By Candice Martin, DCRR Racing Media

Antioch, CA…April 8…Jake Andreotti of Castro Valley won the 30 lap BCRA Midgets Main Event Saturday night at Antioch Speedway. This was the 63rd season opening race at the Contra Costa County Fairgrounds venue. It was also the opening round of the three-race special BCRA Triple Crown Series at the track, which pays $2,000 to win each race and has a special point fund.

Past USAC Western States Midgets and WMR Midgets champion Blake Bower of Brentwood raced into the early lead ahead of Caden Sarale of Stockton. Andreotti found his way into third by the sixth lap. A Turn 4 pass on Lap 9 gained Sarale the lead. Andreotti motored into second on Lap 11.  Andreotti quickly started to challenge Sarale,, and they caught a slower car on Lap 14. Andreotti went high in Turn 2, while Sarale went low and surrendered the lead. Through a pair of slowdowns during the second half of the race, Andreotti stayed smooth and went on to score the impressive win. Sarale settled for the $1,150 second place finish, followed by Bower, Jake Morgan of Fair Oaks and Bryant Bell of Oakley.

Matt Kile of San Jose won the 20 lap Pacific Coast General Engineering Hobby Stock Main Event. Kile charged into the lead at the start ahead of Jared Baugh of Pittsburg. Kile didn’t receive much of a threat in this race, but Baugh, Danny Wagner of Bay Point and Grayson Baca of Brentwood had a spirited battle going for second. Baugh held the spot until being passed by Baca on Lap 11. Wagner quickly moved into third and executed to Turn 2 pass on the last lap for what he thought would be second. However, Baca came back strong and beat Wagner back to the line by inches. Kile cruised to the well-earned victory. Baugh settled for fourth ahead of Kevin Brown of Oakley.

Antioch’s David Michael Rosa won the 20 lap Delta Dwarf Car Main Event. Several drivers were involved in different mishaps during the first 14 laps that caused five yellow flags. Through it all, reigning Delta Dwarf Car champion Danny Wagner of Bay Point led the way. Dublin’s Devan Kammermann spun out of second on Lap 7, moving Ellie Russo of Bay Point into the position. However, Chance Russell of Antioch gained second a lap later. Rosa slipped past Russell for second on a Lap 14 restart and gained the lead when Wagner slowed on Lap 18 with mechanical issues. Rosa went on to win ahead of Russell, Russo, Travis Day of Concord and Pete Piantanida of Discovery Bay.

Greg Dennett of Livermore won the 20 lap BCRA Lightning Sprint Main Event. Scott Kinney led two laps before being passed by Dennett on the back stretch on Lap 3. Dakota Albright of Waterford made a Turn 4 pass on Kinney for second on Lap 5, but Dennett had already built a straightaway advantage by then. Dennett cruised to victory ahead of Albright, Harlee Aguilera of Orangevale, Josef Ferolito of Modesto and Cody Meyer of Placerville.

Joel Hannagan of San Jose won the 15 lap Hardtop Main Event. Ronnie Ruiz of West Sacramento led two laps before Brad Coelho of Oakley got by in Turn 4 for the lead. Hannagan followed closely into second, and Hannagan made a Turn 4 pass a lap later to take the lead from Coelho. As Hannagan pulled away, Coello and Ruiz battled fiercely for second. Ruiz made a Turn 4 pass to gain the spot in Lap 7, only to surrender the position to Coelho with an inside move on the frontstretch on Lap 11. Hannagan went on to victory ahead of Coelho, Ruiz, Joe Shenefield of Antioch and Ken Clifford of Placerville.

After a strong postseason effort last year, San Bruno’s Dana Gardner resumed his impressive efforts with a 20 lap Print Club Mini Stock Main Event win.  Gardner led from the outside with Eddie Humphrey III of Torrance an early second. Humphrey held the position until a Lap 9 yellow flag. Humphrey pitted, and Gardner resumed command ahead of reigning champion Tom Brown of Santa Rosa and Tony Quinonez of Corning. As Gardner sped to the impressive win by a wide margin, Brown managed to hold off Quinonez in a close battle for second. Newcomer Max Finley of Santa Rosa wheeled his Ford Pinto Wagon to a fourth place finish ahead Don Abitz of Pittsburg.

At the opening ceremonies, several drivers came out to do a memorial lap for BCRA Hall of Fame member Jim Screeton, who died in a motorcycle accident back in March. Racing continues next weekend with the Hunt Wingless Spec Sprint Tour, the IMCA Sport Modifieds and 600 Micro Sprints competing. For further information, go to www.antiochspeedway.com.

Unofficial Race Results – April 8, 2023

BCRA Midgets 

FT-Jake Andreotti 14.312. Heat Winners (8 laps)-Jake Andreotti, Jake Morgan, Bryant Bell. Main Event (30 laps)-Jake Andreotti, Caden Sarale, Blake Bower, Jake Morgan, Bryant Bell, Michael Snider, Sage Bordeneve, Logan Mitchell, Danika Jo Parker, Kevin Box.

Pacific Coast General Engineering Hobby Stocks 

Heat Winners (8 laps)-Jared Baugh, Danny Wagner, Matt Kile. Main Event (20 laps)-Matt Kile, Grayson Baca, Danny Wagner, Jared Baugh, Kevin Brown, Ken Johns, Colten Haney, Michaela Taylor, James Graessle, Aidan Ponciano.

BCRA Lightning Sprints 

FT Greg Dennett 13.852. Heat Winners (8 laps)-Greg Dennett, Dakota Albright. Main Event-Greg Dennett, Dakota Albright, Harlee Aguilera, Joseph Ferolito, Cody Meyer, Scott Kinney, Hunter Kinney. Daniel Caughran DNS.

Delta Dwarf Cars 

Heat Winners (8 laps)-David Michael Rosa, Danny Wagner. Main Event (20 laps)-David Michael Rosa, Chance Russell, Ellie Russo, Travis Day, Pete Piantanida, David Rosa, Joe LeDuc, Danny Wagner, Devan Kammermann, Bobby Motts Jr DNS.

Print Club Mini Stocks 

Heat Winners (8 laps)-Dana Gardner, Eddie Humphrey III. Main Event (20 laps)-Dana Gardner, Tom Brown, Tony Quinonez, Max Finley, Don Abitz, Cody Bolles, Eddie Humphrey III, Laina Bales, David Carson, Roberto Monroy DNS.

Hardtops

Heat Winner (6 laps)-Joel Hannagan. Main Event (15 laps)-Joel Hannagan, Brad Coelho, Ronnie Ruiz, Joe Shenefield, Ken Clifford.

Fourth try for Season Opener

By Candice Martin, DCRR Racing Media

Antioch, CA…It seems like it’s been a broken record. It’s happened a total of six times this year, including the two practices that were scheduled before the original season opener on March 11th. Antioch Speedway has been rained out six times this year, including four races in a row.

As the rain let up after Wednesday last week, there might have been a chance to hustle to get the races in over the next couple of days, but the grounds were very saturated on Thursday. It didn’t start looking good out there until Saturday. The decision to cancel last week was a good move. It gives the crew and the staff time to make things right for this Saturday night’s races and Kid’s Easter Egg Hunt.

The Pacific Coast General Engineering Hobby Stocks will take center stage, joined by the Delta Dwarf Cars, BCRA Midgets and Lightning Sprints and the always fun to watch Hardtops. As if that’s not enough, the season will now open with an exciting Figure 8 race. There’s lots of excitement on the card for fans looking for their racing adrenaline rush.

Danny Wagner of Bay Point has competed in all sorts of divisions and been a winner in everything. The three-time Delta Dwarf Car champion has also won feature races in the Mini Trucks, IMCA Modifieds and Winged 360 Sprint Cars. During the off-season, Wagner built a Hobby Stock, and he debuted it at Merced Speedway last week with results you might expect from him. He picked up the feature win in his first start.

Whether Wagner goes for points or not, he is sure to be a force in Hobby Stocks anytime he’s there. There are some good Hobby Stock drivers looking to take it up a notch after last season, led by Jared Baugh of Pittsburg, Michaela Taylor of Oakley, Jewell Crandall of Antioch and Grayson Baca of Brentwood. The Hobby Stocks were averaging car counts in the mid-20s last season, and expectations are that they will remain on that level this year.

Hobby Stocks are the car of choice for the exciting Figure 8 race. Antioch featured this race from 1987 to 1990 and briefly in the early 2000s. Last season, the crowd approved of the return of this race, which came back with a $1,000 to win event, won by two-time Spec Sprint champion Dan Gonderman of Antioch. Longtime Figure 8 supporter Jimmy Robbins of Concord, Mike Conley Jr of Antioch and Newman’s DJ Keldsen and Cody Keldsen are among the drivers anticipated when the cars take the track this Saturday night.

Dwarf Cars are the third longest tenured class at the speedway, following IMCA Modifieds and Hobby Stocks. The king of the mountain these days may be Danny Wagner, but he’ll get stiff competition from last year’s Most Improved Driver, Devan Kammermann of Dublin, who won two races. Throw in great competition from the likes of Ellie Russo of Bay Point, Sean Catucci of Brentwood, Travis Day of Concord and five-time champion Ricardo Rivera of Hollister, and the Dwarf Cars will definitely entertain.

There isn’t an older sanctioning body based out of California than the Bay City’s Racing Association. The BCRA Lightning Sprints have been making periodic visits to the track every year, but it’s been a couple of seasons since we’ve seen the BCRA Midgets. The popular Open Wheel class ruled the roost in California throughout the 1940s, ’50s, ’60s and ’70s. Through the ups and downs, BCRA has remained to sanction these racers, and they still have drivers committed to bringing exciting Midget racing.

The Lightning Sprints made two appearances last season. Unlike the Midgets, they run with wings and they turn some of the fastest laps at the speedway. This division has been under the BCRA banner for over two decades now and always puts on a good show. There’s another division that was once sanctioned by the BCRA throughout the 1950s into the early 1960s, and they are on the card on Saturday night.

The popular Hardtops return, likely to be joined by some of the Valley Sportsman racers from Merced Speedway. Unlike the Hardtops, the Sportsman division runs a wing and is a class that was featured at Antioch Speedway throughout the 1960s and 1970s.

Last year, the Hardtops held the Butch Althar Memorial race, won by two-time Merced Speedway champion Rick Elliott. It was Joel Hannagan piloting Doug Braudrick’s Junkyard Dog to his third-consecutive Chet Thomson Memorial win last season.

The diverse lineup of cars scheduled this Saturday night offers a little something for every fan. If you want fast, and open wheel, look no further than Midgets and Lightning Sprints. If you want slam-bang, fendered Stock Car racing, Hobby Stocks and Figure 8 will fill the bill. If you like a little bit of nostalgia in your program, look no further than the Hardtops. It’s sure to be a good show.

The evening will also have an Easter Egg Hunt and bike giveaway for the kids. This has become a happy tradition at the speedway in recent years and another reason families come to the speedway.

The gates will open at 4:00 with the first race starting at 6:00.

Adult tickets are $20, Senior/Military $15, Kids (5-12) $15 and kids five and under free.

For further information, go to www.antiochspeedway.com or check out the Antioch Speedway by PROmotions Facebook page.

Learn more at www.dreamteamantioch.org.

By Candice Martin, DCRR Racing Media 

There’s no doubt this has been a wetter winter than we’ve had in recent years. The Contra Costa Event Center (county fairgrounds) has received so much rain that it was flooded in areas this year, and Antioch Speedway was under water throughout much of January and February. This has left the crew scrambling to get things ready.

With pumps removing the water from the racing surface, there has been optimism of getting races going in recent weeks. However, steady rainfall has put an end to that. This Saturday night, the 63rd season of auto racing is set to begin with an action-packed card.

The Trifecta of IMCA, Modifieds, Sport Modifieds and Stock Cars, will be competing along with the Pacific Coast General Engineering Hobby Stocks, Super Stocks and the WMR Miidgets.

Though there is rain forecast for early in the week, there is optimism that this week will indeed happen. The season opener is always an exciting time at the race track. Drivers show up with new bodies on their cars or even brand new race cars. The point standings have been wiped clean, and it’s a fresh new start. Anybody can make their move.

Last season saw a spirited duel between Kellen Chadwick of Oakley and Nick DeCarlo of Martinez go down to the final IMCA Modified race with both of them still tied in the end. DeCarlo ended up with his second Antioch championship due to the fact that he had four Main Event wins, while Chadwick had three.

The consistent Bobby Motts Jr of San Pablo ended up third. A competitive field that will include a few past champions is anticipated on Saturday.

Nobody has won more races in the IMCA Sport Modifieds then Fred Ryland of Brentwood, but the three-time champion needed four wins to hold off young star Andrew Pearce of Oakley for the championship last season.

Another rising star, Jacob Mallet Jr of Oakley, ended up third in the standings and also won the IMCA State crown. This year will be interesting with the return of another three-time champion, Trevor Clymens of Brentwood.

The exciting new IMCA Stock Car division continues to grow by leaps and bounds. This division offers a different yet very exciting style of racing compared to the Modified classes, and drivers are still getting used to these cars.

Past Dwarf Car and Mini Truck champion Travis Dutra of Concord notched his second-straight division championship after a season-long battle with Rio Vista’s Jason Robles. Top rookie Jason Jennings of Pittsburg ended up third in the rundown. New drivers are anticipated this year.

No division offered a bigger car count per week then the Pacific Coast General Engineering Hobby Stocks last season. It was a year of the ladies with Misty Welborn of Castro Valley finishing first, Michaela Taylor of Oakley ending up second, Taylor DeCarlo of Martinez fourth and Jewell Crandall of Antioch fifth. Several drivers have just gotten started in this class in recent years and are getting better with every turn behind the wheel.

Super Stocks have been at the speedway for over 20 years, and Danville’s Jim Freethy won the championship last year over Brentwood’s Joey Ridgeway and Concord’s Jimmy Robbins.

Car count is expected to increase a little bit this year. Among the several big events lined up at the track this year will be the Larry Damitz Memorial race on May 13th, featuring the Tri State Challenge Pro Stocks.

Midget racing has been a big deal in California for over 70 years, but the Ecotec motor program introduced by the WMR Miidgets is bringing new blood into the class. They are a division that is in high demand and competes at several venues on the West Coast.

Antioch is looking forward to hosting this coming race, which could have a field of a dozen or more cars. Two of the champions on the tour in recent years are Blake Bower of Brentwood and David Prickett of Fresno.

We’ve definitely needed the rain in California, but now racing fans need a little bit of dry weather. It’s time to go racing, and Speedway Management is optimistic that this week will be the time for it to finally happen.

Once we unleash the beasts, we’ll have racing pretty much regularly all the way through the last weekend of October with a few events lined up in November. Special Sprint Car touring races and big events like the Bill Bowers and Hetrick Modified races are highlights of what should be an action-packed season.

The gates will open at 4:00 with the first race starting at 6:00.

Adult tickets are $20, Senior/Military $15, Kids (5-12) $15 and kids five and under free.

For further information, go to www.antiochspeedway.com or check out the Antioch Speedway by PROmotions Facebook page.

 

2022 Champions were Nick DeCarlo (IMCA Modifieds), Fred Ryland (IMCA Sport Modifieds), Travis Dutra (IMCA Stock Cars), Misty Welborn (Pacific Coast General Engineering Hobby Stocks), Shannon Newton (Wingless Spec Sprints), Jim Freethy (Super Stocks), Danny Wagner (Delta Dwarf Cars) and Tom Brown (Print Club Mini Stocks)

By Candice Martin, DCRR Racing News

Antioch, CA…This Saturday night, March 25, 2023, Antioch Speedway has a loaded program as the 63rd season of championship auto racing is set to begin. Weather permitting, the trifecta of IMCA, Modifieds, Sport Modifieds and Stock Cars, will be joined by the Pacific Coast General Engineering Hobby Stocks, Delta Dwarf Cars and United States Auto Club Western States Midgets. Wet weather leading up to Saturday could postpone things again.

Antioch, like much of the state, has seen more rain this winter than has been seen in several years. The rain hit the track so hard that you could have had a fishing contest on the flooded racing surface back in February. With water pumps and a diligently working track crew, the track is expected to be ready on Saturday as long as the weather allows the six-division show to happen.

Back in February, the track did manage to make an awards banquet happen to celebrate last season. This has not been a given for the track in recent years. Due to COVID-19, the track couldn’t even have fans in the grandstands in 2020 when they held races, and the banquet was a non-starter. The banquet was set to happen early in 2022, which would celebrate the previous season, but COVID-19 regulations kept the gathering from happening again.

However, last year was the first season since 2019 in which fans were able to attend every race. There were no restrictions in place. A last minute effort was put together for the banquet, which took place at the Contra Costa County Fairgrounds in February. With some sponsorship and teamwork from throughout the racing community, champions in eight divisions were crowned in February.

Drivers earning the big trophies included Nick DeCarlo (IMCA Modifieds), Fred Ryland (IMCA Sport Modifieds), Travis Dutra (IMCA Stock Cars), Misty Welborn (Pacific Coast General Engineering Hobby Stocks), Shannon Newton (Wingless Spec Sprints), Jim Freethy (Super Stocks), Danny Wagner (Delta Dwarf Cars) and Tom Brown (Print Club Mini Stocks).

The Top 10 drivers in each division were honored along with Most Improved Driver and Rookie of The Year awards in all classes, plus special awards. Track Photographer Katrina Kniss also had some special awards for the Top 3 drivers in each class.

The gala event was nearly at capacity, and the interesting part was something was attempted that had never been done before. This was a free to attend event for the racing community, which also included a spaghetti meal and beverages. A live band ended the night on a positive note.

Drivers were speaking of their enthusiasm coming into the new season, It’s a clean slate. That means a new opportunity for drivers to run for points in the popular IMCA divisions, which always garner lots of attention from the fans. The Hobby Stocks were noteworthy last year in bringing the biggest car count week in and week out. If the five regular divisions on the schedule aren’t enough, there’s a special attraction on Saturday.

Promoter Chad Chadwick and Race Director Chris Bennett worked diligently to give the fans several special events of interest, and more open wheel racing will be a part of it. For the first time ever, the United States Auto Club Western States Miidgets will compete at Antioch Speedway, and this is just their first visit of the year. These fast wingless open wheel cars have been a popular form of racing in California since the 1930s.

Later on this year, the fans will be treated to NARC Winged 410 Sprint Cars, Sprint Car Challenge Tour Winged 360 Sprint Cars and Hunt Wingless Spec Sprints, among the many special events that will be a part of things in the weeks ahead.

The track’s website has the schedule listed along with other vital information, and it’s always a good idea to keep an eye on the social media pages.

The IMCA Modifieds are the longest continuously tenured division currently in the lineup, having had championship seasons every year since 1990. DeCarlo enjoyed his second Antioch championship last year. The Sport Modifieds have a slightly bigger car count and will have intense competition this year, while the Stock Cars continue to gain more competitors among their ranks. They are poised to have a breakout season. Add in all the other elements, and Saturday night is a must-see event for racing enthusiasts.

The gates will open at 4:00 with the first race starting at 6:00.

Adult tickets are $20, Senior/Military $15, Kids (5-12) $15 and kids five and under free.

For further information, go to www.antiochspeedway.com for check out the Antioch Speedway by PROmotions Facebook page.

 

During School Day S.T.E.A.M. Fest 2023!

Velma Wilson of Antioch will sing the National Anthem before the Santa Cruz Warriors game at Chase Center Saturday night, March 4. Wilson was the Contra Costa County 2021 Humanitarian of the Year.

Gather your family and friends and join us for School Day STEAM Fest 2023 as your Santa Cruz Warriors (NBA G-League Affiliate) take on the Cleveland Charge! Join us on West Concourse Terrace for our STEAM Fest where a variety of vendors will be showcasing educational and interactive activations for you and more!