Antioch, CA — As the weather gets warmer, racing season draws nearer. The competitors only have a few weeks remaining to get their cars ready for the beginning of the 65th championship season at Antioch Speedway. The season will kick off with the April 5th opener, and we’ll see the final checker flag fall on October 25th.
The lineup of divisions will feature most of what the fans have been enjoying in recent years along with some very special events along the way. This will include the 2x Monster Truck show, which is scheduled to take place on March 29th. It’s a new group to the speedway, but they will bring a fresh approach to a popular form of motorsports entertainment.
The IMCA sanctioned Modifieds return for their 36th season of championship racing, which makes them the longest continuously promoted division in the track’s history. The Sport Modifieds and Stock Cars make it three divisions under the sanctioning of the oldest motorsports organization in the United States. The Pacific Coast Hobby Stocks will join these three on numerous occasions throughout the season.
In fact, fans of the four divisions will take note. Following the April 5th season opener, which will include the four divisions, they will appear together on April 19th, May 3rd, May 17th, June 14th, June 28th, August 1st, August 23rd, September 13th and September 27th.
Noteworthy among those dates is that May 3rd is the 10th Annual Soares Memorial race, May 17th is the Contra Costa County Fair, June 14th is the Third Annual Fan Appreciation Night, June 28th is the 10th Annual Hetrick Memorial, September 13th is Hall of Fame/Championship Night and September 27th is the Bowers Memorial.
On those 10 dates in question, they will be joined by an assortment of other classes. The always exciting Late Models are scheduled for The Easter Eggstravaganza night on April 19th, the Soares Memorial on May 3rd, the Hetrick race on June 28th and August 23rd as part of their seven race schedule at the speedway.
Two of the Hobby Stock shows are also special nights you won’t want to miss. On October 18th, it’s the Fifth Annual Pacific Coast Hobby Stock Nationals. This show set a car count record for the track last year with 58 competitors. The Dean Cline Classic will take place on August 1st.
Fans of Sprint Car racing should take note. The speedway’s NARC Winged 410 Sprint Car show in each of the last two seasons has been so popular that the track has booked them for two occasions this season on May 10th and October 11th. They will be joined by the BCRA Midgets for both shows. The BCRA and WMR are stepping things up as they have put together a special Midget series, and those two nights are a part of it.
Fans of Wingless Spec Sprint racing can mark six regular appearances on the calendar, but there are an additional four Hunt Wingless Spec Sprint shows as part of the tour’s 15th Anniversary season. Those races include April 26th, the Cameron Martin Memorial race on June 21st, Back To School Backpack Night on July 26th and the season finale Track Or Treat night on October 25th.
The Larry Damitz Memorial race continues to pay tribute to the five-time Super Stock champion who is the oldest champion in speedway history at 87 years of age. The Damitz race is scheduled for May 31st, which will be headlined by the Tri State Pro Stocks and the Late Models. The Tri State Series also competes on June 14th and August 9th, while the speedway has an additional three regular Super Stock shows. All six races will be part of the Antioch point race.
Throughout the season, the track will have multiple races for the Dwarf Cars, Mini Stocks, 600 Micro Sprints and Hardtops. The Hardtops are a part of Track Or Treat night on October 25th, which also includes the Hunt Series Wingless Spec Sprints, California RaceSaver Sprints, Late Models and Super Stocks. The RaceSaver class, featured at Tulare and Hanford in recent years, also makes appearances on May 31st and June 21st.
On September 6th, the Hardtops will run their Fourth Annual Butch Althar Memorial race along with the third running of the Panfili Cup for the Wingless Spec Sprints and other divisions. The September 13th race is championship night for all of the IMCA sanctioned divisions. The Hardtops close their championship season on October 25th with the 23rd Annual Chet Thomson Memorial.
Once again, there’s a little bit of something for everybody to enjoy at Antioch Speedway this year, and you won’t want to miss out. Contra Costa County has had racing on any given weekend during the spring and summer months since 1948, starting with Contra Costa Speedway in Pacheco from then until 1960 and continuing at Antioch Speedway from 1961 to the present. To keep up with the latest happenings at the speedway, go to www.raceantiochspeedway.com or check out Antioch Speedway by PROmotions on Facebook.
2025 Antioch Speedway Schedule
- March 9 – Playday
- March 15 – Playday
- March 22 – Playday
- March 29 – 2x Monster Trucks
- April 5 – IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Sport Modifieds, IMCA Stock Cars, Pacific Coast Hobby Stocks, Dwarf Card
- April 12 – Wingless Spec Sprints, Hardtops, Dwarf Cars, 600 Micro Sprints, IMCA Sport Modifieds
- April 19 – Easter Eggstravaganza – IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Sport Modifieds, IMCA Stock Cars, Pacific Coast Hobby Stocks, Late Models
- April 26 – Hunt Wingless Spec Sprints, Pacific Coast Hobby Stocks, BCRA Lighting Sprints, Super Stocks, Mini Stocks, 600 Micro Sprints
- May 3 – Soares Memorial – IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Sport Modifieds, IMCA Stock Cars, Pacific Coast Hobby Stocks, Late Models
- May 10 – NARC Sprint Cars, BCRA Midgets, Mothers Day Mini Van
- May 17 – County Fair Race – IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Sport Modifieds, IMCA Stock Cars, Pacific Coast Hobby Stocks, Mini Stocks, Figure 8
- May 24 – Memorial Day No Races
- May 31 – Larry Damitz Memorial – Tri State Pro Stocks, Late Models, Wingless Spec Sprints, RaceSaver Sprints, Dwarf Cars, 600 Micro Sprints
- June 7 – Wingless Spec Sprints, Pacific Coast Hobby Stocks, Hardtops, Dwarf Cars, Super Stocks
- June 14 – Fan Appreciation Night, IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Sport Modifieds, IMCA Stock Cars, Pacific Coast Hobby Stocks, Tri State Pro Stocks
- June 21 – Hunt Wingless Spec Sprints, RaceSaver Sprints, Dwarf Cars, Hardtops, Mini Stocks
- June 28 – Hetrick Memorial – IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Sport Modifieds, IMCA Stock Cars, Pacific Coast Hobby Stocks, Late Models
- July 5 – No Races
- July 12 – No Races
- July 19 – No Races
- July 26 Backpack Night- Hunt Wingless Spec Sprints, Pacific Coast Hobby Stocks, Dwarf Cars, Hardtops, Mini Stocks
- Aug 1 (Friday)-Dean Cline Classic – Pacific Coast Hobby Stocks 50 Laps, IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Sport Modifieds, IMCA Stock Cars, Mini Stocks
- Aug 9 – Wingless Spec Sprints, Tri State Pro Stocks, Dwarf Cars, Hardtops, 600 Micro Sprints
- Aug 16 – IMCA Sport Modifieds, IMCA Stock Cars, Pacific Coast Hobby Stocks, Mini Stocks, WMR Midgets
- August 23 – IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Sport Modifieds, IMCA Stock Cars, Pacific Coast Hobby Stocks, Late Models, 600 Micro Sprints
- Aug 30 – Labor Day No Races
- Sept 6 – Wingless Spec Sprints (Panfili Cup), Pacific Coast Hobby Stocks, Dwarf Cars, Butch Althar Hardtops, Mini Stocks, 600 Micro Sprints
- Sept 13 – Championship/Hall Of Fame Night- IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Sport Modifieds, IMCA Stock Cars, Pacific Coast Hobby Stocks, Dwarf Cars
- September 20 – Wingless Spec Sprints, Pacific Coast Hobby Stocks, Late Models, Mini Stocks, BCRA Lightning Sprints, 600 Micros
- September 27 – Bowers Memorial – IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Sport Modifieds, IMCA Stock Cars, Pacific Coast Hobby Stocks
- October 4 – Dark
- October 11 – NARC Sprint Cars, BCRA Midgets
- October 18 – 5th Annual Pacific Coast Hobby Stock Nationals – Pacific Coast Hobby Stocks, Mini Stocks
- October 25 – Track or Treat – Hunt Wingless Spec Sprints, Late Models, Chet Thomson Hardtops, RaceSaver Sprint Cars, Super Stocks
Antioch Speedway Racing Program Gathered Momentum In 64th Championship Season
Antioch, CA…Over the last few years, it’s been challenging to keep things going in the racing world. You hear more stories about tracks closing or cutting back on their schedules. When we went through the COVID shutdowns in 2020, racing took a big hit along with other businesses. It made things challenging to promoters.
2020 started with much optimism as Chad Chadwick took the helm as promoter of Antioch Speedway. Little did he know as he was announcing plans and making preparations for his inaugural season at the helm, but the season itself would be threatened by the mandatory COVID shutdowns.
Antioch Speedway made out better than most that year. A good portion of the season went on without fans in the grandstands. However, the speedway would feel the effects over the next few years in its efforts to get more fans in the stands. Many would say a low point was reached in 2023, meaning last season was all about putting things back on course for the future.
The 2024 season featured all of the divisions the fans have come to expect from the speedway, anchored by the IMCA sanctioned Modifieds, Sport Modifieds and Stock Cars and the Pacific Coast Hobby Stocks, Wingless Spec Sprints, Dwarf Cars, Mini Stocks, Hardtops, Micro Sprints, Super Stocks and Late Models. There were also several special attractions throughout the season.
Once again, the speedway got things started after a wetter than usual winter, which forced several cancellations of practices and races. Once things got going, however, the fans got to satisfy their need for speed with some great racing action.
The 35th season for the IMCA Modifieds at the speedway was set to be a battle between past champion Kellen Chadwick and reigning State champion Andrew Pearce. Throughout the first half of the season, these two hard chargers did not disappoint. However, Chadwick got things started with his worst finish of the season in ninth.
To make matters worse for Chadwick, Pearce got off to a strong start with a second, two thirds, a fourth and a fifth in his first five starts. Chadwick bounced back from his bad opening night with two wins and two seconds in his next four races. Chadwick’s first win of the season came against one of the biggest fields of the season as he held off Foulger and Pearce to win the Central California Clash race. With both drivers looking good in the first five races, it was Chadwick who would emerge with a one point lead going into the sixth round.
After the fifth event, Pearce made the decision to head out of town and miss a race, enabling Chadwick to use his third-consecutive second place finish to take a solid hold on the point lead. As if to send a message to the field at the seventh race, Pearce turned in a dominant performance for his lone victory during the point season. Despite that, six-time champion Troy Foulger used his third win of the season in the point finale to beat Pearce for second in the standings by just two tallies.
When Chadwick ended the point portion of the season with back-to-back third place efforts, he solidified his second Antioch Speedway IMCA Modified title. Two-time Antioch champion Bobby Hogge IV won the season opener and collected another victory in July, but he settled for sixth in the standings. State champion Jacob Mallet Jr earned three Top 5 finishes to lock up top rookie honors in fourth in the track standings, followed by Reno, Nevada long tow Kate Robertson, who earned three Top 5 finishes as well.
The track had two marquee events on the IMCA Modified schedule. Pearce made a big statement during the point season by winning the Hetrick Memorial race in impressive fashion, followed by Hogge and Chadwick. Pearce didn’t stop there. On Bowers Memorial weekend, Pearce won the JD Willis Salute ahead of Chadwick and Hogge and followed that up with a victory in the Bill Bowers Memorial, followed by Chadwick and Foulger.
The IMCA Sport Modified championship battle was a continuation from the previous season as reigning champion Kenny Shrader saw his toughest competition coming from Jason Ryan Jr once again. Shrader kicked things off by winning the season opener ahead of Ryan, but Ryan used a third place finish at the third event of the season to grab the point lead.
The duo battled tenaciously over the next three races with Ryan picking up a pair of seconds and a third to maintain a one point advantage. However, Ryan ended up sixth at the sixth race of the season, while Shrader finished second, giving him a three point advantage. This battle stayed close going into the finale, where Shrader held a slim one point advantage. Whoever could finish ahead of the other would be the champion.
The IMCA championship night format removes a bit of the drama as the point leader is automatically put on the front row for the feature race next to the second place runner. Shrader got the lead when the green flag waved and they battled, sometimes making contact, until mechanical issues ended Ryan’s race prematurely. Shrader used his third win of the season to claim his second championship, and an even more impressive stat saw him not miss a Top 5 finish in all 12 starts, which also included four second place finishes.
Ryan turned in a solid effort all season long, including two wins during the point season, five seconds and four thirds, but the second place status once again was still a bit of a disappointment. He did win the Central California Clash championship and had a stellar postseason at Antioch, winning the JD Willis Salute In front of Buddy Kniss and Fred Ryland. A night later, Ryan added a win in the Bill Bowers Memorial, followed by Danny Wagner and Trevor Clymens. Ryan also won another feature race during the postseason.
Tommy Clymens Jr was intent on making a point run in what was his first full season in the Sport Modifieds, and he showed remarkable improvement as the season went on. A couple of early Top 5 finishes put him in third. As the season went on, he found himself leading Main Event laps on multiple occasions. With a third and fifth place finish in the final two races, which also included heat race victories, Clymens collected the third place trophy. He had a total of seven Top 5 finishes for the season.
The top rookie of the season was James Graessle. He picked up his first heat race win and had eight Top 10 finishes to rank fourth in the standings, followed by Kelly Campanile, who had three fifth place efforts. Chuck Golden just missed out on a Top 5 point ranking in sixth, but he followed up the previous season’s Watsonville championship with the State title.
Dylan Connelly opted to miss a few races, but it was still a strong season for him as he picked up his first two career feature victories, netting him seventh ahead of three-time Antioch champion Trevor Clymens, who had missed a couple of early season races. Trevor still had 11 Top 5 finishes during the season to end up eighth as Al Johnson and two-time feature winner Fred Ryland rounded out the Top 10 in the standings.
Buddy Kniss just missed the Top 10 in 11th, but he made a big statement during the season. Kniss won the Hetrick Memorial race in August, followed by Shrader and Ryan and picked up another win during the point season and a third win during the post season. Tyler Bannister led the Bakersfield sweep of Tate Loftus and Dylan Wilson in the Central California Clash race.
The Pacific Coast Hobby Stock division was entering their 30th championship season at the speedway, and the division continues to produce the biggest car counts on any given race night. The fans would also see one of the better championship battles at the speedway as reigning Merced Speedway Hobby Stock champion Ryan Hart decided to make a run for the Antioch title. However, he would face some serious competition from hard charger Clarence Holbrook III.
In recent years, Holbrook has been one of the faster competitors on the circuit, but this was the first year in which he would compete for a championship. Having collected two titles at Merced, Hart was ready for the challenge that a different field of competitors would bring him. This was a battle that would go down to the final checkered flag.
Both drivers came out strong, but Holbrook found himself leading the standings after three weeks on the strength of two seconds and a fourth. Hart was only lurking a couple of points behind as he had a first, a second and a third as his feature finishes. However, Holbrook wasn’t slowing down. His next four finishes included two firsts, a second and a seventh. Hart was not letting Holbrook get away from him. With a seventh, two thirds and a win, Hart was trailing Holbrook by just six points after seven races.
With a full field every race, either driver knew that one bad night could cost him big in the title chase. Holbrook learned that lesson well in the eighth event as he suffered a DNF back in 17th, while Hart used a sixth place finish to grab an 18 point advantage. Holbrook didn’t slow down in the final three races, scoring two of his four victories with a seventh at the second to last race. However, Hart continued his march to the title with a second, a third and a fifth down the stretch.
The bigger story of this battle came at the second to last race. Hart found himself starting deep in the field, while Holbrook was in the Top 5 and contending for victory. When another competitor got sideways exiting the fourth turn during the later stages of the race, Holbrook got caught up in the melee. The persistent Hart managed a fifth place finish to the seventh that Holbrook settled for. However, this could have been the night Holbrook won the race and regained the point lead. Some will look at this as the night that Hart clinched it. Though Holbrook won the finale, Hart was able to wrap up the championship with a third place finish.
In the 11 point races, Hart collected nine Top 5 finishes, including his two wins and two seconds. Holbrook had eight Top 5 finishes, including his four wins and three seconds. Hart held him off by just 10 points in the end.
2020 champion James Thomson was balancing a title chase at Petaluma with racing for points in Antioch. Having made a verbal commitment to Petaluma, where he did win the championship, Thomson nearly missed Fan Appreciation night in August. The race ended early enough at Petaluma that he was able to load up, tag the rear of the field and finish fifth at Antioch. He had eight Top 5 finishes during the point season, including one win, as he finished a solid third in the standings.
Enjoying another Top 5 season in fourth was Jared Baugh. In July, Baugh won the Dean Cline Classic ahead of Aidan Ponciano and Ryan Hart. He also scored a post season victory. He counted two seconds and two thirds among his eight Top 5 finishes during the point season and wasn’t threatened by fifth place point competitor Rick Rogers. Rogers had one Top 5 finish, but it was a disqualification in the point season finale that kept Aidan from grabbing the fifth point spot.
On the Saturday of the week in which Ponciano’s grandmother, Denise McCown, passed away, he scored his second career Main Event victory. He would end up seventh in the standings behind the rapidly improving Maddie Motts. One-time feature winner Colten Haney, Brandon Carpenter and Kevin Brown rounded out the Top 10 in the standings at season’s end. Jewell Crandall outdueled her 2023 championship winning boyfriend Grayson Baca to score a popular first career feature win on Fan Appreciation Night in August.
The Central California Clash race early in the season was not for points at the track, and Bakersfield’s Nick Johnson scored the win on that occasion, followed by Hart and multi-time Watsonville champion Joe Gallaher. Post season competition included the Fourth Annual Pacific Coast Hobby Stock Nationals. A track record 58 competitors were on hand for the occasion with Brian Cooper scoring the $3,000 victory ahead of Hart and Johnson. Long time competitor Chester Kniss picked up the win in the Bowers Memorial race ahead of Adriane Frost and Baugh.
The Wingless Spec Sprints enjoyed their 25th Anniversary season at the track in which the division was started in California. About six years earlier, Jacob Tuttle made his Antioch Speedway debut in a Winged 360 Sprint Car, but in more recent seasons he’s been competing on the Wingless Spec Sprint circuit in one of the Ted Finkenbinder cars. Not surprisingly, Tuttle came into the season as the driver to beat.
Tuttle came out strong with a pair of victories and a third in his first three starts. Two-time champion Bob Newberry tried to keep it close with a third and a fifth in his first three starts. It was at the fourth race when the duo threw a monkey wrench into the point battle as they competed in another race out of town, opening the door wide for Steve Maionchi to take the lead. Maionchi used the occasion to score a season best third place finish and take the point lead. However, Miaonchi would miss the first of two races due to a wedding, and the second wedding cost him second in the standings. He ended up third with four Top 5 finishes.
Tuttle, however, would leave little doubt who the champion was. In his eight starts, he scored seven Top 5 finishes, including four wins, two seconds and a third. Newberry ended up a solid second in the standings with a pair of second place feature finishes among his five top five efforts. Rookie John Ulrich drove the former Rick Panfili car to seven Top 10 finishes to rank fourth in the standings, while Tuttle’s teammate, Blake Bower, ended up fifth with one win out of two Top 5 finishes.
Ryon Siverling has won track championships at both Antioch and Petaluma and did it through consistency. However, he scored his first career feature win during the season among four Top 5 finishes. DJ Johnson, Shawn Arriaga and Bryant Bell each had one feature win during the championship season. Siverling ranked sixth in the standings with four Top 5 finishes.
Dylan Newberry ended up ninth in the standings with a pair of second place finishes and a third. Chris Geilfuss and ageless veteran Roy Fisher finished seventh and eighth, respectively. Geilfuss had one season high third place finish and a pair of fourths, while Fisher had two fourth place finishes of his own. Kevin Box ended up 10th in the standings with season high second and third place feature finishes.
The track held three Hunt Wingless Spec Sprint Series races, which included their late season addition to the schedule at the Track or Treat Halloween weekend race in October. The June race went to past series champion Shawn Jones ahead of DJ Johnson and Blake Bower. Tuttle maintained his title hopes by winning the Backpack Back To School night race in July ahead of Bower and Johnson. The October race was also the Pafilli Cup event, which was won by David Lindt II in the Ted Finkenbinder car, followed by Josh Young and Nathan Shank. Young’s second put him in a good position in his bid to overtake Johnson at the Gary Patterson Memorial finale event in Stockton the following week, but that race was canceled as Johnson successfully defended his series title.
The IMCA Stock Cars were back for their fourth championship season. Jason Jennings skipped a season after his 2022 Rookie Of The Year effort and was hoping to make a run at the points. For the previous two seasons, Jason Robles was the division’s championship runner up, but the bigger jinx he was looking to break was the fact that he had gone winless in 2023. These two drivers figured to be the main players in the point race.
Jennings had an opportunity to gain a little early momentum as Robles missed the season opener. However, Jennings blew a motor in his heat race and only earned minimum IMCA points. It didn’t get better for Jennings the next week as the Clash Series race meant more cars, and he could only muster a 13th place finish. Robles, meanwhile, made his season debut with a third place effort. As Jennings was trying to sort out his early season mechanical issues, Robles hit his stride with back to back feature victories and rapidly closed in on Jennings in the point battle.
While Jennings was collecting his third-straight third place feature finish, Robles followed up his two wins with a second, keeping the battle close. Jennings finally scored his first feature win in this division at the sixth event, and he held off Robles to finish second a week later. Jennings was leading when Robles missed a race and fell further off the pace. Jennings stayed consistent with nine Top 5 finishes throughout the season to earn the championship.
Robles also had nine Top 5 finishes and scored two of his three runner-up finishes in the final three races to maintain a solid hold on third in the standings. Scott Foster competed at several different venues in California and won the State championship. He had six Top 5 finishes during the point season, including season high second and third place finishes, to rank third in the final rundown at the track.
Troy Foulger didn’t run the full season, but his four wins were still good enough to net him fourth in the final standings ahead of one-time winner Fred Ryland. Foulger won the Bill Bowers Memorial race ahead of Terry DeCarlo Jr and Carl Barlow. It was Robles picking up the win in the JD Willis Memorial race, followed by Foulger and Chester Kniss. Mitch Machado won his first Main Event in this division among his four Top 5 efforts to rank sixth. Kniss, Dave Hill, top rookie Kenny Shrader and Nick Caughman Jr rounded out the Top 10 in the standings. Robles won the other October race after a good battle with Dan Gonderman to give him four wins on the season.
The Mini Stock division didn’t have a big season or a big car count, but they still managed to produce another of the more entertaining championship battles at the speedway. This was the Battle Of The Toms as reigning champion Tom Davis and two-time champion Tom Brown were at the front of the pack in the battle for victory each week. This was a race that would go to the final checkered flag with a little bit of controversy in the end.
Brown opened the season with a victory, and Davis missed the podium with Mike Cover a season best second ahead of Tony Quinonez. However, Davis rebounded by rattling off four-consecutive victories. He didn’t gain much on Brown or overtake him for the lead as Brown scored four-consecutive second place finishes. Davis turned the tables on Brown at the sixth event as he held him off for the victory.
The margin of advantage for Brown was not too comfortable, but Davis had a bad night and didn’t finish the seventh event, while Brown collected the victory ahead of Merced champion Chris Corder and Quinonez. That gave Brown a solid lead going into the last race, but there was a bit of controversy when the two were battling for the lead entering the first turn late in the race. There was contact, and Brown hit the wall to end his night. Davis was penalized to the back but quickly regained the lead and victory with Quinonez a season best second.
Despite the fact that Brown was unable to finish the point finale, he wouldn’t finish low enough to lose the title, and he held on by just six points to beat Davis for the championship. Quinonez ended up a solid third in the standings ahead of top rookie Jackie Price and Matt Wirth. The Mini Stocks were a part of Track or Treat Night for a non-point event that was won by Bakersfield racer Ryland McCoy ahead of Patrick Kelley and Wirth.
The track decided to bring the Dwarf Car division back under its own banner after being a part of the Western States Dwarf Car group for the previous four seasons, and that meant car count would take a hit as they regrew the field of competitors. 2020 champion Travis Day and Hall of Famer David Rosa were two of the main competitors in the championship chase, but everybody in the Top 5 in the standings would score a feature win at some point during the season.
Day won the season opener and followed that up with a second place effort to take the early lead. He would go on to win the championship despite skipping a night to race elsewhere. Rosa missed the first two races. Though he picked up a win later in the season, motor issues while leading another race ultimately proved to be his undoing. He did have another second place finish to maintain a solid hold on second, followed by top rookie Brandon Aylesworth, who had a win and two seconds during the season. Sean Catucci ended the season with back-to-back victories to secure fourth in the standings, while David Michael Rosa had a win and a second to end up fifth.
Past champion Danny Wagner won in his lone appearance. Sixth ranked Joe LeDuc had a pair of third place finishes as his best efforts of the season, while rookie Chris Durden had a third in his one start to end up eighth behind Wagner in the standings. Ellie Russo and Merek Pipe rounded out the Top 10 in the standings, and Russo held off Pipe to finish second in their lone appearance.
For the second-straight year, the Hardtops had a championship series for their six scheduled events. The Junkyard Dog, owned by Doug Braudrick and driven by Joel Hannagan, was the car to beat. Hannagan was the reigning champion, and he opened things up with three-consecutive victories. However, he faced formidable competition in Merced Speedway Sportsman champion Mike Gillard.
Gillard had a second, a third and a fifth in his first three starts before taking it up a notch with feature wins in the next two events. His second win was the Butch Althar Memorial race as past Merced Sportsman champion Rick Elliott and Gary Hildebrand finished second and third, respectively. When Hannagan had mechanical issues and failed to finish, Gillard’s win put him in a good position. He could finish second in the finale to Hannagan and still win the championship.
With the best car count of the season on hand for the Chet Thomson Memorial finale, Hannagan and Gillard were having a classic battle at the front of the pack. Gillard was leading the way, and he seemed to be making the right moves in traffic. However, he came up on a slower car down the back stretch a little too quickly, resulting in contact that left him with front end damage. Hannagan won the race ahead of Shawn DeForest and Gary Hildebrand, and he won the championship ahead of Gillard.
The consistent Don Slaney used a pair of third place finishes to end up third in the standings ahead of Joe Shenefield, who scored a pair of fourth place finishes. Elliott rounded out The top 5 in the standings with a second, a third and a fourth as his best feature finishes. Merced Sportsman racer Dexter Long had a second and a third in his two outings to end up sixth in the standings ahead of Hildebrand, newcomer Jonny Walsh, Ken Clifford and DeForest. Walsh had a fourth place finish as his best effort.
The track remains committed to trying to establish a 600 Micro Sprint division, and this proved to be their best season yet. Ken Carter is one of the Top 5 competitors out at Petaluma, and he decided to throw his hat in the ring as an Antioch title contender. He made his first two starts winning efforts and followed those up with a second and a third, putting him in a good position to win the championship. However, there was one competitor hoping to throw a monkey wrench in that.
Ryan Dotson was a solid supporter of the class the previous year, and he had good stats in his first four outings, including one win, two thirds and a second. In the finale, Dotson ran second on the opening lap, and it was obvious that Carter was struggling as he could only manage a tail of the lead lap sixth. Unfortunately, Dotson had worse mechanical errors as he pitted from second. The result was Carter winning the championship by 12 markers ahead of Dotson.
Buddy Chappell ended up third in the standings with a trio of third place finishes as his best efforts. Devon Zuffa finished fourth as the top rookie in the class. He also picked up a feature victory along the way. Don McLeister was the previous champion and counted a win and a second as his best efforts to round out the Top 5 in the standings ahead of the steady Charlie Kight, Cameron Gonzalez, one-time winner Kyle Mentch, Ryan Holden and Devin McLeister.
There would also be championship seasons for the four race series involving the Late Models and the Super Stocks. In the Super Stock class, this was their 25th championship season, and they had three different winners in four races. Ryan Cherezian has been a good supporter of the class in recent years, and he was the only driver with four Top 5 finishes, which included a victory. He easily won the championship.
Past champion Jim Freethy had a second and a third as his best finishes to end up second ahead of Paul Hanley in the standings. Hanley counted a fourth as his best run, while incoming champion Mike Learn won two races in two starts to rank fourth. Nevada visitor Antonio Aregon ended up fifth in points with fourth and fifth place finishes. Richard Brace Jr won the other race. The win for Cherezian came in the Larry Damitz Memorial, followed by Randy Miramontez and Freethy.
For the Late Model division, longtime Antioch supporter Rod Oliver used consistency to collect his first championship. He had a pair of seconds and a pair of thirds to hold off Ray Trimble by 18 points to win the title. Trimble counted a fourth and a fifth as his best outings. Back in third was Tim Yeager, who had a third place finish in the final race. Anthony Slaney won the first two races to finish fourth. One of those wins was in the Larry Damitz Memorial race, followed by Matt Micheli and Oliver. Buddy Kniss won the Track or Treat finale to lock up fifth in the standings, and Randy Shafer picked up the victory in the August race.
The track once again hosted the popular NARC Winged 410 Sprint Car Series on one occasion in May with Justin Sanders picking up the victory ahead of Shane Golobic and Dylan Bloomfield. In June, the Sprint Car Challenge Tour made it’s lone appearance, though some of the drivers were running a Speedweek Series event in Oregon that night. Rookie Braden Chiramonte scored a thrilling victory from 17th starting, followed by seven-time Chico champion Sean Becker and Jake Haulot.
The BCRA Midgets made two appearances, and both were won by series champion Caden Sarale. The first occasion saw him hold off Jake Andreotti and Brandon Wiley for the win. Later in the season, Sarele won the Floyd Busby Salute ahead of Dane Culver and Peter Paulson.
The BCRA Lightning Sprints made three Antioch appearances. Series champion Greg Dennett won the first occasion ahead of past champions Dakota Albright and Matt Land. They returned a month later with Hunter Kinney picking up the victory, followed by Land and Jason Schostag. In their final appearance in September, Dennett won ahead of Schostag and Land. The WMR Midgets made an appearance in late July with series champion Bryant Bell winning ahead of Anthony Bruno and Logan Mitchell.
The Figure 8 ran a three-race series with a championship belt on the the line. The first race was at the Contra Costa County Fair in May with $1,000 going the winner. Clarence Holbrook III won that race ahead of David Rosa and Brandon Carpenter. The Dean Cline Classic win went to Carpenter ahead of Mike Conley Jr and Rosa. The Mike Conley Salute at the Hobby Stock Nationals was won by Terry DeCarlo Jr, who borrowed the Anthony Vinga car for the occasion. Les Friend and Tommy Clymens Jr followed him. Championship belt contenders Rosa and Carpenter were eliminated in an early tangle In the final race, but Carpenter would emerge with the championship.
Despite the slow start due to the rainouts, Antioch Speedway delivered lots of excitement to the fans as the season went on. The track crowned 11 champions at the awards banquet along with championship trophies for the three IMCA State title winners. All in all, racing enthusiasts would have to classify the 64th championship season as a success and a momentum builder going into the next season.
Final 2024 Point Standings
Kellen Chadwick #83 went flag to flag on his way to an IMCA Modified feature victory. Photo by Katrina Kniss
IMCA Modifieds
1 Kellen Chadwick 297
2 Troy Foulger 261
3 Andrew Pearce 259
4 Jacob Mallet Jr 209
5 Katelynn Robertson 203
6 Bobby Hogge IV 194
7 Tyler Browne 132
8 Matt Kampfraat 119
9 Gary Hetrick 119
10 Randy Shafer 99
IMCA Sport Modifieds
1 Kenny Shrader 460
2 Jason Ryan Jr 450
3 Tommy Clymens 408
4 James Graessle 376
5 Kelly Campanile 358
6 Chuck Golden 305
7 Dylan Connelly 302
8 Trevor Clymens 292
9 Al Johnson 251
10 Fred Ryland 228
Hunt Series point leader Jacob Tuttle #3f recorded his second Hunt Series win of the season. Photo by Katrina Kniss
Wingless Spec Sprints
1 Jacob Tuttle 420
2 Bob Newberry 318
3 Steve Maionchi 298
4 John Ulrich 266
5 Blake Bower 224
6 Ryon Siverling 222
7 Chris Geilfuss 220
8 Roy Fisher 206
9 Dylan Newberry 200
10 Kevin Box 180
Two-time Merced Hobby Stock champion Ryan Hart #38 battles Jewell Crandall #3c and Aidan Ponciano #225. Hart needs a strong performance to secure his first Antioch championship. Photo by Katrina Kniss
Pacific Coast Hobby Stocks
1 Ryan Hart 540
2 Clarence Holbrook 530
3 James Thomson 468
4 Jared Baugh 414
5 Rick Rogers 336
6 Maddie Motts 314
7 Aidan Ponciano 302
8 Colten Haney 297
9 Brandon Carpenter 268
10 Kevin Brown 239
Dwarf Cars
1 Travis Day 290
2 David Rosa 252
3 Brandon Aylesworth 206
4 Sean Catucci 192
5 David Michael Rosa 160
6 Joe Leduc 134
7 Danny Wagner 56
8 Chris Durden 52
9 Ellie Russo 50
10 Marek Pipe 46
Mini Stocks
1 Tom Brown 426
2 Tom Davis 420
3 Tony Quinonez 340
4 Jackie Price 196
5 Matt Wirth 134
6 Dave Dupuis 88
7 Tom Carse 84
8 Mike Cover 50
9 Chris Corder 50
10 Jason Higgins 46
Joe Shenefield #15 reigning Hardtop champion Joel Hannagan #16 and Don Slaney #4077 are all anticipated this week. Photo by Katrina Kniss
Hardtops
1 Joel Hannagan 314
2 Mike Gillard 302
3 Don Slaney 256
4 Joe Shenefield 208
5 Rick Elliott 152
6 Dexter Long 98
7 Gary Hildebrand 96
8 Jonny Walsh 86
9 Ken Clifford 80
10 Tommy Thomson 52
IMCA Stock Car
1 Jason Jennings 369
2 Jason Robles 313
3 Scott Foster 264
4 Troy Foulger 252
5 Fred Ryland 222
6 Mitch Machado 200
7 Chester Kniss 134
8 Dave Hill 101
9 Kenny Shrader 101
10 Nick Caughman 98
600 Micro Sprints
1 Ken Carter 254
2 Ryan Dotson 242
3 Buddy Chappell 172
4 Devon Zuffa 162
5 Don McLeister 148
6 Charlie Kight 133
7 Cameron Gonsalez 90
8 Kyle Mentch 54
9 Ryan Holden 54
10 Devin McLeister 52
Late Models
1 Rod Oliver 206
2 Ray Trimble 188
3 Tim Yaeger 130
4 Anthony Slaney 112
5 Buddy Kniss 96
Super Stocks
1 Ryan Cherezian 212
2 Jim Freethy 144
3 Paul Hanley 127
4 Mike Learn 112
5 Antonio Aragon 90
For upcoming events in Contra Costa County, visit our events calendar.
