Racing returns with Sprint Cars, Modifieds at Antioch Speedway, Saturday night
By Don Martin II
After two weeks off, Antioch Speedway returns to life on Saturday night with a six division show. The six division Northern All Stars program will feature Winged 360 Sprint Cars, Wingless Spec Sprints, A Modifieds, B Modifieds, Hobby Stocks and Limited Late Models. The show offers a little something for everybody.
The Winged 360 Sprint Car race is a battle between 2007 champion Art McCarthy and past Wingless Spec Sprint champion Billy Aton. Both are feature winners this year, and McCarthy holds a slim 148-146 lead after three races. Dan Gonderman 144, Rick “Doc” Brophy 104 and Koen Shaw 100 are next in line. Shaw is coming off of an impressive feature victory last time out. Amazingly enough, Shawn Arriaga is just 20 points out of third in the standings despite missing the season opener.
If you like your Sprint Cars Wingless, the Spec Sprints may just be for you. Coming off of his win last time out, Jim Perry Jr. leads Roy Fisher by a 148-136 margin. Rick Panfili is a close third with 132 points as Alan Miranda, Marcus Smith and James East are tied for fourth with 124 points. Smith and Dan Gonderman are also feature winners this year, while Miranda and long time racer Panfili are searching for their first wins.
The A Modified division finds 2014 champion Carl Berendsen II leading Ray Lindeman, 208-182 in another close race. Both drivers are on a quest for their first wins. Nobody has more wins in this division than five time champion Scott Busby, who has 171 points. Aaron Crowell 146 and the tied Trent Wentworth and rookie Bobby Montalvo 136 make up the remainder of the Top 5. Feature winners this season include Crowell, Jeff Decker, Bobby Hogge IV, Josh Combs and Oreste Gonella.
With three second place finishes so far, Al Johnson leads two time winner Trevor Clymens, 314-272 in the B Modified point race. Rookie Shane DeVolder is a close third with 266 points as Danny Jones 252 and K.C. Keller 184 make up the remainder of the Top 5. Reigning champion Fred Ryland and Anthony Giuliani are multiple feature winners this season.
When it comes to Limited Late Model wins, four time champion Larry Damitz and two time champion Mike Gustafson combine for over 80 of them. Both have feature wins this year as the 87 year old Damitz leads rookie Kimo Oreta, 154-144 in the standings. Mark Garner is a close third with 142 points on the trail of his first win of the season. Jim Freethy won the most recent race and ranks fourth with 136 points as the steady John Evans is fifth with 126 tallies. Could it be Evans getting his first win this week?
Rookie Guy Ahlwardt has proven that his beautiful #10 Hobby Stock is as fast as it looks. The one time winner holds a 244-179 lead over Natalie Perry. Perry is in the midst of her best season yet and looking for her first win in the division. The battle is close for second as Cameron Swank 178, Danny Jones 173 and the tied Michael Cooper and rookie Lindsey Buirch 170 complete the Top 5. There are five winners in five races as Jones, two time champion Melissa Myers, three time champion Kimo Oreta and Chris Long are the other winners. Will a new winner emerge this week?
Six divisions will make this a must see show on Saturday night. The racing program will continue at the Contra Costa County Fairgrounds based race track all the way through September. Ticket Prices: Family Ticket (2 Adults & 2 Children) $40.00 Adult Ticket (13-64) $15.00 Child Ticket (6-12) $10.00 Senior Ticket (65 and over) $12.00 Children 5 and under FREE NOTE: Parking is $5.00 per car charged by the fairgrounds (not the Speedway). For further information, check www.antiochspeedway.com.
