Antioch, CA — After the successful 65th season opener last week, racing resumes at Antioch Speedway this Saturday night. The IMCA Sport Modifieds were a highlight last week, and they return for their second of three-straight weeks of racing on the 3/8 mile clay oval.
The Wingless Spec Sprints are set to begin their 27th championship season at the track that established the division in California in the first place. Also in action this week will be the Hardtops, 600 Micro Sprints and Dwarf Cars.
Last week, the IMCA Sport Modifieds delivered 17 cars for the show. The division saw Trent Golden of Pittsburg and Alfred Johnson of Antioch getting their rookie seasons started. It’s always interesting to watch the newer drivers get settled in and improve with each start.
However, all eyes were on reigning champion Kenny Shrader of Pacheco last week. Shrader was in an early battle with Watsonville champion Emali Van Hoff of Chowchilla and Merced Speedway star Tanner Thomas of Atwater, who had picked up an impressive Sport Modified win in Stockton back in February and had a strong second place finish in Bakersfield after that.
Van Hoff led several early laps before Thomas and Shrader got by. Shrader can be a difficult driver to hold off when his car is running as well as it was last week, but Thomas was up to the challenge in victory. Shrader was a strong second and may be the driver to beat this week. He’s made no championship proclamations this year, but he’ll certainly be a factor in the battle for victory.
In addition to two-time champion Shrader, the division saw three-time champions Fred Ryland and Trevor Clymens, both of Brentwood, in action. Ryland didn’t have a very good run, but the division’s all time winner at 39 victories is sure to be a factor when he’s on the track.
Trevor Clymens boasted one of the nicer looking bodies and wraps on his race car, but it was battered pretty badly after his fourth place effort last week. When the points come out on Friday, Trevor will find himself leading the State point race. Meanwhile, two-time division point runnerup Jason Ryan Jr of Oakley had a solid effort in third last week.
The Sport Modified division at Antioch Speedway is filled with talent, including fifth place finisher Joseph Pato of Antioch and Oakley’s Buddy Kniss. Some of the drivers to watch for this week include Oakley’s Kelly Campanile and Tommy Clemens Jr, James Graessle of Antioch, Al Johnson of Antioch and Jeff Bentancourt of Brentwood.
The Wingless Spec Sprints originated at Antioch Speedway in 1999, and there have been several drivers to win two championships in the division. However, we’ve yet to see a three-time champion. One potential candidate to achieve this task could be Brentwood’s Bob Newberry. Newberry sits third on the division’s all-time win list and had a second place feature finish in the Hunt series earlier this season. He was second in the standings last year.
Reigning division champion Jacob Tuttle of Oakley has done a little racing elsewhere this year but is anticipated at Antioch this season. He led the division with five feature victories last season and also finished third in Hunt Series points. Tuttle is also Antioch’s most recent Winged 360 Sprint Car champion in 2019.
For the second time in his career, Sonora’s Steve Maionchi ranked third in the standings last year and made use of the two practice sessions this year as he gets ready for the new season. Antioch’s Jeff Scotto has competed with the Hunt Series this season and is anticipated for the season opener, along with long time division supporter Roy Fisher and last year’s top rookie John Ulrich, both of Antioch.
The Hardtop division kicks off their new season this week. Making things even more interesting are the Sportsman competitors from Merced who come to compete with the Antioch regulars. This includes Merced Sportsman champion Mike Gillard of Atwater. Gillard picked up a pair of victories and led the standings going into the final race last year, only to see his race end after slight contact with a car on the back straightaway.
Not surprisingly, Joel Hannagan of San Jose drove the Doug Braudrick owned Junkyard Dog to victory that night, his fourth of the season, and that earned him his second-straight championship. It was also his 19th Hardtop win in Antioch. After the close point battle, the team tore down the car and rebuilt it for the coming season, meaning they will be tough to beat once again.
Martinez’s Don Slaney will have a new look on his Hardtop coming into the year with the more familiar orange paint job used by his family in other divisions. Don finished third in the standings last season ahead of the steady Joe Shenefield of Roseville. Shanfield has made use of practice opportunities at both Antioch and Placerville this year and is ready for more Hardtop fun and excitement this year.
The Dwarf Car division is set to kick off their 28th championship season this week. The division is in the midst of a rebuilding process, but it’s also become more competitive and unpredictable. Last season, everybody in the Top 5 in the standings won at least one Main Event, and there were six different winners throughout the season.
Concord’s Travis Day recorded his very first win in the division last season in route to his second division championship. Antioch Speedway Hall of Famer David Rosa of Antioch was also a winner last year on his way to second in the standings. Rosa has won 60 Main Events in his career at Antioch Speedway across multiple divisions. Son David Michael Rosa of Antioch didn’t race for points last year, but he was also on the feature winner’s list.
Last year’s top rookie Brandon Aylesworth of Benicia was another of last season’s feature winners and Top 5 ranked drivers. He’s anticipated this week along with Brentwood’s Sean Catucci. Catucci ended the season last year with back-to-back feature wins to also make it into the Top 5 in the final standings. The Dwarf Cars are among the faster divisions at the speedway and can be quite exciting to watch.
Micro Sprint racer is Buddy Chappell #99, Ryan Dotson #67 and champion Ken Carter #84. Photo by Katrina Kniss
Rounding out the lineup this week will be the 600 Micro Sprints, who will have a seven race championship season. Last year, Fremont’s Ryan Dotson was a feature winner and gave it a valiant run in the point battle before settling for second behind Santa Rosa’s Ken Carter. Carter picked up two feature wins in his title effort. He’s also among the top drivers at Petaluma Speedway.
Antioch’s Roberto Monroy has competed in both Dwarf Cars and Mini Stocks at Antioch in recent years, but he’s excited to take his turn behind the wheel of a Micro Sprint this season. His two practice sessions this year saw him get faster as he worked out some of the mechanical gremlins, and he could be a threat this week.
Long time Micro Sprint supporter Charlie Kight of Antioch is anticipated this week along with Devon Zuffa of Oakley, Buddy Chappell of Stockton and Cameron Gonzalez of Santa Rosa.
Antioch Speedway offers a wide variety of different divisions on any given week in a quest to keep providing great racing action to the fans. With the IMCA Sport Modifieds and Wingless Spec Sprints on the card, this should be a good show.
The gates will open at 4:00 with the first race starting at 6:00.
Adult tickets are $15, Senior/Military $15, Kids (5-12) $15 and kids four and under free.
For further information, go to http://www.raceantiochspeedway.com or check out the Antioch Speedway by PROmotions Facebook page.
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