr's solid season, which included two feature wins, earned him third place. The consistent Nathan Corn used his two feature wins and six trophy dash wins to finish second. Steve Stone Sr. proved to be the man to beat and won the championship jackets and trophy with ten heat wins and eight feature victories. In receiving his trophy, Steve was quick to give credit to his pit crew and said he couldn't have done it without them.

Monty Tomlinson Jr. received the 18th place Modified trophy for his two appearances in a car that was last run on the asphalt of Madera. David Jelen was 17th, Michael Jiminez 16th, Chowchilla's Wayde Stockton 15th, former Hanford champion Jimmy Reeves 14th, Mike Dinublio 13th, top five Merced racer Troy Stone was 12th and Robby Jeppesen 11th. Late starter Larry Folkner managed to climb to tenth in points and impressive rookie Steven Williams grabbed the ninth place hardware. Early season point leader Bob Hotchkiss was eighth with Merced champion Jack Stanford seventh. Jack plans to race more at Chowchilla in 2001. Brian Folkner struggled at times but still managed to earn a sixth place trophy. Veteran Bob Williamson was fifth and Chowchilla's Dennis Clay fourth. A one time feature winner, Dennis plans to build a Street Stock for next year, but if he can land the sponsorship he may stay with the Modified. Two time Merced champion Paul Stone, who had two feature wins this year, finished third and plans to have a new car for next year. Two time feature winner and six time dash winner Fred Lind earned the second place trophy. Six time winner Mike Johnson won the champion's jackets and trophy, and he is preparing for a move up to Late Models next season.

With plenty of good food, conversation and awards, a good time was had by all. It was the perfect way to wrap up a fun and exciting season at a new track that everybody worked so hard to make reality. Promoter Tom Sagmiller is now working on the schedule for an even better 2001 season under the Racing At Chowchilla Enterprises banner.

Where's The Press?

2009-06-09T17:40:00.000-07:00

It bothers me that I can't pick up my Monday morning newspaper and see some results and a little story about Antioch Speedway. For years you could get that. Heck, back in the 70's, those stories would appear in the Sunday paper with at least the top ten feature finishers listed. It bothers me that it doesn't seem to bother track management. I've read comments about low attendance and revenues that management has made. Does it not occur to them that the biggest newspaper in the area isn't covering the races? This has an effect on attendance. I don't care what they say.

I hear can't, or I used to hear that when I was at the track. My PR duties were confined to racing publications and internet, while the other guy handled newspapers. We had discussions about this where he said "can't" and I just thought "b.s." at the time. As the designer of the ad my sister faxed to the paper back then, I recall her conversation with the paper where they told her the track should be getting coverage in that paper. But, it never happened. I should have tried harder on my own, I suppose, but I had a full plate and half the salary of the newspaper PR guy. Was it my duty to do his job?

When I went to Chowchilla the first year, I faxed newspapers all the time, and we did get ink in the local paper every week as well as Merced and Fresno papers and smaller papers. There were times I was ignored and it definitely pissed me off. Buddy Cox used to get a kick out of what I would do to a paper that ignored me. But, we got ink, and it's a reason attendance went up that second season. Nobody's coming if they don't now about it. My work in the papers at that time is something else I'm proud of.

I don't know if John has that guy working for him or somebody else, but if he's paying somebody, he's getting screwed. They need a PR guy getting stuff to all the area papers (Even ones that may not be likely to print at first) and they need to send stuff every week to show they are serious. I suggested at the time a phone line be put back in the booth to give the track a shot at making deadline on a Saturday night. I had other ideas that could help, but I don't want to drag this out too much longer.

Even though I'm not involved in the sport, there are names I am familiar with and new names that pop up that I like to read about. It bothers me that Antioch Speedway gets no love from the newspaper, when it was far different not that long ago. I wish it would bother John a little more than it seems to. With the improvements he's made to the track, maybe it's time to let old fans and prospective new fans know what's going on again.

By the way, this is not me hinting at wanting to come back. I'm just offering an opinion. Not trying to bash anybody either, so I hope it's not taken that way.

It occurs to me as we reach the half way point of this year that the decade is almost over and we are also approaching another anniversary of something that was near and dear to me, the birth of California Racing Online as a racing news website. Might make for a good column at some point.

Anyway, I'm sorry I've been bad with updates here. I hope all is well with you, and I wish you all the best.

A Little Recognition Can Be A Good Thing

2009-06-09T16:51:00.000-07:00

I'm sorry I haven't been motivated lately to post anything here. I have older DCRR stuff I could post and haven't even done that. I've wanted to check in and say something, so now is a good time I guess.

I've spoken with Don O'Keefe Jr. recently about an article Norm Bogan has written for Flat Out Magazine. It details the beginnings of the Wingloess Spec Sprint division here in California. I've seen the story, and I appreciate Norm's effort to report the truth. With Don in Indiana and me out of the sport for five years now, Norm could have just went to John Padjen or John Soares Jr. and gotten a different story.

I guess thank you's are in order to Don for being so thorough in details he gave to Norm, Keith & Debbie Shipherd for helping make sure the truth got out and Norm for an excellent job. I've NEVER considered this to be about me. That this division is alive ten years later at Antioch Speedway and so many other tracks is all the recognition I need. Every time a race is held in this class, a new memory for the racers and fans is made.

Still, it is nice to have something in a national publication that mentions that I played a part in all of this and I announced and did publicity at Antioch Speedway. People will come in and try to take it away from you, but the facts are the facts and I'm proud of what I did.

Truthfully, Don and I and John Soares Jr. were just taking the carbureted Sprint Car class in a new direction. Judging by the way things are, it was the right thing to do. For over a decade, this class lived in different forms as the California Dirt Cars of Santa Maria, Limited Sprints of Merced and NCMA Modifieds, so pat those guys on the back too. They played a part in it, and the NCMA lives today.

This may shock some people, but I am and will aways be a fan of the NCMA. It's been a love-hate relationship at times, but it's a fact. From the moment Mike Johnson converted me from a Dirt Modified lover and NCMA hater (as a lot of people were at the time), I wanted to see this class reach the heights he always maintained it could. I believed whole heartedly in what he was saying. You could find me at times talking with Late Model drivers about the NCMA and why it was a good group (as if they wanted to hear that).

Fact is, I spent six seasons as NCMA Publicity Director and five as NCMA Secretary. I devoted many columns in Wheels, Veach Racing News, DCRR and other publications making sure people knew they were out there. When car counts were low at the start, those columns would also include paragraphs about drivers who would be joining the club in the future. I wanted people to know more cars were coming. I also played a part in helping them get race dates.

I have been honored twice by the NCMA under presidents Paul Nelson and Jim Booth with awards for my contributions to the cause, and I still have those awards on my wall. I doubt I'll ever receive an invite to the NCMA Hall Of Fame, and I'm okay with that. To any who remember me there, I'm the jerk who "ruined" it for them. Believe it if it makes you feel better. But the fact is, the NCMA still lives. I credit Ed Amador's leadership as well as the late Del Quinn for that.

Ed made a comment to me once that I thought was pretty cool. He said,"The NCMA will live even when it's just a bunch of old men sitting around the table talking about the old days."

That's really what it's all about. It ain't who wins or loses. I know it's nice to win and all, but it's the memories and the friendships that matter.

I wanted to comment on the NCMA Hall Of Fame for a moment, and names that should be on that list. When I see Linda Bosenecker and Bill Ivins are in, I agree with that. Those two never raced (Linda may have once or twice), but they fought so hard for the cause. If there can only be one NCMA PR person inducted, I'm glad it's Bill.

Roland Lokmor, Darryl Shirk and Del Quinn were all inducted after they passed away, and deserved to be in. Shirk is without a doubt the greatest driver to ever race with the NCMA. Quinn is a legend in his own right. Lokmor did so much behind the scenes to make sure cars were running on the track.

Mike Johnson got in last year and that surprised me. Not because he didn't deserve it, because he did. I'm just surprised they inducted him. I'm doing this from memory, but Burt Siverling, Amador, Don Hicks and Scott Holloway are in as well. For about a five or six year stretch, Siverling had a better attendance record than anybody. I believe Holloway has more feature wins and championships in the NCMA than anybody. I don't question that these guys belong, although Hicks is debatable to me. I just wonder why certain others weren't inducted first.

The NCMA would not exist without Johnson and his crazy ideas. That is a fact. However, it may not have made it through the 90's without Jim Booth. Jim took over as president at a time when leadership was sorely needed. He calmed down the infighting, stabilized the club and saw it reach it's fist car count of over 20 cars. Not to mention his status as a top five driver in points. Jim should be in.

Mike Lokmor should not be ignored either. His efforts behind the scenes helped keep it alive, and he was all about helping that club survive. The man owned two cars, and he and his father also helped get a third car to the track when it was sorely needed. Also, he's a point runner up. Mike deserves to be in.

Duane Watson should be in. DW is a former champion who opened doors to other tracks the NCMA had never raced at. Car count was at it's highest when he was Business Manager of the NCMA and Gordon Chappa was president. Duane belongs in. I could make the argument for Gordon as well.

Well, that's the way it seems to me anyway. You may disagree. At any rate. Long Live Wingless Spec Sprints, and long live the NCMA.

The Tenth Anniversary Of Wingless Spec Sprints

2009-03-11T17:57:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the absence, but I guess I've been focusing on other things. As they say, life goes on. The book isn't at the top of my list at this moment, but it is on the list. All I can say is I have some notes on what I want in it, but have not started writing it. Need to finish other stuff first. I can say that when I do start writing, I don't anticipate it will take too long.

I had two other blogs written last November, and for whatever reason, I didn't do anything with them. They have been posted and are beneath this one. They are about Jim Booth and the families of racing at Antioch Speedway. Both appeared in DCRR Racing News in 1998 originally.

I guess if I had to think about what was my legacy in racing that people still remember, it's Wingless Spec Sprints. Most people probably don't know who I am, but if they are watching the division wherever it's at here in California, I'd like to think I helped get the ball rolling. When I think about it, it's pretty cool. Five years after attending my last race in California, Spec Sprints live on.

Don O'Keefe Jr. told me that we'd be pushed out of the way if this thing took off, and he was right. I hate when that happens, but with Don, it happens a lot. He's about the smartest and wisest man I know in racing and a man I'm still proud to call my friend.

Ego is not why we did this. I'd been associated with the carbureted Sprint effort since 1988 with the NCMA and Mike Johnson, but I know all I was to them was a column writer. I never really fit in there, but I tried my best to help the cause. I did my best, but I know I pissed people off. I could have done a few things differently, but I'm proud of my work. I'm a link in the chain that is Wingless Spec Sprints and the NCMA, which still lives.

I know Bill Ivins (NCMA Hall Of Famer and deservedly so) thought I was trying to destroy the NCMA when I got involved with the WSS, and so did others. Poor Bill got caught in the crossfire and blamed for things that I know were not his fault. Bill is a good man and I respect him regardless of our disagreements. I could have been less of a prick sometimes, but we live and learn. Nobody is perfect.

What people may not know is I fought hard for the NCMA when John Soares Jr. got Antioch Speedway. As traveling clubs were removed from the schedule there, and virtually every other one was, the NCMA was on the schedule for 1998. John and I talked a lot about the NCMA and I assured him they were worth it and would give him a decent car count. There were those who were worried when I endorsed John, but I always intended to fight for the NCMA.

I further lobbied for an NCMA point race at Antioch so they could get honored at the banquet in 1998. I was asked by the NCMA Business Manager to start keeping track of those points as I was doing it for Antioch Speedway at the time. Out of respect for the NCMA, I used their point system. I still caught a ration of crap from Ivins about that and was called a liar, but I understand the fear. There has always been a rally around the NCMA banner attitude from the die hards, but that is also why there is still an NCMA. I respect that.

I should also point out that while I was speaking up for the NCMA, Soares is the one with the power to make it happen, and he did. John gave me opportunities I never dreamed I would have, and I will NEVER forget that. He didn't have to take a chance on a loser like me, but he did.

Now, John was worried. He liked the NCMA Modifieds, but there were scheduling conflicts in 1998 that could have ended badly had Don and I not stepped in and let him know what was going on. John's first offer to the NCMA for 1999 was the purse structure enjoyed by the WSS in the beginning as long as they joined All Pro Series, plus they could still be the NCMA on the road. It was rejected. Again, I understand why, but the fact was John wanted a new division. Don and I were the two who could make it happen.

First order of business was to find out if there were 12 or so drivers interested in a wingless and carbureted Sprint Car class (not with the coup or sedan bodies of the Modifieds). There were, or course. Secondly, what was the purse gonna be? As Doc Brophy would say, "What does it pay?"

John quoted us a purse on a 12 car minimum with an increase at 17 cars, and he never wavered on that number. It made the job Don and I did so much easier. It was the cornerstone of our effort. Well, that and rules. I still have the hand written, pizza stained original draft of the rules.

The fact is, I know nothing about what makes a car work, but I have a simple philosophy. It has to be as affordable as possible for the working men and women who race. My expertise is hype and writing to get people excited about it. Don knows the rules inside and out and can quote them all without looking at the book. He knows why the rules are that way and how it all works. He took time to explain each and every one of them to me as we wrote them, answering any questions I had.

That was an interesting August afternoon in 1998 at that pizza parlor, and it was the beginning of one crazy, stressful and exciting year of building a new division. We only had so many months to get it ready for an April 1999 launch date. I could tell you so many stories, but that would make this column way too long. I don't want to bore you.

Don answered all of the questions any potential racer had and had the phone and printing bills to prove it. I hyped every little thing about the class in The DCRR, Racing Wheels, MotoRacing and any other publications or online sites I could think of. If a racer was thinking about running this class, I wrote about it. I know it pissed some people off, but I wanted this to be a success and this needed to be done.

The job of starting this class and doing all the little things to put out the fires paid nothing, but that was never the point. By the way, there were fires to put out, egos to deal with and rumors to put an end to. We made a joke of it to relieve stress. Hence, Don became "The Rumorman". There's a story behind that, but I won't go there.

I recall a night that Darry Shirk came walking from way across the booth area at the Placerville swap meet to ask me about a rumor he'd heard that was incorrect about the WSS. What a great man and racer Darryl was, and I was so proud he was on that initial roster and a feature winner. The late Andy Archer had just won "Rookie Of The Year" with NCMA and was prepared to jump ship to the WSS. Two racers taken away from us before their time.

The veterans, the new guys, Stock Car racers, people who always wanted to run a Sprint Car but could not afford it. The Spec Sprint class brought it all together. Don't let the carburetors fool you, these guys were putting on some great Sprint Car racing, and it didn't take long for die hard Sprint Car fans to take notice. One ally to the cause and a man I respect was From The Grandstand columnist Ron Rodda. I can tell you he made a difference to the cause very early on with his fair and informative columns.

I'm still accused of trying to destroy the NCMA, but the fact is I personally lobbied for NCMA dates not only at Antioch in 1999, but Petaluma as well. There were at least 7 dates, but it fell apart due to more scheduling conflicts. I'm not thrilled at that, but I did what I could to help them. Speaking up any further could have been damaging to my own situation, so I had to let go. Fortunately, the NCMA booked dates at Altamont that year and continues to live.

Even after all of the hype and rules clarifications and the stuff Don and I did, we didn't know what to expect. We thought we should hit 12 cars minimum, but you never know until the races come. As it turned out, we had 12 cars on April 3, 1999 for the opener, and there was nearly 14 but for last minute problems. I believe 1999 champion Dan Gonderman won that race, but I'd have to check my notes.

There were a lot of things that we did to try to make things special and make the racing exciting, like encouragement heat races to produce first time winners and fully inverted fields for more passing. We never had less than 12 cars that year at Antioch and as many as 19. The season opener in 2000 had a B Main. A year later, I worked with Tom Sagmiller at Chowchilla to produce a then record 32 car field for the Open Wheel Round Up.

So this is the tenth anniversary of Spec Sprints at Antioch, but the division didn't just take off there. Chico, Placerville, Watsonville, Marysville, Orland and Petaluma have all started their own classes, and the NCMA still lives as well. I'm not so sure what would be there had we not gotten the ball rolling at Antioch, and I'm proud to have been a part of making it happen and what Don and I did for the cause of promoting racing.

Announcing, handing track publicity, doing my own publication and the other opportunities I've had to make a difference are all things I'm proud of. But, the Wingless Spec Sprint class is the one thing that has had a more lasting impression on the sport. It still lives, and I was a part of making it happen. Not many people get an opportunity to do something like that, and I'm grateful to have had the chance to make a difference. Hopefully it's around for many years to come, and I see no reason why that won't be the case.

To everybody, past and present who has been a part of this thing from the beginning of the NCMA to this coming season of Wingless Spec Sprints, thank you and be proud. It couldn't have happened without you.

HAPPY 10TH ANNIVERSARY WINGLESS SPEC SPRINTS!!!

A Look At Some Of The Families Of Racing At Antioch

2008-11-26T18:08:00.000-08:00

This Article Appeared In DCRR Racing News in 1998

PIT STOPS
BY DON MARTIN II
BAY POINT, CA...Tradition in racing is a good thing. All too often at race tracks, they are dropping traditional big races or not taking a time during the season to honor their past greats. Well, the main focus of the Jack London Bash for the Bay Cities Racing Association is to honor those who helped make this nearly 60 year old organization last as long as it has. For the latest event at All Pro Series sanctioned Antioch Speedway, the BCRA had all three of its divisions, the Midgets, Midget Lites and the Vintage Midgets, in actions along with the tracks regular Dirt Modifieds and Pure Stocks. That put roughly 100 cars in the pits for the night.

The BCRA is better known for its Midget division, but along the way to its current lineup of divisions, they had the Hardtops. BCRA has inducted several of its former Hardtop champions into the Hall Of Fame, including John Soares (1949-1950), Johnny Franklin (1955), Leroy Geving (1959-1960), Wally Baker (1958) and Dave Logan (1966). On this afternoon, the late Gene Dudley, better known to his fans as the "Napa Flyer", was inducted. Gene's car-owner was there to accept the honor for the 1957 and 1961 BCRA Hardtop champion. Jack Davis, a car owner from the Hardtop era, and the late Joe Valente, a former Hardtop driver better known as the flag man for BCRA for many years, were also inducted. Davis was there to accept his honor, but family members, including his wife, were there to accept for Valente,

Throughout the years, many, many great drivers have jumped behind the wheel of the a non-winged or winged Midgets and competed with the BCRA. Former many time indoor and outdoor champions like Johnny Baldwin, who was in attendance, Johnny Boyd, Mike McGreevy, Burt Foland, the still competing Floyd Alvis, Hank Butcher, Dick Atkins and Gary Koster have been inducted into the Hall Of Fame. In fact, Baldwin was in attendance at this gathering. Drivers getting inducted into the Hall from the Midget ranks this year included Dee Hileman, the late Woody Brown and Davie Moses, while car-owners inducted included Harry Schilling, Jerry Boaz and the late Abdo Allen. Working tirelessly behind the scenes for 25 years to help promote and keep BCRA going was Virginia Palmer, and she was among the ten inducted into the Hall this year. Her speech was one of gratitude for being a part of this nearly sixty year old association and the friendships she's been able to make.

BCRA is an organization that is proud of where they've been and where they are going. They've seen the glory days of racing as much as five or six times a week, both indoor and outdoor, and they remain a regular visitor with their Midgets and Midget Lites at tracks in Antioch, Petaluma, Placerville, Marysville, Lakeport and Stockton 99, among others. What has kept this organization going, you ask? Family. First, second and even third generation racing family members have competed with the BCRA, and just the BCRA as a whole has become a family of its own with friendships formed that will last a lifetime.

After Hall Of Fame ceremonies were completed and it was time to race, the BCRA went out with their roughly 50 cars among three divisions and reminded everybody what good racing is all about. The Vintage Midgets came out a couple times for exhibition races in their open cockpit racers. The BCRA Midget Lites showcased the talents of rising young star Ryan German. The defending champion led the point race going in and maintained that with a flag to flag victory ahead of 1997 Northern Stars champion Ted Harrison and Greg Sheehan. The BCRA Midgets then put on an entertaining race with no rollovers and great, wheel to wheel racing, won by back of the pack starter Scott Nail with a late pass on early leader Floyd Alvis, who was second. Mini Sprint graduate John Sarale was third. All in all, BCRA had a good night.

At Antioch Speedway, a track that has been open to weekly racing now for 38 years, the family has been at the heart of things for the entire run. All you need to do is look at who the promoter is for one prime example. Back in 1961, when the track opened for weekly races, and even in the mid-fifties, when the track ran a few special events, the man promoting the races and establishing a solid foundation for a good program for years to come was John Soares Sr. Fast forward to this season, and John Soares Jr., who is not only a past racing champion like his father, is promoting the speedway. Two generations of Soares who have been a big part of Antioch Speedway through the years.

One of the families racing at Antioch in the fifties was the Robbins family. A man by the name of Clyde "Reverse" Robbins, competed in that very first first season, and he got his nickname by finishing a race in reverse. Clyde had a short racing career, but his son, Don Robbins, was the track's Stock Car champion in 1974. In 1986, Don's son "Wild" Jim Robbins began racing Street Stocks, winning a main event that year before making a name for himself as one of the top drivers in the Figure 8. Jim won three Figure 8 main events one season driving three different cars for three different car owners as a top five point runner and recently came out of retirement to drive for Deep Pockets Racing, who are hoping to run the Figure 8 again at the Speedway in 1999 if Soares does decide to add the popular race to the schedule once again.

About the time Clyde Robbins was racing those races during the track's very first season, another of the Speedway's racing families was getting their start at Pacheco's Contra Costa Speedway. Dean "The Blinker" Cline began racing Hardtops at Pacheco in 1955 with the BCRA before joining up at Antioch for its first full season in 1961. Cline went from the Hardtops to the Stock Cars, where he won a championship in 1979, and then tried the Sportsman Division for its last couple seasons before returning to the Stock Car division for a couple more years. Dean had established himself as one of the top divers at the track in whatever car he drove with numerous feature and dash wins, and his last seasons in a Street Stock in 1985 and 1986 saw him win several main events, while opting to stay out of points because of his previous experience. Dean, in fact, never really cared about point racing and has always been quick to offer his advice or help to those who needed it.

Dean's only son Lance's first racing effort was in a memorable pink #18 Street Stock in 1983, a car that came equipped with a stereo. Over the next few seasons, Lance may have raced a few times, but he began to get more involved in building cars. He and his father put together that fast Street Stock that Dean raced before retiring in 1987. From there, Lance started building Street Stocks with Kent Bickford being his first customer and a top 20 point runner. More success in Cline cars was achieved by drivers like Jackie Frye, David Rosa and two-time champion Jason Mincey. Numerous main event wins in the Street Stocks have come in cars Lance built and he has even stepped up his services to include Dirt Modified chassis as well. Lance started driving briefly from 1996 to 1997 and even won his first career main event, but he decided to focus more on building cars this season. However, in doing so, he got his father back into the racing scene at Antioch, after an 11 year absence, in a Pure Stocker. When Dean isn't racing, you can find him in the pits working with his son at the Cline Racing Supply parts trailer.

Before Dean Cline and Clyde Robbins, Charles "Red" Garner, who owned a gas station, was competing with the BCRA Midgets in the forties, after the war, and the fifties. His son Jerry wasn't old enough to remember much more than the race car and the trophies, but that still made an impression on him. In 1967 Jerry "The Maverick" Garner started racing a Stock Car on the circuit, going from Petaluma to Antioch and wherever else he could find a race. Jerry became very competitive in 1968 and won several main events in a row at Petaluma that year. A year later, he brought home the prestigious State Championship trophy. Jerry would move up to the Sportsman division in the seventies and won some main events in that class as well before it ended in 1981, forcing him to return to the Late Model division. Jerry won his last main event in 1982, a 50 lapper that saw him hold off the practically unbeatable Dave Byrd, but he remained a top 20, at times top ten or even five, point runner throughout the decade and led several weeks of the 1986 point race driving for father in law, Nick Burcher, who himself had been a competitor and car owner at the speedway since 1961.

When the Dirt Modified division at Antioch began in 1990, it didn't take long before Jerry had a car. Though on a shoestring budget, Jerry kept the family name involved at the speedway, and his son Mark was soon ready to drive a car himself. Not long after Mark's cousin (Nick's grandson) Jimmy Ford took his Modified and moved up to Oregon and raced, Mark joined the class in a home built car, built by Al Artero. Underfunded, but with his knowledgeable father Jerry as a crew chief, Mark plugged right along and soon began winning heat races and making main events. He made the top 20 for the first time in 1996 and vastly improved last season with his first two top five finishes. This year has seen Mark realize a plethora of dreams as he has won several trophy dashes, ranks in the top five in points and won his first main event in the last race after a good battle with Chris Wadsworth. More importantly, he has kept the Garner family name as a supporter of Antioch Speedway and returned it to the main event winner's circle for the first time in 16 years.

In 1961, when Antioch was just starting its weekly program, there were many drivers coming in from out of town, but the local roster was just beginning to get filled. One of those local drivers was L.D. "Merry Go Round" Maupin. L.D. quickly established himself as one of the top local drivers at the track in his Hardtop before switching to the Sportsman division and remaining competitive as a feature winner. L.D. switched back to the Stock Car division and had his last top ten season in 1982. He remained active at the track in his familiar red, white and blue #7a car until 1985. It was during the seventies when his son Mel began racing at the track in a Sportsman, and the low dollar racing Maupin even enjoyed a top 20 season in Sportsman competition before switching to Stock Cars in the eighties and doing it again. Mel was one of the last local drivers to run the track's Stock Car class before switching the car to the Dirt Modified division and twice ranking top 20 there. Mel is very much in contention for a top five point season, but even if he doesn't do it, a top ten season would still be his best ever.

Another family that got its start at Antioch in the sixties was the Brown family. In fact, there were two Brown families. Both got their start with Bill Brown. The more familiar Bill Brown started out in the Sportsman division in 1965 and became track champion in 1972 and 1974 and State champion in 1974 after four straight seasons as runner-up in that race. Bill won numerous main events in the Sportsman division, but he moved on to the Sprint Car division after his second track championship, where he became the head NARC official for several years. Bill's sons Keith and Dale started out running Go Karts in the late sixties at the old Stoneman track in Pittsburg. Keith was the first to graduate to the Sportsman class with Dale to follow in 1973, his senior year in High School. Running against their legendary father, both Brown boys won their share of races and ranked in the top ten in points. By the end of the seventies, both retired from Antioch, but Keith was coaxed out of retirement in 1988 by a ride in John Procopio's Dirt Modified.

Keith started driving for Rich Richards in Late Model competition and won his share of races once again and even became a top five ranked driver. In fact, Keith started driving his own Dirt Modified as well as the Late Model and won both main events at Antioch one night in 1992. That Dirt Modified was parked before at the end of the 1995 season, but Keith's brother Dale came out of retirement a year later to drive the car. This season, Keith's son Keith Jr. is enjoying his rookie season and ranks just outside the top 20 while the elder Brown is again in the top five. Also joining the family fun this year is son in law Ed Davies, who ranked 11th in Dirt Modified points after the last race.

The other Bill Brown ran the Hardtops at Antioch. In the mid seventies, his son Ron Brown began racing Stock Cars and ranked top 20 for two seasons before moving up to the Sportsman division. Ron was a low buck racer and not one to chase points. After a couple years in the Sportsman division, Ron switched to the Stock Car division. It was also during that time that Ron's brother Randy had a brief career in the Street Stock division, and Ron and Randy actually shared driving duties in a Stock Car in 1983 and 1984. When Ron wasn't racing, he could usually be found helping somebody else, and he returned for a brief run in the Street Stocks and Figure 8 division. In 1992, Ron got his wife Lori into the Street Stock division, and she enjoyed a top ten season in 1994. Ron has dabbled in Street Stocks and Dirt Modifieds since then with some success, but he has a Late Model he hopes to have ready for September 12th event at Antioch, while Lori continues to rank top five in the Street Stocks. Ron's son Ryan and his stepson Vince both got to race a Pure Stock a couple times last season, making it three generations for this Brown family racing at Antioch as well.

"Wild" Bill Waldrop ran the Hardtop division at Antioch when it first started and then crewed for other drivers, including 1975 Sportsman champion Doug Shearer. Bill's son Rob began crewing for J.D. Willis in the late seventies and started racing the Street Stock division in 1980 in a car painted like Willis' #2a car with the flames on the side. Rob stayed active at Antioch either driving or pitting for somebody, and he sold Dirt Modified point leader Don Shelton his first car in 1984, appropriately nicknamed "The Tank" Rob started having some point racing success as the 80's came to an end and he was able to race more, ranking in the top ten in points in 1996. Rob also played a part in helping Bob Newberry and Larry Cates become more competitive and currently leads the Modified Street Stock point race ahead of another second generation racer, Daniel Hodges.

Many great racing families got their Antioch start in the sixties. Henry Coelho Sr., better known as Butch to the racing fans, started racing the Sportsman division in the sixties and was one of the top drivers in the class and a main event winner. Butch had disappeared from the scene by the mid seventies, but his son Brad, who had gotten his start in Motor Cycles, joined the Street Stock division in 1986. Brad showed how much he had learned from his father by winning a main event in that rookie season, and "Hollowood Rad" Brad Coelho was born to the fans. A year later, Brad's brother Butch Jr. and his father joined the Street Stocks and shared a car with both winning main events that year. After an impressive top five point season, Brad kind of faded from the scene, but when he returned, he shocked the Dirt Modified division by winning several main events and winning "Rookie Of The Year" honors. A car accident a year ago has kind of derailed Brad's career as a driver, at least for the time being, but he remains active as a car builder, recently building a frame for Dan Gonderman.

The Gonderman family got its start in racing with Ken Gonderman running a Sportsman at Petaluma Speedway in 1965. Ken soon began racing at Antioch and was the only driver keeping Gary Pacheco from winning four championships in a row when he won the title in 1970. Ken remained a tough competitor and main event winner throughout the seventies, and he got his oldest son Dave Gonderman started in racing in a Sportsman in 1978 when the two drivers traded off. A year later Dave won his first main event and ranked top 20, and he liked it so much he accomplished both feats again the next year. Ken remained active in racing helping Al Nordstrom build his cars and occasionally getting behind the wheel and driving. In 1985, Ken finally got another car, a chassis he was helping Al build. Also that year, Ken's son Dan Gonderman made his first Street Stock start in a car owned by "The Galloping Grandpa" Henry Lentz.

Ken remained competitive in that car he would eventually sell to Doug Timmons a couple seasons later. Both Dan and Dave Gonderman got Street Stocks and became very competitive in 1990 and the next couple seasons. They both won several main events and ranked top five, but while Dave would park his car and retire again, working with drivers like Gary Harvey and Dave Zahn, Dan ended up building a Dirt Modified and moving up. Dan's ability to charge to the front in just about every main event he was in that first year (1995) was impressive despite the fact that things had a tendency to break on the car. He won his first main event in the class in 1997 and has another win this year as the #2 driver in points with a shot at first as this is being written. Though Dave only spectates these days, his son Nathan made his first start in the 1997 Enduro and could be a future star of the Gonderman Racing Team.

Though there are many great racing families sill involved at Antioch Speedway, many have come and gone, and missing them in this story is not intended to be a slight on them. In the sixties, a man by the name of Joe Furia began racing at tracks in Vallejo and Petaluma, to name a few, and his brother Dennis started racing at Petaluma in the seventies, racking up more Antioch victories than anybody in the Sportsman division from 1969-1981 and winning the 1979 championship. After 1980, Dennis was done with racing, but his son Dennis Jr. began building a Dirt Modified that had its roots with Len Mello and the 1981 Sportsman title at Antioch. Dennis Jr. had been pitting for another famous racing family member, Rob Roy--of the famous Roy Boys (Rob, John and Jerry) and was also building a car. During that time, Dennis Sr. decided to buy a car off of Tom Williams and rejoin Antioch's racing wars in 1993. Since that time, Dennis Sr. has racked up several victories and a top five ranking. Both his sons, Dennis Jr. and David, joined the Dirt Modified ranks a year later, and David became a top five point racer in 1995 with two impressive feature wins over Scott Busby. David has moved on and is one of the top racers on the asphalt of Ukiah while Dennis Sr. and Jr. are both racing at Petaluma and Antioch. A hard luck racer from the start, Dennis Jr. came within a whisker of winning his first career main event at Petaluma this year, leading several laps before his motor let go.

About 1977, Terry DeCarlo Sr. started racing a Hardtop at Vallejo Speedway, and he became a top five point competitor at that track. Terry joined the Stock Car division at Antioch in 1983 and became a fixture in the top 20 in points there in 1984. Terry even led several weeks in the point standings in 1987, another top five point year. He eventually switched to the Dirt Modified division and continued to be a main event winner and ranked third in points in 1996. In 1989, Terry's son Mike DeCarlo bought an NCMA car that Terry spent part of the year dialing in for him. 1990 saw Mike lead the first half of the point season and win two main events before quitting as the point leader to go Dirt Modified racing. Mike soon won a main event in that division as well before quitting. Terry's youngest son Nick began racing Box Stocks at Delta Speedway last season and has won several main events this year as the current point leader. Terry's youngest daughter Teri also started running the Box Stock division this year and won her first heat race recently. Also starting his racing career this year is Terry's namesake Terry Jr., who currently ranks top ten in Pure Stock points after an impressive heat win and top five finish last time out.

Right around 1977, Buzz Wadsworth began racing Stock Cars and was a top 20 competitor. He and "Vicious" George Viscia owned the car driven to the 1978 Stock Car title by the late Bob Meeker. Wadsworth and Viscia again teamed up in 1981, and they played a big part in ending J.D. Willis' retirement as he became their driver for a while. It was in 1989 when young Chris Wadsworth began racing Quarter-Midgets. Buzz could see that his son had talent, and George again lent his support as young Wadsworth graduated to the Micro Midgets, where he won main events, and then the Street Stocks, where the kid was an instant front runner. Chris ranked top five in his first full year in Street Stocks at Antioch in 1996 with several feature wins, graduated to the Dirt Modifieds, where he again ranked top five with several feature wins and then ranked second at San Jose this season until deciding to switch back to Antioch. Having successfully tested a Winston West ride on a few occasions, it may be that Chris isn't through moving up in divisions just yet.

In 1976, a man by the name of Tom Clymens began racing Stock Cars at Antioch and ranked top 20 and top ten in successive years. Tom was a top 20 driver in the competitive Sportsman division in 1979, but an injury to his back saw him decide to become a crew chief. He talked his wife Debi into running the Street Stock division, and that 1980 season saw Debi do everything from stand her car on its nose, to win main events and eventually rank second in points. Since that time, Debi, with Tom as her crew chief, has ranked top ten in Stock Cars, Figure 8 (Second) and Dirt Modifieds, which she is well on her way to doing again this year. Late in the 1996 season, son Trevor Clymens bought Tom Lewis' car and joined the Pure Stock division for the last couple races. Tommy Jr. joined Trevor in Pure Stocks last season and ranked top 20 on his limited schedule while Trevor finished third and won his first main event. This season younger brother Todd has joined Trevor and Tommy Jr. as the whole family races very competitive at the speedway. Trevor ranks third at the moment with three wins, Tommy is ranked just outside the top ten and Todd is just getting started, but he is proud to be a part of the first brother trio to win a race at Antioch all on the same night as he won his heat, Tommy a heat and Trevor the B Main. The Clymens family plans to be at the speedway for years to come and Trevor and Tommy are contemplating a move up to the Dirt Modifieds.

In 1982, Duane Hodges had just missed racing with Debi Clymens as he got started racing a Street Stock. Duane managed to win a few main events in his five year Street stock career, but he was a consistent top ten feature finisher even when he didn't win and was one of Antioch's top Street Stock point earners of the eighties. Duane moved up to give Late Models and Dirt Modifieds a shot with some success, and his son Daniel decided to give Motor Cycles a rest and go Street Stock racing in 1997. With two feature seconds and a dash win that year, young Hodges showed much potential as a top 20 driver, and he ranks just 25 points behind Rob Waldrop in the hotly contested Modified Street Stock point race after his fifth feature win.

The Curl family has been a part of the the speedway since the seventies, when Bruce "The Phantom" Curl Sr. raced the Stock Cars and then the Sportsman division. Bruce won the 1981 Stock Car title driving the red, white and blue #66 House Of Wheels Special for Pete Paulson. He remained a top 20 driver and even made it as high as the top five with a feature victory in 1987. Bruce's son Bruce Jr. gave the Stock Cars a brief shot in 1983 and his brother Bill started racing Stock Cars in 1981 as a top ten driver. Bill ran Stock Cars until it got too pricey in 1984 and then won several Street Stock main events in 1987 before stepping down as a tittle contender. Both Bruce Sr. and Bill tried their hand as officials, and both were talented in the art of car building with Bill building some fast Street Stocks, including cars for Kurt Breuker and Tom Adair Jr. Bruce played a part in getting the Dirt Modified effort going at Antioch as he started building cars along with Tony Pato in 1989 and 1990 before closing his Curl Racing shop. Though Bill hasn't been going to the races much these days, Bruce Sr. can be seen in the Antioch pits helping Ed Leis, among others.

Many other good racing families have been involved at the track, including the brother teams of the Bellando's (John and Dave), the Brown's (Dennis and Bob, whose son Bobby now runs Pure Stocks), the Arth's (Ron and George), the Ackerman's (Tim and Robert) the Skaggs's (Vince and Jeff) and the Martin's (Tim, Billy and Vince). Most of those drivers had at least one top 20 season and, in the case of both Bellando's and Bob Brown had a title contending seasons. Gene Dothage had three straight runnerup point seasons in the Sportsmans in the early seventies and his son Brent can be seen winning 360 Sprint Car features at Petaluma these days. The late Roland Lokmor (Hardtops and Midgets), son Mike (Midgets) and grandson Brian have all competed with the NCMA. Many good husband and wife teams like Richard and Gloria Johnson, Mike and Leslie Green, Terry and Loretta Schneeberg, Steve and Terri Wacht (and son Matt) and Don and Linda O'Keefe have competed at Antioch through the seasons.

When you ask the question of how could Antioch Speedway last 38 years as a weekly race track, many answers can come to mind. The racing has been good. True. The management has done a good job. True. However, never downplay the importance of family in the role of keeping this thing going all these years. There are first, second, third and even fourth generation racing fans attending the races through the years, and while many good racers have come and gone, the families that have stuck around, through thick and thin, families like the Garner's, Gonderman's, Clymens's, Brown's and the Cline's, are the foundation of this great racing tradition in Contra Costa County.

JIM BOOTH: A BIG REASON FOR THE NCMA'S SUCCESS

2008-11-26T17:22:00.000-08:00

This story ran in DCRR Racing News in 1998

Also, Don O'Keefe Jr. has an excellent Jim Booth tribute page with lots of pictures located HERE.

BY DON MARTIN II

ANTIOCH, CA...When you take a look at the car counts of the Northern California Modified Association in this their 11th year of existence and see them in the twenties and see top drivers like Mike McCreary, Don Hicks and even club founder Mike Johnson racing along with NCMA stars like Scott Holloway, Ed Amador Sr., Duane Watson and Don O'Keefe Jr., it's easy to be impressed. The NCMA has emerged as one of the top three touring support divisions in California. Things are going well now, but it wasn't always that way. In fact, if it wasn't for the leadership of former club President Jim Booth from 1991 to 1994, perhaps this whole club would have went away quietly.

Jim had been a Stock Car racer in the seventies and in the early eighties. In fact, he won the 1982 track championship at the old Baylands Raceway Park in Fremont. "I only won one race there, " Booth admitted. "It was done with consistency. I had a lot of top fives."

Even then, Jim was one of the true sportsmen of racing and that came more to the forefront in 1983. Jim gave up a shot at second in the standings that season. "It was between me and Bill O'Malley for second, and I loaned him my good tires for the final race, " said Booth. "My car was only running on seven cylinders, and I knew I wasn't going anywhere. So, I loaned him my tires so he could try and catch Larry Lundin. I used his old worn out tires."

Booth was still one of the top five that year, but he gave up Stock Cars during the 1984 season. "It was fun running at Baylands until NASCAR came in, " claimed Jim. "I ran one year with them until I got tired of the b.s. and sold the car."

In 1985, Jim returned to Baylands as the track got in on the ground floor of the up and coming 360 Sprint Car division, which ran 360 c.i. cast iron motors at the time. The class was thrown out there with the 410 Sprinters, but Jim emerged as the top 360 point getter and won the first track championship there. "That year was funny because we had a lot of cars some weeks and other weeks we had only three or four, " Booth explained. "They used to run us with the 410's and score us separately. I had a couple of top ten finishes with them in my 2,000 pound old Super Modified. They never hit me out there, because if they did, it would bend their cars pretty good."

A year later, the growing 360 Sprint Car class ran their own races, and Booth was faced with the competition of future Petaluma champion Gary Geving, Don O'Keefe Jr., Brian Gray, Keith Shipherd and future NCMA founder Mike Johnson, to name a few. The steady Booth ended up ranking second to Geving. In 1987, as the division continued to grow with the addition of such drivers at Pat Scilley, Dale Johnston, Charlie Correia and David Vodden, Jim ranked second again, this time behind Scilley. Jim was a consistent top five and top ten finisher in the 360 division at Baylands, but as it began to take on a new direction and growth, he decided to stop racing it for points in 1988. "The 360 Sprints at Baylands were a lot of fun to race, " Booth admitted. "Unfortunately, it started to get a little to expensive for me with all the things they were allowing for the cars. I couldn't afford to do it anymore."

However, during the 1988 season, Mike Johnson and the NCMA Modifieds paid a visit to Baylands, and Jim was interested in what he saw. A year later, he had a car of his own. "The NCMA came around at the right time for me, " said Jim. "In talking with Mike about it and seeing the rules, I knew I had found something I could afford to race and have fun doing it."

Showing just how well he could adapt, Jim hit the NCMA with the same kind of consistency he'd displayed in Sprint Cars. Though he had no feature wins, he had several top five finishes and even had a dash victory in ranking third in both Overall and Antioch points in the 1989 season. His year had many ups and a few downs, including a spectacular flip in Cottage Grove, Oregon, but perhaps the one memory that sticks out is the main event that got away. Jim was a distant second when the leader, Darryl Shirk, was trying to lap a couple of battling cars and crashed.
Suddenly, he had the lead, but he was not expecting the drag race to the checkered flag that he would lose to Gordon Chappa. "I knew where everybody else was out there on the track and I knew I had 'em covered, " Booth recalled. "I didn't know Gordon was still out there. I was just taking it easy in the corner, making sure nothing went wrong, and the next thing I knew, he was driving by me."

The question in the NCMA pits in the future would be, when will Jim finally get his first feature victory with the club. In 1996, he finally got that win at Merced and also won a shortened race there a year later. In fact, Merced has been Jim's best track in recent seasons. Since 1989, Jim has ranked top ten almost every year and was top five in the 1991, 1995 and 1996 championship point races. This year, Jim has run a more relaxed schedule and is not running for points, but he has long since established himself as one of the best and most knowledgeable competitors in the club. After running a good race with Darryl Shirk at Antioch in 1992 that was filled with many side by side laps, race winner Shirk said of runner up Booth, "Jim is one of the best drivers out there. I wasn't worried at all about him crashing into me. I knew I could trust him running alongside me and we had a good race."

In 1990, Jim had become more involved with the NCMA and was paying close attention to what was going on with the Board Of Directors and offering up ideas that would prove very helpful. One such idea was the body rule change that took the NCMA away from the California Dirt Car idea and brought it to it's current Modified look, more closely resembling the classic style non winged Super Modifieds of the seventies. In 1991, he was elected President by the membership.
He spent that first season defusing several tense situations and co-ordinating the NCMA towards it's future goals. The club nearly died that year, but thanks to Jim dealing with the things that were upsetting club members to the point of quitting, all the membership responded by supporting the final few races of the season in force. That, more than anything, saved the club from ending after only four years of existence.

Jim brought the NCMA into new relationships with tracks in Petaluma, Grass Valley and Merced, which was another key factor in the club's survival. In 1992, the NCMA actually fielded a couple car counts in the twenties, securing the club's future at its home track in Antioch as well. It is true that this club would never have had a chance to begin with if not for the tireless efforts of Mike Johnson and it is also true that Duane Watson's presence as Race Director in the last three seasons has made these 20 races per year schedules possible. However, if not for Booth's hard work as President, these last six seasons may never have happened. One thing is for sure, both on the track and off, Jim Booth is a winner.

MIKE CONLEY, THE FIGURE 8 AND THE ANTIOCH SPEEDWAY

2008-11-19T19:17:00.000-08:00

A top 5 point competitor in Stock Cars in the early 70's, Mike Conley ends up on top of tractor tires in this Figure 8 raxe3 in 1987. Mike led several olaps of Figure 8 races and finished as high as second, but a feature win eluded him.

WHAT WENT WRONG?

BY DON MARTIN II

This article appeared in DCRR Racing News in 1991

In 1987, it was hailed as a big reason for the increase in attendance. When it was quietly discontinued after the 1990 season, not much was said officially. However, insiders said the main reason it was dropped from the program was the officials' inability to control the drivers. The division that earned the praise of the fans and criticism of track management was the Figure 8. What started out as an exciting brand of racing turned into a war zone.

What was it that turned the Figure 8 into a racing form of a Destruction Derby? Why were drivers going out there with the deliberate intention of taking each other out? Could anything have been done to ease the tensions on the track and keep this form of racing alive at Antioch? Whenever a conversation is struck in the grandstands or anywhere else concerning the Figure 8, these are just some of the questions fans of this division ask.

Brian Holden revitalized his racing career in the Figur4e 8 at Antioch Speedway and may have been the best locally based driver in the four year history of the division.

When Figure 8 racing began, the crowd took an immediate liking to Brian Holden. Brian had revamped his image, taking the red, white and blue colors on his racing uniform and car and adopted the nickname "Flyin Brian". In the point race, Brian became the local hero in a battle against seasoned veteran John Keldsen. In a way, the seeds of conflict were sown in that first season, but harvest time was the following year.

"The Little Indian" John Keldsen may be the greatest Figure 8 driver in Watsonville and Antioch history with numerous championships and well over 100 victories t0o his credit.

The incident that stirred the anger in some of the drivers Brian was competing against involved Keldsen. Brian and John were staging an exciting door-to-door battle for the win as they came down the stretch to take the checkered flag. As they crossed the start/finish line, Brian's car made contact with Keldsen's, forcing Keldsen to slam hard into the front straightaway wall. The two drivers got out of their cars and exchanged a few words as Holden was declared the winner of the race. It was at this point that many people felt that Brian was playing the crowd's reaction and trying to make a fool out of Keldsen.

As a direct result of his actions in the Figure 8's inaugural season, Holden was never allowed by the competition to be a factor in the point race again, and it became a regular sight to see Brian get taken out of the action, many times by Keldsen's friend Henry Leyenberger. Legend has it on one night that Leyenberger jumped into Jim Robbins' ride one night, nailed Holden in the X halfway through the race, went to the pits and turned the car back over to Robbins, saying he'd done what he set out to do.

With Holden being taken out on a regular basis in 1988, Keldsen cruised to an easy title, but new competition emerged in 1989. Along with the new competition came a new cheif steward, Ken Taylor. The cries of favoritism by some of the drivers became even louder, and that was what would put an end to Bob Brown's run at the championship. During the course of the season, Brown had had run ins with both Mike Conley Sr. and Jim Robbins on several different occasions, and both drivers felt that the officials were favoring Brown in his title run.

"Wild" Jim Robbins #80 and Chris Shuttleworth #84 get close in the X. Over a decade later, Robbins won the Figure 8 championship when Antioch brought the class back for a season.

The run ins between those drivers culminated into an accident that cost Brown the title. Brown held the lead going into what was to be the final point race of the season. The heavy rains of September flooded the track and forced the race to be postponed for a week, much to the disappointment of Brown, who felt the season should have been called complete.

There was tension in the air on that final night. Word was out that Conley was going to get Brown. Bob was well aware of the threats, but he was not about to just run and hide. When the race finally happened, there was a close race for the win with Brown, Conley, Robbins and Keldsen all running up front in tight formation. Coming out of the X, a Robbins tap on Keldsen put Keldsen into Brown and sent Brown spinning. Bob recovered but lost enough track position to lose the title to Keldsen.

Mike Conley Sr. gets interviewed by legendary announcer Butch Althar after a Trophy Dash win.

Conley, who never actually touched Brown that night, recalls those events. "Ken Taylor gave me hell over Bobby Brown. Bobby Brown took me out three times. They came up to me and told me if I touch that car I'll never race again. I said, 'Well, I don't care. Screw you. Get away from me. You pull this crap. You pull this crap. You pull this crap.' Actually, we didn't take him out. He took himself out. He hit the brakes, and everbody ran into him. Jim did not hit Bobby Brown. Jim hit Keldsen, which knocked him into Bobby Brown."

If there ware troubles in the Figure 8's first three seasons, they were nothing compared to what happened in its final season. Perhaps the biggest indication of the problems occuring in the division was the frustration vented by Bert Bockover. Bert, who was acting cheif steward after Ken Taylor was struck by a Stock Car during mud packing a few weeks earlier, had to make a ruling on an incident involving Brian Holden and John Keldsen. Holden had been on a three race winning streak and was leading the point race. Keldsen had been concentrating on winning the Watsonville title, but he decided to start racing at Antioch again in an effort to beat his old rival and try to win the State championship.

There were some concerns among competitors and fans that something was going to happen. It seemed like old times as Keldsen and Holden ware running side-by-side in their hattle for the lead. As the two leaders were lapping Rich Irwin on their way through the X towards Turn 3, they ran out of room. Keldsen found himself running into a tractor tire, and Holden found himself in the lead all by himself. Meanwhile, Irwin's car was crunched. Keldsen backed his car up and started towards Turn 3 again. However, Keldsen would hit the rear end of Holden's car in the X, knocking him out of the lead.

Bockover was forced to make a call on this situation, and he disqualified both drivers, suspending Holden for the remainder of the season. It is rumored, though it has never been confirmed by the DCRR, that Bert said on the official's radio that Holden would never race at Antioch again. What happened next was an indication of the confusion that was going on in the Figure 8.

Bockover told Holden after the races that he would be suspended. The suspension was reported in the DCRR the following week, but track manager Brynda Bockover denied a suspension had ever taken place. When Holden called NASCAR during the week after his talk with Bockover to protest his suspension, he was informed that no paper work had ever been filed on the incident. However, a conversation with Bert before the next Figure 8 race revealed that something had indeed occured. "The next time I set somebody down, they'd better stay set down, " complained the acting cheif steward. "I didn't have this (official's) suit on until ten minutes ago. Nobody else wanted the job."

One of the biggest complaints by several of the Figure 8 drivers was that they felt like Debbie Clymens was getting favored by the officials. The incident that triggered other incidents involved Larry Rapp and Debbie's husband Tommy. After one of the races, Tommy Clymens reportedly got into Larry's face about his driving on the track. Clymens maintained that Rapp, who had just had a cast removed from his hand a day earlier so he could race, hit him in the face. However, Larry denied doing anything. Rapp was suspended for one race. It is said that that was the beginning of the end of Debbie's title run. "It's funny how Kenny Taylor incriminates Someone when he doesn't even ask why, " remarked an unhappy Rapp that night.

A few weeks later, Mike Conley Sr. and Jr. were both suspended. The elder Conley was suspended for banging on Clymens during the race, the younger Conley for banging on her car in the pits in front of the scales. The latter suspension was changed after Conley Sr. argued his son's case. Originally, Conley Jr. was suspended for knocking the right rear tire off of her car during the race, but it was discovered that the tire came off because the rim cut the studs, due to loose lug nuts.

Mike Sr. talked about the incident that led to his suspension. "You know, all I did was bump Debbie. I never took her out. I never crashed her car. She never lost a spot. What I would do is I would sit next to her, and I knew she couldn't handle her car. I just held my line and let her cross right in front of me. I wouldn't give her no brakes, because breaks were over."

Emotions were high at this point, but they were stirred to a fever pitch by remerks made by Taylor a week later. Mike Conley Jr. was trying to get an official reason for his suspension, and he was talking calmly with Taylor about the race. The culmination of this conversation had Taylor saying, "If that had been my car, I'd have had my kid flip you the next week."

During this period, Clymens was finding it increasingly difficult to get any good results. Most of the anger directed towards her, she felt, was brought on by her husband and the officials. She once told the DCRR, "The officials and Tom are making me look bad, and that's why people hate me."

Also during this period, Mike Sr. tried to get Debbie to arrange a meeting between them and Brynda Bockover to try and get things resolved. Mike even tried to talk with Brynda on the phone, but he was cut off at every avenue and then accused of threatening her. "I tried to speak to her one time, " said Conley. "She called here. She cut me off on everything I had to say, shut me down, changed the subject and then told me I was threatening her. I said, 'What? I didn't threaten you. I told you what was gonna happen, and it happened.'"

"I couldn't get Brynda to even listen to me, " he continued. "I was gonna try and iron this whole thing out. So, I called up Debbie and told her what was going on. I said, 'Look, all these guys are gonna drill the hell out of you. I'm the only one that's slowing these guys down on this.' They were all pissed. All of us just wanted to race for it. We didn't care. All of the trouble came from the officials. John Meyers didn't want the Figure 8 there either, and he was there to put it down too."

The last hit in this feud might have been a bit misguided, but it was fired by Debbie at Loretta Schneeberg. When it was all said and done, the ending to the story had an ironic twist. At the final race, Clymens, Schneeberg, Andy Faust and Larry Rapp had a shot at the title. Faust retired from the event early and Clymens lost a lap, but the top five run that Schneaberg was having would earn her the title. However, Clymens felt that all the troubles she was having were brought on because the other drivers wanted Schneeberg to win the title, and she nailed Loretta in the X, giving the track championship to Rapp.

Later on in the pits, Debbie was seen holding a piece of Schneeberg's car over her head in a sign of victory. She may not have won the title, but neither did Loretta. When she was informed that her move gave the title to Rapp, Debbie replied, "I hope so, because if he does, I'm gonna be the first one to congradulate him. Other than that incident with Tommy, he's the only one I haven't had any trouble with."

It is interesting in that the "incident" with Tommy is what people thought started all of Debbie's troubles. It is also interesting to note that Holden fired the last shot in his battle with Keldsen. Brian nailed Keldsen as the two drivers were coming out of the X towards Turn 1 of the final lap. The impact knocked the rearend out of Keldsen's car. However, Keldsen still won the State championship.

In looking back at the Figure 8 and the incidents he was involved in, Mike Conley Sr. makes no apologies. "I never came out here and started any trouble, " claimed Conley. "I finished it. I might have been wrong, but what else are you gonna do? We're never gonna win. We're always gonna lose. That's one reason the Figure 8 isn't there. It wasn't the insurance. It wasn't any of that stuff."

After that season, the Figure 8 was quietly swept away. The X was replaced by advertisement signs. Why was the Figure 8 ended? Why was it taken away from its loyal fans? Was it taken away for insurance reasons, or was it too out of control for the officials to handle anymore? Perhaps these questions have been answered in this story. Then again, maybe not. One thing is for sure, the Figure 8 stirred up emotions at Antioch like no other division ever has.

Footnotes

The Figure 8 was introduced to Antioch Speedway in 1987 by promoter Bert Moreland, the man who brought the wild race to Watsonville. The race was introduced to Antioch in the hopes of attracting more fans, and it did just that. Though it only lasted for four short seasons, people still talk about the race and recall the crazy things that could and did happen, like the night Brian Holden and John Keldsen crashed across the finish line in their battle for the win (The birth of the biggest rivalry in the division's history), the wild circumstances behind Corky Pattrick's win in the only 100 lap Figure 8 main or the battle of the lady drivers in the final Figure 8 race of 1990.

I started putting up a page in memory of the division when I was doing my DCRR page. The purpose of the page was to recall some of the more memorable drivers the division had. My own Personal top ten consists of John Keldsen, Brian Holden, Mike Conley Sr., Jim Robbins, Loretta Schneeberg, Debbie Clymens, Andy Faust, Henry Leyenberger, Bob Brown and Steve Torres. I wrote about four of them briefly for the page.

Since Keldsen is already at the top, I'll start with him. The reason I have him as #1 is very simple. I've never seen a Figure 8 driver as talented as John. This guy could win a Figure 8 blind folded. We had some big fields at times, and it didn't matter if John started last or wherever, he was going to the front. He almost never got hit in the X either. To me, John is "The King" of the Figure 8.

Brian Holden joined the Figure 8 division after going through a sometimes humiliating season that saw him get spun out of the lead a few times. Brian was the Street Stock division's whipping boy in 1986, but with a new red, white and blue paint job and a new attitude the next year, he emerged as a star in the Figure 8. His popularity rose to a fever pitch when he ran door-to-door with Keldsen in a race that saw them crash across across the finish line with Holden the winner. However, Brian's playing off the crowd that night gained him a few enemies, and though he won several main events in his time and ranked second twice in the standings, there were drivers out there who would see to it that Brian never seriously challenged for a championship. Still, Brian never gave up and fired the final shot at Keldsen in their rivalry in the division's final race, knocking the rear end from under Keldsen's car.

Mike Conley Sr. never won a Figure 8 main, though he came close twice before falling back with a flat tire. He only won maybe a dash or two and he never seriously challenged for the title. If you talk to him, he'll tell you he wasn't that good of a driver, but he sure had a lot of fun. However, Mike built the engines for several of the competitors and was known to officials as a hell raiser. He was often accused of being the leader of a movement to undermine the track officials (or fight favortism), but nothing was ever proven. I like to think of him as "The Master Of Disaster". Mike would do anything to help a fellow competitor and friend, is one of the nicest guys you'd want to meet and he's not somebody I will soon forget.

There simply could not be a top ten Antioch Figure 8 driver's list without the name of Jim Robbins on it. The man truly earned his nickname, "Wild Jim", but he could run wheel to wheel with the likes of John Keldsen and come home the victor. Jim was a low buck racer, and that kept him from really running for points, but car owners like Rick Linscheid and Bob Givens recognized his talent and gave him rides. In fact, Jim won main events in three different cars one year and one of them was a Charger in a field of Street Stocks. Jim was a top five ranked driver, and for his good driving and the crazy things he sometimes did, he is truly one of the ten most memorable Figure 8 drivers ever at Antioch Speedway.

"Bouncin" Bob Brown had come very close to winning a Street Stock championship at Baylands Raceway Park in 1985 when he ran out of funding. However, he had caught the attention of George and Judy Arth that year, and they put him behind the wheel of Judy's red #74 car for Street Stock races in 1987. It was an old car, but Bob got the most out of it. On a whim, Bob started racing in the Figure 8 that year and became instantly competitive. Bob was a natural in the class and didn't remble his old conservative racing self of his earlier Street Stock days. He took chances and won races. In 1989, Bob led several weeks of the point race and came the closest of any Antioch driver to ever beating John Keldsen for a championship. He led going into the final race but was taken out of contention. Still, Bob has established himself as one of the best Figure 8 racers to race at Antioch.

Soares & Oval Motorsports Get Five Year Contract At Antioch Speedway

2008-11-17T18:13:00.001-08:00

Since I mentioned the bids were up for Antioch Speedway again in my last post, so I will mention that Oval Motorsports and John Soares Jr. will be back for five more years. Congratulations John and good luck next year and the years ahead. Below are the minutes from the Contra Costa County Fair Board Meeting regarding the track:

D. Speedway Contract 2009-2013
Manager Marshall stated that the Speedway Contract was scored yesterday and handed out a copy of the proposal. Manager Marshall stated that the Long Term Contracts Committee scored and accepted a 5-year contract with Oval Motorsports, the current promoter.

President Parsons asked members if there were any questions or comments regarding the Speedway Contract.

There being no questions or comments regarding the Speedway Contract. Director Busby made a motion to approve the Speedway Contract, as submitted. Director Rubay seconded the motion. Motion affirmatively voted upon by all members present. Motion carried.

A Few Antioch Speedway Observations

2008-11-07T13:05:00.000-08:00

This was another bidding year for Antioch Speedway. Will there be a change? Who else wants it? What will anybody else do with the track that isn't being done now? I don't have enough information to endorse anybody, and I doubt I would anyway. Change is needed, but that doesn't have to mean change in management. Just change in the way things are being done.

I grabbed this from the September minutes of the Contra Costa County Fair Board Meeting:

I. Long Term Contracts-President Parsons

President Parsons stated that the RFP for the Speedway went out and asked Manager Marshall to comment. Manager Marshall stated that three RFP’s went out. Manager Marshall stated that the bid packets are due back by October 2nd and scoring is tentative for October 7th. Manager Marshall stated that a $15,000 contract reduction had been granted to the current promoter, so the same numbers were used as a minimum guarantee for the new RFP.

Manager Marshall stated that she estimated approximately $80,000 in revenue.

Director Spinola stated that the current promoter seems to run a single minded venue. Manager Marshall stated that he does offer a variety of races throughout the season. Manager Marshall stated that it is hard to recoup the cost for specialized events but the possibility of doing so next year has been discussed.

Take out of that what you will. Would anybody want the track at this point? They mention three RFP's went out, but were three returned? I fully expect John Soares Jr. to remain in charge for the next five years. I just don't think anybody cares at this point. Those left out there just want to race. In this economy, local race enthusiasts should just be happy they have a place to race. It's not 1988 anymore, it's 2008. Times have changed.

I was looking around the web last night out of boredom and found this column that talked about the struggle coming into the 2008 season. Observations to follow:

Antioch track tries to weather storm

By Curtis Pashelka

JOHN SOARES JR. had to postpone last year's season-opening race card at Antioch Speedway twice due to rain. The year before, the season-opener had to be pushed back an incredible seven times because of bad weather.

The speedway's owner and promoter didn't want to risk the same thing happening again this year and scheduled the start of the season for Saturday. Ironically, the weather has been ideal three of the past four Saturdays, and there's a chance of showers for the Bay Area this weekend.

Any postponement would be a bad beginning to what looks like a make-or-break season for Soares and the 56-year-old facility. Attendance was down last year as the speedway struggled to attract first-time fans from East Contra Costa County.

"It's the last year of our (five-year) contract (with the Contra Costa County Fairgrounds)," said Soares, whose company, Oval Motorsports Inc., has owned the speedway since 1997.

"As bad as things are getting for motorsports at short tracks, we really need to have a good season to even consider re-upping. It's tough to keep going if you can't make a living at it."

Soares said he faces many challenges. The local economy is in a rut (East County is one of the state's hardest hit areas in the subprime mortgage crisis), newer residents are less aware of the facility's history or location (1201 W. 10th St., Antioch) and televised motorsports on Saturday nights has kept some race fans at home.

"They don't have to leave the house, and that's killing local speedways," Soares said. "(Televised) Saturday night racing totally kills Saturdays for the local tracks."

To keep Antioch Speedway competitive, Soares kept ticket prices the same as last year ($12 for adults, $6 for kids and seniors for most events). Next weekend, a large field is expected for the Golden State 410 winged sprints race and in June, a yet-to-be-determined NASCAR Sprint Cup driver will race in the Western All Stars Late Models event.

Okay, cue the violins.

Seriously, people aren't aware of the track? Who's fault is that? It isn't the people's fault John. It's yours. Simply put, if you want people to know about this track, than YOU have to do something about it. It's that simple.

It starts by hiring somebody to get the word out. No, I'm NOT lobbying for a position for myself. I don't think I want to go back out there, and my price would probably be to high at this point. I like Jack Menges. He's a nice guy, but he has never demonstrated since John hired him that he can get the job done.

When I worked in publicity at Antioch (handling the racing publications), I heard Jack tell John how we could never get the newspaper coverage, and John believed it. That right there is the problem. The Contra Costa Times traditionally did cover the track for decades until John came in and barred Tim Tyler from the track.

I'm not saying removing Tim was a problem. But replacing something with nothing was a problem. Suddenly you don't read stories about the track in the local newspaper. NOTHING. The Publicity Director at ANY race track should do whatever it takes to get the track covered in every newspaper possible.

When I went down to Chowchilla, Tom never really asked me to do all the newspapers, but I did. I knew if we were going to build support from the people, they needed to know we were there. In 2000, I think I focussed on the Chowchilla News (They printed my full race review stories), Merced Sun Star, Fresno Bee and Modesto Bee.

Tom can attest to this, I was known to rip newspapers at our post race dinners sometimes if I didn't see our track covered. Buddy used to laugh at that. I didn't always get printed, but in 2001 we started getting coverage in several newspapers. Attendance that second season went up too.

Now, we didn't always get printed, but I sent a race review story immediately following the races to several papers and a hype story on Wednesday to those same papers. By doing that, they knew what was coming on a regular basis and the track started getting better coverage. that is what it takes.

There are other tactics that need to be employed, but that's a good example. It's not up to the newspapers to just realize you are there and respect you with coverage. There are dozens of other events competing for that ink. It's up to the track to show the newspapers why they should be covering them. And IT CAN BE DONE. Any PR guy at my track that told me they couldn't do it would be fired.

Don't even get me started on people not being aware of the history. I lobbied hard for a Hall Of Fame night at the track in 2000, only to be put off on the subject because John basically wasn't impressed with the list of potential inductees. Jackie and I were prepared to organize the first pre race picnic and induction ceremony.

I also had the Antioch library ibnterested in featuring the track in their display case for all to see. Ariel shot of the track, story of the history and list of past champions would have been included. As I could see track management's attitude changing, I backed off and just did the basics that were expected. That was a lot in itself.

But, I don't want to get off subject. I see the bit about people staying home and watching the races on TV. This is true. People have other options, and they are exploring them. What the track promoter has to come up with is the even ideas that will make the races a must see for the race fan.

Back in the day, the NASCAR banner and Regional and State points were an attraction. Special events, like 100 lappers that attracted the out of towners, were a factor. When John first got Antioch, huge car counts drew in the fans.

These days, (I'll use the words of a former local car builder) you get a "cookie cutter show" with too many divisions with not enough cars in most. You need more than that. Fewer divisions with more of a traditional show would be a positive change. Time trials, trophy dashes for all (with trophy ladies presenting).

So when you book the show, you need to ask if this will be good enough to draw a few people away from the TV race or the movie theater or whatever to check out the action? Be honest. Also, are you doing enough, or is your PR guy doing enough, to get the word out?

It's a different world than it was 10 or 20 years ago, and if you want the fans (Or the racers for that matter), you need to do what it takes to get them to come out and support your show. They aren't coming out just because it's been there for 56 years.

Please don't misunderstand me I wish nothing but the best for the race track and continued success to come. I just wanted to put a few thoughts out there for consideration. Here's to a strong 2009 season.

Why I Left The CMA After Just 1 Season

2008-11-03T14:05:00.001-08:00

I find it truly fascinating to see Hardtop racing growing here in California with the Okie Bowl Hardtops in Bakersfield and the Nor Cal Hardtop effort. Meanwhile, the Sportsman effort in Merced still lives and just completed it's tenth season. I may have to do a blog about that sometime.

It was maybe six years ago, on my birthday, when Don and I went to Sacramento Raceway. The occasion was a visit by Mike McCann's Cascade Hardtop group holding an exhibition race. The next night they were off to Orland. I actually have a story floating out there on the net about that race, won by Steve Lemly by a wide margin if I recall. Chuck Prather would then attempt to get a Hardtop movement going in California the next year.

A couple years earlier, Mike Johnson brought one of his Hardtops to the BCRA Hall Of Fame picnic. Now, Mike has always been a good talker, some would say bs'er. I can't really argue that.

Mike will always be the founder and driving force that made the NCMA happen. I doubt anybody else would have started that class in the Bay Area if not for Mike, but it took people like Jim Booth, the Lokmor family, Gordon Chappa, Duane Watson and Del Quinn to keep it going.

Things behind the scenes led to Mike's "departure" from the NCMA at the end of just one season, just when it looked like car count was ready to really explode. Maybe that's why I got behind Mike a few years later to right what I perceived to be a wrong that was done to him. I don't know.

It's my belief that if not for all the turmoil behind the scenes in 1988, NCMA would have had car counts in the teens that second year, but people were put off by what was going down at NCMA meetings and car count stayed about the same for two years until Jim Booth made some key changes. This could also be a good topic for a blog.

I was a big believer in what Johnson talked about. Big car counts were possible for this class, and I never wavered in my belief in that. Under Booth, the NCMA got it's first car count into the 20's, but it stalled from there. I've been told by somebody who may not want to go on the record that all the NCMA wanted was 12 car shows. I never wanted to believe that, but around 1993 I felt like the class needed something if it was to ever get going.

It wasn't until Don and I got the ball rolling for John at Antioch with Wingless Spec Sprints that things began to truly take off. Again, another subject for a blog sometime as there are some interesting stories to tell about what we had to go through to start so successfully in 1999.

But in 1993, Mike Johnson resurfaced with another idea on how to get things going. His idea was a new Modified class called California Modified Association, and it had an ambitious and controversial goal, a bigger series called the California Modified Series. Mike looked at the NCMA, Santa Maria California Dirt Cars and Merced Limited Sprint Car classes with a eye towards a series of big rosters. I liked what I heard and decided that 1993 would be my final year as secretary and publicity director for NCMA.

Mike, as I've said, had a flair for talk, or bs as I'm sure some will say, and there were some well known names interested in what he was talking about. By the time 1994 came along, these people decided against the CMA, and I can't say I blame them. I won't speak for them here as to why they didn't stay, but I know some of the reasons. I decided to stay and see what we could do.

The first indicator that we were up against the wall was a meeting at then NCMA Business Manager Gup Turner's house. Mike and I and Don O'Keefe went together and were surprised to see Mike Lokmor there as well. I think we knew what was to come nexe. Mike and Mike did not see eye to eye on things, and anything Johnson proposed was shot down by Lokmor. This resulted in a shouting match. I'm not sure if Don or I was the first person to leave, but it was close either way.

As 1993 came to a close, Mike had set up agreements with the leaders of all the groups, and I put together a roster showing how many cars these groups represented. I believe it was over 60 at the time. This was never an attempt to say CMA had that many cars, but that a Cal Mod Series could have cars from all groups for bigger shows. The roster was made available to all the leaders.

Mike and I went to Reno to set the wheels in motion. We landed several CMA dates, including joint races with the NCMA at Antioch and Grass Valley and were also penciled in at Santa Maria. I'd have to dig the schedule up for specifics, but it looked good. Of course, by the time Turner returned to the NCMA with the news, the effort began to destroy the CMA. What they didn't count on was the lengths that Mike would go to to keep the CMA alive.

The first driver outside CMA to join the CMS as a member was Mark Nation of Santa Maria. I'm not sure how many cars were there that night, maybe a dozen, but Nation stomped the field. It wasn't even close. Tom, the chief steward of Antioch, advised Nation not to pour it on the rest of the field, so he won just ahead of Scott Holloway.

For the record, Brynda Bockover acknowledged the CMA by cutting a check to CMA both nights we were there for the cars we brought (four each night), but announcer John Myers refused to call the CMA members CMA members either night. In fact, in 1999, he basically accused me of trying to kill the NCMA with WSS.

Maybe I'll have to tell the story of all I tried to do to help the NCMA when we started WSS that year. If the NCMA had tried to perform to the level they were capable of, I never would have looked elsewhere to try and promote this class. All I ever wanted was more cars and better shows, and I stand by my decisions to promote CMA and WSS. I think I helped leave the situation in much better shape than it was, AND the NCMA still lives.

But after two races at Antioch, Mike decided he could not trust the NCMA. He was not happy with interactions with NCMA and decided to break all dates he had with them. As had happened before, I was the one left having to face the NCMA members who chose to bitch at me, and there were a few.

One of the last interactions CMA had with NCMA until the end of 1994 was a meeting in which my sister, of all people, volunteered to speak with NCMA leadership. Now, Jackie went into that room with Quinn and Lokmor and the others and explained what a full invert was and the concept of slow heat and fast heatm rather than the staggered heats NCMA ran at the time. It was no use.

Mike broke away from Merced as I recall because to bring CMA cars there would have meant joining CCMR. He had no problem putting wings on the cars. Knowing the advantage the bodies had on the Santa Maria Dirt Cars, Mike wanted to be able to run wings on the CMA cars to make the trip down to Santa Maria worthwhile After Anthony Pombo finished second at Santa Maria with a wing on his Limited Sprint Car, the idea was nixed by Santa Maria.

So, where the hell was CMA gonna race? Grass Valley, Antioch, Merced and Santa Maria were out the window. But Mike always seemed to have his eyes open. An idea he proposed for the NCMA in 1988, racing on pavement, returned to the table, and we pursued two lesser known tracks in Sacramento Raceway and Yreka. CMA and CMS lived, and we even had groups to run with. Plus, better purses than the NCMA at that time.

Mike also took the purse and distributed it more equally among the members, rather than as top heavy as NCMA was at that time. This MAY have been a catalyst towards the NCMA doing the same. My concern was aways to make sure the little guy had enough money to pay something for his night's effort.

One group we opened up to was the SMRA 360 SuperModifieds of Madera. The first date was Roseville, where we had 10 cars as I recall. This was billed as an exhibition date, though series points were available. There was no purse, but the crowd donated the equivalent of $50 per car which was paid evenly. Mike's car was not at this race, leaving the CMA championship to be fought between Mikie Esseltine (Mike's nephew) and Dave Johnson (Mike's dad).

We went to Lakeport for a show where Roger Galleano beat Mike. At Yreka, we helped open the door for carbureted Sprint Cars. They had a winged four barrel class called Sportsman Sprints that ran with injected Sprints and looked like a slow car. When we arrived, the Sportsman Sprints had their own show with guys like Ron Godwin, Cale Carder and Carl Tresser. Mike grabbed a win there in one of our visits on his way to the CMS title. And yes, we ran wings there. On one weekend when we were in Yreka in 1994, NCMA was in Susanville, which I found interesting.

We did what we had to do to keep this thing going, and in this case Mike was trying to milk the nostalgia angle. During this time, the lone car outside Mike's garage, Rick Young, crashed in his visit to promote the CMA at Sacramento.

I was beginning to get frustrated with the CMA not having cars outside Mike's garage. We had Mike and Dave and Mike and two cars being built. One was to be driven by John Burton. Steve Woodburn had two cars of his own, but Steve was more of a car collect0or. He bought the "blue goose" from Lee Jennings and the old Darryl Shirk car from Ray Aydelot, but both cars ended up parked. Ray's old car could have made an appearance, and it would have been a sign of growth.

Not only that, Steve was upset with Mike. Why? I'm not sure, but it threatened to take Dave's car out of the equation. That never happened, thankfully. Ricky Young's car ended up in Mike's possession as the fifth car. The problem with having five cars in one shop is being able to afford to put them out there.

We came to Sacramento with Mike and Dave and Mike's cars along with NCMA visitors Henry Mitchell III and Duane Watson. I had been trying to get Duane signed with CMA, but we never seemed to connect. Anyway Duane was to become one of the more successful NCMA Business Managers. On this night, Duane won his first feature to go with his NCMA "Rookie Of The Year" honors. Meanwhile, Dave passed his grandson Esseltine to win his first championship. Couldn't happen to a nicer guy.

So, with the season done, what next? It seemed like doors were open at Yreka, Sacramento and
Lakeport. Burton would have a car in 1995, but we had work to do for recruiting. Mike and Duane were talking about the possibility of NCMA/CMA dates in 1995. There appeared to be some potential. And then, I got a phone call.

Mike had a new pitch. He wanted to introduce Hardtops to the equation. He had two of them. By this time, Mike sort of fancied the Modidieds as a low buck SuperModified and Hardtops would fit right in. We would run them together. Steve would bring a car and Mike knew others who would do it too. Well, it's not that I was against Hardtops, but we had work to do on Modifieds. It felt unfocussed to me, and I didn't like the idea. I walked away to await the next opportunity to make a difference.

In the end, I think CMA had a positive influence on NCMA, because it forced them to step up and make a few changes. Four of Mike's cars made appearances with the NCMA in 1995 with Mike, Dave, Mike and John all getting to drive. NCMA held their first races at Yreka. NCMA purses actually grew and for a few seasons, NCMA car count grew.

It's just another piece of racing history, I suppose. One thing CMA allowed me to do was excersize my skills at promoting and hyping. By the time WSS was being conceived, I was ready to make something big happen. But that's for another blog. I've bored you enough here.

NorCal Hardtop Photos

2008-10-31T20:44:00.000-07:00

I noticed a few NorCal Hardtop photos from the Antioch Speedway show on September 20th. They had their cars on display at the car show at the fairgrounds earlier that night to promote the NorCal Hardtop effort and pay tribute to the past. I had a few anecdotes I thought about sharing, but I'll save it for another post.

If you are really craving a look at some cool Hardtop photos, check out Don O'Keefe's page, which is linked on the right. There are tons of photos and some stories as well, along with plenty of links. As far as I can tell, Don was about the first person doing a page to remember the Hardtops of California, and now there are other cool pages out there as well. This is very important. Why?

Because racing should honor it's past and the great tradition that it is.

As far as the California short track scene is concerned, it has failed miserably for the most part with exception of a few places. One of my disappointments was I was unable to get John to sign off on an Antioch Speedway Hall Of Fame night. Would have been great for the track, and my sister and I were willing to put the whole deal together with a pre race picnic induction ceramony at the fairgrounds as BCRA has done for years for their guys.

Don't want to go off on a rant here.

The California Sportsman effort at Merced has wrapped up it's 10th season of the old 1970's style racing (Congratulations to new champion Mark Odgers). Don and I had frequent discussions after Merced got going on the subject of Hardtops. I made a trip to Sacramento Raceway on my birthday about 6 years ago for a Hardtop race there.

Over the last couple of years, Hardtops have made a comback in California, first with Chuck Prather's goup in the Sacramento area, then with Okie Bowl Hardtops and this year with the NorCal Hardtops. Let me just say there are some nice cars out there and more coming.

The NorCal Hardtop page is here:

http://norcalvintagehardtops.com/

I have grabbed 7 pictures in the hopes of spreading the word about this cool Hardtop effort. The first 5 are from http://sports.webshots.com/album/567294173CYjwov and were posted by
norcalvintagehardtops

The last two are from http://rides.webshots.com/album/567276779RtkygO and posted by hotrodbob46

A Few Results From Antioch

2008-10-31T13:00:00.000-07:00

With Antioch Speedway's website being run by a new webmaster, results aren't as easy to come by. I tracked down some of the more recent results and thought I'd post them here just in case anybody was interested. Looks like the season may have ended with some good car counts.

Following are the final results for races held at Antioch Speedway on Oct. 11.

DIRT MODIFIED: Heat winners — Brian Pierce, Scott Busby, Duane Clevland, Kellen Chadwick. (B Main First Flight) Richard Papenhausen, Ty Duggins, Jimmy Coppin. B Main (Second flight) — Nick Caughman, Travis Perry. Main event — Ryan McDaniel. Kenny Neu, Nick DeCarlo, Pierce, Jerry Movrich.

SUPER STOCKS: Heat winners — Jeff Oschowka, Jermey Petrell. Doug Haigo. Main event — Olashowka, Mitch Enos, Ricky Thatcher, Eric Berendsen, John Haney.

PURE STOCKS: Heat winners — Fred Ryland. Billy Barnes. Dave Lincoln. Main event — Megan Ponciano. Ryland, Joshaua Davis. Dan McCown, Brian Beard.

Following are the results from the Sept. 27 races at Antioch Speedway.

DIRT MODIFIEDS: Heat winners — Ryan McDaniel, Richard Pappenhausen, Kenny Neu, Rob Norris. C Main — Keith Brown, Sr, Aaron Crowell, Cody Burke, Chester Kniss, Bill Wallace, Don McClean, Nick DeCarlo (all transfer to B main). B Main — Brown Sr., Randy McDaniel, Mike Learn, DeCarlo, Steve Noack, Kniss (all transfer to A main). A Main — ($3,500 to win)-Bobby Hogge IV, Pappenhausen, Brown, Sr., Michael Paul, DeCarlo, Kniss, Kellen Chadwick, Jr., Noack, Phil Indihar, Ryan McDaniel.

SUPER STOCKS: Heat winners — Doug Hagio, Mitch Enos, Jeff Silva, Carl Berenadsen. B Main — Darren Thomas, Jeremy Prince, David Brown, Jon Haney, Mitch Mashed, Bruno Korbraucher (all transfer to A main). A Main — Jeff Olshowka, Doug Hagio, Todd Gomez, Machedo, Enos, Silva, Terry DeCarlo, Matt Petrell, Haney, Michael Newman.

PURE STOCKS: Heat winners — Fred Ryland, Megan Ponciano, Nick DeLucca. A Main — Ponciano, Ryland, Cole Oreta, Gene Haney, Brian Beard, Michael Redman, Delucca, Jack Jonker, Dan McCown, Billy Barnes.

A Word About Voting And A Trip Down Memory Lane

2008-10-22T16:58:00.000-07:00

I was taking a walk up the hill today. Well, I do that every day to try and stay in shape. It's nice to walk down roads that didn't even exist a little over a year ago. Boy are they building houses and condos here. Not sure who can afford them, but at least people still have jobs building them, so that's a good thing.

I voted absentee yesterday to avoid the lines on election day. Sometimes I wonder why I bother. I guess maybe because I still have a right to, but I wonder sometimes what difference it really makes. Don't want to go there. I wrote a book about some of my thoughts on things anyway.

What I do want to say is vote, because you can. And vote for what you believe in. If you don't like what you hear from either party on the news, do some research on the other candidates that they don't show on the news. I know, I know. If you don't vote for one of the two, you throw your vote away. WRONG!!!

You throw your vote away only if you can register to vote and don't or if you are registered to vote and don't. So, whatever you believe in, take a few hours to get informed and vote, because you still have a right to.

Anyway...

Are you as bored as I am with NASCAR? I don't even watch. It just isn't racing to me. I could enjoy Cup racing 20 years ago, but The Chase has ruined it for me. The passion is gone, but they have a guy leading it now who they like, so that's all that matters. I happened to be watching a NASCAR Now show on ESPN (I miss the days when Speed Week actually covered the whole world of racing).

What I saw was a report on an unbelieveable ending to an ARCA season. The point leader got taken out by the guy in second. His championship hopes were killed, so he came back out and took that guy out, handing the point lead to the guy in third. This is right out of Days Of Thunder and totally a Saturday night dirt track move.

Stuff like that isn't really cool, but it does get people talking and keeps them coming back. Back in the mid 90's, Antioch had a similar deal where David Rosa and Phil Torres were battling for the championship under the back drop of a full moon. David had the car to beat all year long, but he stumbled down the stretch. This allowed the consistent Torres to close the gap.

Torres was normally a very clean racer, while Rosa was more aggressive. However, it was Torres who made a bump to pass move cutting slightly into the infield to do this. Rosa had one more shot coming out of 4 on the last lap. He went for it, but fell just inches short at the line.

It wasn't over there. Being on the inside, Rosa took Torres right out the exit gate in Turn 1 at full speed in a spectacular crash through the fence. David always has maintained publicly that his throttle stuck. Did it, or was he just unhappy with the bump to pass move and the fact that he lost the title by such a slim margin? It's a racing memory most people who were there won't forget.

The interesting side note to that was Tom Manning was Chief Steward and a law and order guy in his second year in that post. He cleaned things up with a hard line approach. I've always believed he would have made the call, but as track manager Brynda Bockover said, they didn't have to after that crash. Tom just smiled at me when I asked him back then, but I know he would have done the right thing had the crash never happened.

But who knows? Moments like that are what add to the mystique and make the sport so special to racing fans. The ups and downs, the come back stories, the first time wins and on and on. Rosa had been kicked out of the track at the end of a season that had seen him make Top 20 for the first time in his career after he fought the track champion for wrecking his car (Maybe I'll do a post about that driver as there's a lot to say of that controversial figure).

I saw David go from a C Main racer who ran Figure 8 races to get more track time. His first Top 5 finish was in the 8. Under the guidance of Tim Martin, David grew into a title contender. I have respect for him, because he overcame a lot and became a champion and the all time winningest driver in Antioch Street Stock history, going back over 25 years.

I meant to to acknowledge another milestone last post. This is the 20th Anniversary of not only the NCMA and DCRR Racing News (It was Antioch Speedway Magazine before that), but the Dirt Modifieds. At Petaluma Speedway in 1988, John Soares Sr. had his first full season for Dirt Mods (won my Joe Carr if my memory serves).

That's right folks, IMCA didn't start the Dirt Mod effort in California and neither did NASCAR. It was John Soares Sr. at Petaluma. In a trip back east in 1986 or 87, "Pops" was watching the class and decided he should bring it to California. The first Petaluma Dirt Mod races happened halfway through 1987.

It's at this point where the Dirt Mods cross paths with the NCMA. In 1987, one of the Dirt Mod car builders was a man named John Procopio. John had been crewing for Al Nordstrom for a few years and decided to get in on the ground floor of the new class. There was a growing interest in getting the class at Antioch, and then Antioch promoter Bert Moreland had John bring his car out for a demo at the end of 1987.

As the story goes, and I had heard this first hand, Dirt Mods would get a 12 race deal in 1988, but Moreland was released from Antioch in favor of the late George Styles. Styles had earned a lot of respect in NASCAR as a guy who could get things done and turn things around. He relocated from Nevada for this job.

It's at this point that a Concord based California Dirt Car racer named Mike Johnson entered the picture. Mike had raced a hand full of races at Santa Maria in the division's first year in 1987, finishing as high as second. After a special Dirt Car race was arranged for San Jose with Styles and Rick Farren among those in attendance, Styles was convinced to give California Dirt Cars a chance.

This led to animosity by those who felt Dirt Cars had stolen the spot from Dirt Modifieds, which some thought of as the second coming of Antioch's beloved Sportsman class of the 70's. I was among those for a while at least. It wasn't until a conversation with Mike a few weeks into the season that I was convinced I should support this cause, which I did for several years.

Mike held a meeting at a Concord pizza parlor that had about 100 people, and he gave a presentation on this class. While Petaluma was already in double digits with it's class of Dirt Mods for the first full season, only two cars showed up for Antioch's California Dirt Car class on opening day. Oh, and by the way, unbeknownst to Styles, Johnson had formed the NCMA in his garage before the season started.

Now, Johnson had to deal with a lot of crap that year There are stories I could tell you and some rather interesting quotes. Meetings at that time in the NCMA could get vocal. I really credit Jim Booth with getting the NCMA on the right path. One of the things Johnson had to deal with was comments from those who said he only did the NCMA to get himself an easy championship. There were also very real threats to sabotage the division.

One night, Procopio (with Keith Brown driving) and John Buccellato managed to get invited to race at Antioch against the NCMA in their Dirt Mods. Buccellato was involved in a crash with Hall Of Famer Darryl Shirk that saw Shirk knocked unconscious, and Brown lost the main event by mere inches to Johnson. Some wonder what could have happened for the Dirt Mods at Antioch had Brown won.

Well, the NCMA voted to outlaw the Dirt Mod from future races. Within a year, they also outlawed Santa Maria's bigger wheel based California Dirt Cars as the NCMA went down the old Super Modified chassis path for a while. Procopio lobbied unsuccessfully to get a special demo race for the class at Antioch that year where he said 10 cars would appear. The class didn't finally get it's first season at Antioch until 2 years later in 1990.

The NCMA rose above the problems to have 20 seasons with lots of good racing memories, and the Dirt Mods basically unseated the Late Models as headline class at several tracks. It all started in 1988.

I go on and on, and I'm probably boring you again. I don't write in months, and then two long winded posts.

I'll just wrap it up with this. I think John's son Jim Soares has done a nice job of turning things around at Petaluma. This year, car counts looked pretty good, and it really amazed me what he did with Spec Sprints. Over at Antioch, John Soares Jr. completed his tenth anniversary season as promoter. The "Sons Of Soares" are still continuing the family legacy.

Just one question boys:

We don't have a race for Barkhimer or Moreland, which we should. I leave you out of this, but John is your dad. Where would you be without him? He is worthy of a big race, and I'm not really talking open show. Back in the day, we used to have 100 lappers, they were part of the point deal and they were special. How about a John and Gladys Soares Menorial 100 for your mom and dad? Just a thought

That's all for now. Until next time...

The Editor's Viewpoint

2008-10-15T16:36:00.000-07:00

(Well, not really, but I thought it might be nice to use that as a title for this blog post)

It's been a while since I've posted anything here. Sorry about that. My mind has been elsewhere. Plus, I haven't been to a race since I visited Don & Linda in Indiana last year. For the most part, I haven't even been tempted, other than a Freedom Series race at Antioch, a trip to one of Jim's Petaluma shows or the big Spec Sprint bash at Chico. It's been five years since I attended a race here in California. Will I finally go next year? Can't really say for sure. It's not something I think about that much, but anything is possible.

I made AIDS Walk in July. I even participated in Trans March a month earlier. I'm proud to have been a part of both events. I didn't made "Star Walker" for AIDS Walk, but I raised over $300 for the cause, was among thousands of others walking through Golden Gate Park that day and I enjoyed the 6 mile walk. I walk a lot anyway, so 6 miles is no big deal.

Special thanks goes to Don & Linda O'Keefe for their sponsorship and helping get me going. I've been wanting to do the walk for a few years now, and their support is what put it all in motion.

Belated Happy Birthday wishes are in order for Don and an old friend, Dan Nordstrom. Their birthdays both came within the last week of this writing, but I'm lagging and it's taken this long. Really don't know where my head's been at lately. I can't state enough the support Dan's family gave me early on when I was just getting started as a racing reporter. Dan's father and former Stock Car and Sportsman racer Al used to sneak me into the pits at Baylands back in 1984 and 85. And me and Dan used to have a lot of fun hanging out back in the day.

I see Don has been racing more this year and making plans for Chili Bowl '09. This is just awesome news to me, because I know how much he's been itching to get back behind the wheel, only to have one thing or another stop him. Don & Linda are enjoying life in Indiana, and I'm so glad they are. Sometimes a change of scenery can be just the thing a person needs in their pursuit of happiness.

I don't have to tell you how my friends Don & Linda have supported my efforts to be a part of helping the sport of racing. DCRR would have folded two years earlier if not for them. Some may think that would have been a good thing. Can't say I blame them for that as I was pretty grumpy the last year. I'm sad to see nothing other than John Kelley's MotoRacing magazine is left standing in the age of the internet. The sport really needs a weekly publication on the dirt track level. There are still plenty of things happening.

This year marked the 10th season of Wingless Spec Sprint racing at Antioch (Thank you Jim at Petaluma for understanding what we were saying with "Spec" and keeping that in the name at your track). Ten seasons at Antioch, and a new champion crowned this year. I'd say it was a success. It could have been more successful under different circumstances these past few seasons, but the show went on regardless.

I'm proud of what Don and I accomplished putting the class together. He had the rules covered and I had the hype. If a racer sneezed, I wrote about it to get the word out. It's no different than what I was doing for the NCMA before that. People won't give a damn if they know nothing about what's happening. That's a problem at some tracks these days. No publicity.

Anyway, Don and I had several fires to put out that first year from people who would see us fail, but the proof is in the pudding. Look at the roster of new Sprint Car racers and returning veterans. Guys who never thought they could do anything winning their first races. 12 cars opening day, never anything less at Antioch that year and 29 total cars. Enough for a B Main opening day the next year.

Petaluma, Chico, Placerville, Marysville and Watsonville joining Antioch with their own classes. Open Wheel Round Ups at Chowchilla. Big shows with huge fields (52 cars this year) at Chico. Would this be happening had we not started Spec Sprint a Antioch?

Now, I'm not about to put down the NCMA. They still live, and it's 20 years old this year. There are things I didn't like about what they did on their path, but I respect that they made it here through all the tough times. They aren't the carbureted Sprint Car class that started it all, but they are the one that made it (Santa Maria Dirt Cars and Merced Limited Sprints both folded).

So, congratulations to the NCMA on 20 years and all the exciting races that you've had. Here's to the future.

As I said, I haven't been to a race here in 5 years, but I do look at the numbers and names. Many new faces among some familiar ones. I don't think the sport is where it could be, but we are in tough times. We're lucky it's here at all, so enjoy. And, you really never know. The promoters may hit on something that will get big and create new excitement. As long as tracks are open and trying to do something, there is a chance.

I did notice a couple things that brought a smile to my face. While looking through results in my local newspaper not that long ago (We get results sometimes, but no stories), I say Hardtops had visited Antioch and an old Hardtop, Sportsman and Super Stock racer named Conrad Cavallero had won. I though that was cool to see him and the NorCal Hardtop effort putting on a show.

Secondly, Mark "The Missle" Odgers is the Sportsman champion at Merced. Yes, the Sportsman class still lives there, and it's Mark's first championship.

Actually, Mark is listed as the point leader at Chowchilla before the plug was pulled on CCMR's first season trying to promote there. They made it to August, but I don't know if the drivers there will be honored in a banquet for their accomplishments.

Now, I think the Chowchilla Fair Board needs to understand something. Making a track even happen at that place in 2000 was an absolute miracle. What Tom and Cindy Sagmiller did probably couldn't have been done with ANY of the other promoters in the area. Why? Because Tom & Cindy bucked the trends and what other promoters considered "the way to do things".

Why? They had to, or they would have failed at the start. They had plenty of bumps along the way and made mistakes, but their successes far out weighed those mistakes. A lot of racers considered Tom & Cindy friends (I know I do), because they know they were appreciated. It was nothing for a racer to drive 3 hours or more just to get there, losing money in the process. Why? Because they knew a fun time as waiting for them when they got there.

It ain't the money. It ain't the winning. It ain't any of that in the long run. If it ain't fun and you don't feel like you are among friends, you ain't staying.

Now, Tom & Cindy kept the Freedon Series alive this year at Antioch, and from what I see, it was a success. The George Steitz Memorial Shoot Out at Hanford is next. They need their track back. I read Ken Bonnema's comment on a forum that the Chowchilla Fairgrounds will only have one shot at this, and I agree.

What I'm trying to say is they need to look at what they had and realize they did make money with Tom & Cindy. Maybe not as much as some of the other tracks, but more than they had before the track opened. Tom has kept the big races alive and in the people's minds. The racers still remember him and they will support him. Any promoter that comes in there expecting a "traditional" show will fail, because that's not what this place is all about. Tom & Cindy know what it takes and they put their hearts into that place.

Bottom line is the fairgrounds needs to get on the phone with Tom and made a deal and make it happen. Otherwise, I don't see that race track having much of a future, and that would be a shame.

I haven't been doing much with the book at this stage. I was working on other projects, but recently not doing much at all. I have decided, due to the lack of information from places I need information from, that the history covered in the book will go to 2007. Antioch is a central part of the book (not the only part) and information has sort of dried up since Dennis Daniel retired as Antioch Speedway Webmaster. I can't understate how important his work was on that page. We may have disagreed occasionally, but I respect his work, especially on the web page.

I wrote a couple blogs a year or so ago that were conroversial but covered topics I wished to clarify. I may dig them out and post them for some offseason material if anybody is reading. And if you did read this and care to reply or just say hi, post a comment. It's nice to know if anybody is reading.

Until next time, my best wishes to all of you.

I Have Officially Signed Up For AIDS Walk

2008-05-05T19:00:00.000-07:00

Before I get to the point of this post, I just want to apologize for the lack of updates on this page. My head has been some place else. The book idea is on the back burner, but it still lives. I am writing a book that is non racing related at the moment, but I do intend to get back to work on the racing book at some point in the not too distant future.

I have been walking every day and continuing to eat better than I did when I was involved in racing. I'm told I have lost over 100 pounds. I couldn't tell you for sure as I don't own a scale and did not want to weigh myself when I started down this path. It was about feeling better physically and mentally, not how many pounds I lost.

I could write a whole blog post, but nobody would probably care about that. This is a racing blog after all. So why this post? I want to put my walking to good use and raise some money. AIDS effects all of us in one way or another, and I want to attempt to raise money for the cause.

I Have Officially Signed Up For AIDS Walk

I just signed up for AIDS Walk. I do enough walking every day that I feel like putting it to good and positive use for others. There are other events I am looking at, but I'm starting with this. It's a little over 6 miles, and I pretty much do that every day anyway.

Too many people have died because of this disease. We are making strides, but we have a long way to go. I signed up for the ambitious Star Walker program, which means I hope to raise $1,000. I don't know that I will get that, but I'll try. I like the term "star walker" even though I've never considered myself a star.

We've lost so many lives to AIDS and yet people are living longer now because of funds that have been raised for research. Yes, people are making a difference, and I want to be one of the people who makes a difference. It was on my sister's birthday of all days that Freddie Mercury died of AIDS. I miss Freddie and the music and just the smile he always brought to my face as one of the greatest singers of all time.

I dedicate my first AIDS walk to my sister Jackie and also to a young lady who continues to inspire me, Gwen Araujo. If anybody is interested in supporting my effort, my fund rasing page can be found here and you can donate onine:

http://aidswalksanfrancisco2008.kintera.org/remembergwen

This is the text the website gives us for spam e-mails, and I find it relevent enough to put here:

I am writing to let you know that I have registered for AIDS Walk San Francisco and am very excited about the event. This is a very important issue to me so I have set an ambitious fundraising goal. I want to do as much as I can to make a difference in the lives of men, women, and children affected by HIV and AIDS. Even though there has been a lot of publicity about drug treatments which are prolonging some people's lives, they don't work for everyone and there is still no cure in sight. Moreover, young people are still getting infected at alarmingly high rates.

I want your help. Will you please sponsor me for the AIDS Walk? Just click on the website address below to enter my personalized web page and charge your donation. Thank you, in advance, for supporting this important cause and for showing that you join me in wanting to end this epidemic.

http://aidswalksanfrancisco2008.kintera.org/remembergwen

A Few Chili Bowl Photos

2008-01-16T19:10:00.000-08:00

The Tulsa World newspaper actually gave this race some good coverage, and you can still find it at their web page of you hurry. I grabbed a couple photos to share with you.

NASCAR star Kasey Kahne powers into the first turn during his heat race on Friday night in the 22nd annual Dodge Chili Bowl Midget Nationals at the QuikTrip Center at Expo Square. STEPHEN HOLMAN / Tulsa World

Jason Holt of Brownsburg, Ind., sits upside down in his car following a crash during a heat race on Friday night. STEPHEN HOLMAN / Tulsa World

This is from before Jason Holt drove the #8j car on Friday.

Jason Holt and Don O'Keefe Jr. had quite an adventure. Don actually started off running stronger than it would appear in the stats on opening day, but an incident with another racer, who was maybe a little too aggressive, ended what could have been a good effort. Instead of transferring to a better main that night, Don ran the C Main and was done early with mechanical problems in that race.

On Friday, the crew must have thought they were in for more bad stuff. Jason was running strong in his heat, but a tangle with another driver left Jason on his lid in a roll over. Damage wasn't as bad as it could have been, but the crew had to scramble to get it together for one of the Last Chance races. The effort paid off as Jason won his race. Former Antioch Wingless Spec Sprint champion Travis Berryhill was fifth in that race.

Jason managed a ninth place finish in his B Main later that night, which set him up for the front row start he had for Saturday's E Main. As you saw from my previous post, he finished third in that race and sixth in the D Main, missing the C Main and a chance to be on the Pay Per View by a just a few inches. All in all, though, the team had a good showing and can be proud of their efforts.