Rodgers Continues Ascent Up West Coast Sport Mod Ranks With Stellar 2021 Campaign

Chico, CA (11/16/2021) For 19 year old Tyler Rodgers, it hasn’t taken long to become a household name in Northern California IMCA Sport Mod competition. The 2017 Silver Dollar Speedway Rookie of the Year has rode a steady trajectory up the Nor Cal Sport Mod ranks over the past few years, firmly entrenching himself as a favorite to win each and every time his #44 Twyzted by Evo Northern Sport Mod hit the track.

Tyler’s 2nd win of the season at Quincy’s American Valley Speedway

2021 saw the family based Rodgers Racing team primarily focus their efforts towards the northeast portion of the state, with over half of the team’s 23 starts coming at Susanville’s Diamond Mountain Speedway and Quincy’s American Valley Speedway. That diligent focus paid off in a big way for Rodgers and the team, who after mechanical gremlins on opening night, went on to win 5 of the next 6 races at the Quincy venue en route to a dominant championship run.

The 2021 American Valley Speedway title would mark the first track championship in Rodgers’s young career, finishing in the runner up spot twice in his first 2 years at Silver Dollar Speedway before beginning to travel more the past 2 years.

Rodgers wouldn’t completely abandon his local track however, making 2 starts at the Dollar in 2021, highlighted by an awesome battle with Phillip Shelby on Pepsi Night that nearly saw Rodgers take home the prestigious trophy for a second consecutive season.

Despite a full slate of local racing, the team continued to travel this past season. Making the trip down for the inaugural Sport Mod show at Petaluma was one that meant a little more to the team, as the 3/8ths mile gumbo oval is what the team considers to be their true home track. With the unique Petaluma surface requiring a steep learning curve, the team was happy with their 4th place finish on the night.

While many would agree that Rodgers’s track title at Quincy was easily his top achievement, one underrated facet to his 2021 season was his ability to consistently run up front when out of state. The team made 3 trips across state lines to White City Oregon’s Southern Oregon Speedway, each trip proving that Rodgers could compete (and win) against the Northwest’s finest.

Rodgers’s first Oregon start of 2021 at the annual Haudenschild Tribute was nearly perfect. Out the gate the 44 machine was fast, posting quick time in qualifying by a whopping 3 tenths (setting a new track record in the process) before comfortably winning his heat race and trophy dash. The feature looked to be going the same way before lapped traffic played a factor late, dropping Rodgers to a 2nd place finish. Rodgers showed the same speed for the inaugural PSM Showdown a month later, but issues all weekend limited the team to a 6th place finish in the $2500 to win feature.

Just like in 2018, Rodgers rose to the occasion at the R Charles Snyder Salute, winning his heat race before outlasting multiple challenges from the likes of Ryan Peery and Matt Sanders to take the opening night win. Night 2 would not fare so well, getting spun on the 2nd lap of the main before limping home to a 6th place finish.

For 2022, Tyler’s plans are currently undecided.

Tyler would like to personally thank each and every one of his sponsors and supporters who made this season a possibility, including:

Twyzted Motorsport

Uncle Matt

Uncle Nick

Grandma & Bud

Superior Fuel Cells

Kevin’s Auto and Fleet

Gandy and Staley Oil Co.

Mom

Dad

Baker Trucking

Tahoe Pure Water

Top Notch Cleaning

KPR Racing and Fab

Aunt Toni

TnT Guide Service

Season Stats:

Starts: 23

Wins: 7

Top 5’s: 13

Top 10’s: 16

Best Finish: 1st (7 times)

Heat Race Wins: 11

Track Champion at American Valley Speedway

Marysville:

3/20: 4th

Susanville:

4/2: 2nd

4/3: DNF

5/7: 1st

⅝: DNF

7/3: 6th

Merced:

Al Miller Memorial 4/16: DNF

Al Miller Memorial 4/17: 13th

Quincy:

5/1: DNF

5/15: 1st

5/29: 1st

6/5: 2nd

6/18: 1st

6/19: 1st

7/18: 1st

Southern Oregon:

6/12: 2nd

7/23: DNF

7/24: 6th

9/3: 1st

9/4: 6th

Silver Dollar:

7/4: DNF

8/20: 2nd

Petaluma:

8/14: 4th

Flippo Puts Together Week Of A Lifetime At Bristol Dirt Nationals

Bristol, Tennessee (3/29/2021) What a six month stretch Bakersfield, California native Jerry Flippo is having. From capturing his first IMCA Modified win at the end of 2020 at Antioch Speedway’s Turkey Night, to running up front all week at one of the most prestigious dirt races in the nation, Jerry Flippo is on a meteoric rise to the top of the West Coast IMCA Modified ranks.

Heading into the event, Flippo’s goals were to simply try to make each feature and hopefully get it into the big show to grab his sponsors as much national attention as possible, but Flippo blew those expectations out of the water the first time he hit the track.

After coasting to a heat race win on the opening night of the Bristol Dirt Nationals, Flippo lined up 2nd in Tuesday’s rain delayed feature event.

From his front row starting spot, Flippo would survive a multitude of cautions and a late race charge from one of the best in the class in Justin O’Brien to lead all 20 laps and score the preliminary feature victory.

Thanks to his win on Tuesday, Flippo was locked into Friday’s $7,500 to win finale, though he still needed to race Wednesday to accumulate points to help with his starting position.

Flippo would roll of 10th in Wednesday’s heat, and found himself inside the Top 5 in short order before contact with another racer led to a caution and sent Flippo to the rear of the field. With only 3 laps left, Flippo did all he could to salvage a decent finish, climbing to 6th before the checkered flag.

Wednesday’s preliminary feature could not have been any further from Tuesday’s success. Unfortunately for Flippo, he would start mid-pack but pull off halfway through the race with a mechanical failure.

With Wednesday’s misfortune hampering his point total in a big way, Flippo started 11th in Friday’s main event. Though he fell back early, Flippo quickly rebounded to move into the Top 10. Over the last 5 laps, you could throw a blanket over Flippo, Joel Rust and Jeff Larson who exchanged the 8th, 9th and 10th positions repeatedly. Flippo would end the race in 9th, taking a Top 10 spot out of over 120 competitors for the week.

When asked about his week, Flippo said that it simply was awesome, and there wasn’t much more to say about it.

Jerry Flippo would like to thank all of his sponsors and supporters including:

A1 Spring and Supply

VIP Medical Concierge

Victory Circle Race Cars

Cowboy Gears

Sivesind Suspension

Hill Threaded Products

Eibach Springs

Looking for a way to bring more attention to your race program? DRC Motorsports Media can provide short or long term Press Release, Website and Social Media Management services that are guaranteed to fit any budget. Contact DRC Motorsports Media at drcmotorsportsmedia@gmail.com, or here on Facebook to get started on a plan today!

Davis Oh So Close To IMCA Mod Glory Inaugural Bristol Dirt Nationals, Tallies Top 10 In Open Mod

Bristol, Tennessee (3/26/2021) For many teams, running one car at this past week’s inaugural Bristol Dirt Nationals was already a test to their team’s fortitude and endurance, but Eunice, New Mexico leadfoot Cory Davis decided to take it a step further by bringing two cars to the once in a lifetime event.

Davis, who has blazed a trail across the southwest in recent years brought two potent IRP by 28 chassis out to Bristol to compete in both the IMCA Modified and Open Modified classes, and what a decision that wound up being.

Right out of the box Monday it was clear to see that Davis would be a contender in the IMCA Mod division. From 3rd on the grid in his heat race, Davis had sole possession of the lead by the time the field reached Turn 1. Davis would breeze along until he encountered lap traffic with just 2 to go. Davis would not be denied however, as he held off a hard charging Ashton Wilkey for the win.

Thanks to rain, the first preliminary feature for the IMCA Mods would roll off on Tuesday evening. On the start, Davis’s race almost ended in the blink of an eye as the car had trouble firing from the outside of the front row, leading to a huge pileup that collected him as well. Davis would be able to continue fortunately, now restarting in the 16th spot. In an extremely competitive feature, Davis was only able to rebound to 9th by the wave of the checkered flag.

Just like Monday, Davis was a man on a mission in his heat race, going from 5th to the lead in the opening two circuits. Once Davis hit clean air he was untouchable, as he set sail and cruised to the heat race win.

Once again Davis would start on the outside of the front row in his preliminary feature, this time avoiding issues and grabbing the lead on the start. Davis would lead the first 6 laps uncontested as Jesse Sobbing slowly creeped into the picture. Two laps later Davis would slip to 2nd as Sobbing powered around the high side. With the race being completely marred by cautions, the race would be called on Lap 15, as Davis would finish 2nd.

With two strong runs in his preliminary features, Davis would lock himself in to Friday’s $7,500 to win finale, rolling off 10th based on his points for the week.

Davis would move up one on the opening start to take 9th before an early caution bunched the field back together again. On the restart Davis was incredible, going from 9th to 3rd in a single lap, setting his eyes on JD Auringer for 2nd. 8 laps in and Davis now found himself in 2nd with a 2 and a half second gap to race leader Kyle Heckman.

A Lap 12 caution would bring the field back together and give Davis a real shot at Heckman. While he was focusing on Heckman, he also had to fend off a fast approaching Ricky Thornton Jr in 3rd. With 5 to go Davis would finally break free from Thornton, setting his sole focus on Heckman and the top spot. Despite everything he threw at him over the final 5 laps, Heckman would hold on for the win, as Davis brought it home in 2nd place.

In the Open Modifieds, Davis was not afforded 2 separate qualifying nights, as rain limited the class to one set of heat races and one set of preliminary features.

Davis would roll off 5th in his heat race, After riding around in 4th for most of the race, Davis made two slick moves to slide into 2nd spot, where he’d go on to finish.

Thanks to the passing points he earned in Tuesday’s heat race, Davis started 2nd in his Open Modified Preliminary feature. Over a pretty straightforward 20 laps, Davis would rarely be challenged for 2nd as nobody in the field had anything for eventual winner Kyle Strickler. Davis would go on to finish 2nd.

For the big show on Sunday Davis would start 4th. After falling to 5th on the opening lap, Davis nearly got into the front stretch pit barrier after clipping the dirt mound on the inside of Turn 4, dropping him back multiple positions. As laps clicked off, Davis would stay steadily in the 9th position, until Steve Arpin made a last lap pass that would ultimately push him to a 10th place finish.

Cory Davis would like to thank all of his sponsors and supporters, including:

IRP Racecars By28

Cardinal Hardware

Pressure Services

Edge Safety

TDS Suspension

Wehrs Machine

Results:

IMCA 1st Heat: 1st

IMCA 1st Prelim: 9th

Open Heat: 2nd

Open Prelim: 2nd

IMCA 2nd Heat: 1st

IMCA 2nd Prelim: 2nd

IMCA Mod Main Event: 2nd

Open Mod Main Event: 10th

Elrod Falls Just Short Of Bristol Dirt Nationals Main Event Berth After Stellar Week

Bristol, Tennessee (3/25/2020) Many racers wouldn’t travel roughly 5,000 miles round trip to make their first start at a race track, but with a once in a lifetime event like the Bristol Dirt Nationals, San Martin, California’s JC Elrod just couldn’t resist.

Elrod, a consistent runner on the West Coast, decided to make the jump from Hobby Stocks where he found so much success to IMCA Modified class in mid-2019, where he continues to grow and find speed.

From the moment the team arrived, Elrod showed plenty of speed aboard his 2019 Evo by Twyzted.

The IMCA Modifieds would hit the track on night 1 with Elrod rolling off 4th in his heat. After falling to 5th on the initial start, Elrod would take two spots in two laps as he moved into 3rd. Elrod would hold off a hard charging Josh Eberhardt over the final 8 laps to finish 3rd in a stacked heat, besting the likes of Clay Money and AJ Ward in the 10 lap contest.

With rain moving in, Monday’s feature would get moved to Tuesday evening, where Elrod would start 11th in the 30 car field. Thanks to a strong start, Elrod would slip past 2 cars to claim 9th. Elrod would briefly fall back a spot after sliding high on lap 3, but would regain the spot a lap later.

A few laps later, Elrod would fall back again as top side really wasn’t worked in yet, and it would cost him 2 spots. Elrod would have a bit of a scare with 5 to go, as he and another competitor got together coming out of Turn 2, fortunately Elrod would continue on. Elrod would climb as high as 8th in the waning laps, and ultimately go on to finish 9th.

Keeping with the theme for the week of moving forward, Elrod did just that in Wednesday’s heat race, going from 8th to 6th on the opening lap before going on to take 5th.

Elrod would roll off a bit further back in Wednesday’s feature as he started 15th. Once again Elrod was strong on the start,moving from 15th to 13th on Lap 1. Elrod would continue on ranging anywhere from 11th to 14th before his motor expired with just 3 laps remaining.

Fortunately for Elrod, his week wouldn’t end there, as Jim Pettit II had supplied Elrod with a backup motor for the week, allowing Elrod to start his Last Chance Qualifier.

Just like he had been all week, Elrod was on the move in his LCQ,as he was up to 5th 2 laps in. A lap later, any hope Elrod had of making the big show would disappear as Elrod hit a big rut in turn 1 and slid up the track, dropping him to 10th, where he’d ride around the remaining 9 laps.

When asked about his thoughts on the weekend, JC said: “The crew and I headed 2500 miles to Bristol not knowing what to expect. Throughout the week I continued to move forward in every heat and feature. Losing the motor on Wednesday night hurt us in passing points but we were still in the top 30. I can’t thank Jim Pettit enough for sending me with a spare motor that allowed me to have fun in the LCQ and finish the week out strong. I also want to thank My dad and Don Powers for driving the rig out and for being the best damn crew I could ask for. These guys rolled straight from California for 42 hours, when they arrived on Sunday at the track we immediately unloaded the car and went right into practice. These guys busted their butts to make this happen. Finally I want to thank Clay Daly of Twyzted Motorsports for taking time out of his busy schedule to make sure we were dialed in this week. Customer support is huge in this industry and Clay’s is second to none.”

JC Elrod would like to thank all of his sponsors and supporters, including:

WRB Construction

Security Shoring and Steel Plates

AD Robison Plastering

Lavender Yoga

Silicon Valley Tile and Stone

Results:

Day 1 Heat Race: 3rd

Day 2 Preliminary Feature: 9th

Day 3 Heat Race: 5th

Day 3 Preliminary Feature: 18th

Day 5 LCQ: 10th

Thomas’s Bristol Dreams End In Heartbreaking Fashion

Bristol, Tennessee (3/24/2020) 21 Seconds. Curtis Thomas found out the hard way in Saturday’s Bristol Dirt Nationals finale that that’s all it takes to take a promising run in one of the most prestigious races in the nation and completely turn it upside down. Thomas, a relatively local racer from just a couple of hours away in Knoxville, Tennessee was having a run of a lifetime aboard his 2013 Masterbilt chassis when the accident occured.

From 5th on the starting grid in Saturday’s Main Event, Thomas had dropped a couple of spots before tragedy struck. As the field came around to start Lap 2, two cars got together in front of Thomas, spinning wildly before collecting Thomas and sending him for a hard impact into the inside barrier. The crash would end Thomas’s week but won’t keep him from racing for long. “We’re pulling the motor out of this one and putting it back in our other car for the Castrol race at 411 Thursday so we won’t be down long.” remarked Thomas.

A self described low budget racer, Thomas’s car and team are primarily based out of his cousin’s garage. “That was my personal car I wrecked at Bristol but my cousin has a car I drove for him last year. He’s gonna let me drive again until we get this one back from Masterbilt. This is going to be the same car that I sat the track record at 411 in for the hangover race back in January, so hopefully we can pick back up where we left off in it. Even with what happened this week, it wasn’t bad for a little team racing out of my cousins block garage haha. I’ll take it.”said Thomas after his Lap 2 crash.

Barring his wreck in the finale, Thomas had put together a stellar week at Bristol. Though he had a rough heat race on Night 1, Thomas drove from his 15th spot on the starting grid to claim a Top 5 in Tuesday’s rain delayed preliminary feature.

Thomas would carry that momentum into Wednesday, as he held off a hard charging Colton Trouille to win an exciting heat race. Thomas was scheduled to roll off 2nd in that night’s preliminary feature, but time constraints would push it to Thursday.

With Thursday a complete washout, Friday’s main would be lined up off points for the day and a half of racing the class was able to get in, lining Thomas up to start 5th. The 24 car field would take the green flag and as you know just 21 seconds later, Thomas’s Bristol Dirt Nationals would come to an abrupt end.

When asked about his thoughts on the event as a whole, Thomas said: “I’ve grown up around racing and watching my dad as I was growing up. I’ve been to a lot of different tracks and events over the years and this trip has topped them all! My late Papaw took me to both the races here where they covered the track in dirt before and as a kid I never thought I’d get the chance to go and do that and just to get the opportunity to do it and run as good as we did is just a dream come true. It’s been a long week and a lot of late nights and little sleep but definitely worth every minute. I can’t thank everyone, especially my uncle Randy and cousin Brad enough for helping make this happen!”

Curtis Thomas would like to thank all of his sponsors and supporters for making this once in a lifetime experience happen, including:

Premier Services Group

US 411 Storage

Shular Enterprises

Bakers Transmission

Thomas Trucking

McCarter Trucking

Corkys Hardwood

Smoky Mountain Rod & Custom

Competition Racing Equipmen

Factory Moore

Results:

Day 1 Heat: 8th

Day 2 Prelim: 5th

Day 3 Heat: 1st

Day 5 Main Event: 22nd

Anderson’s Bristol Hopes Come To A Grinding Halt

Bristol, TN (3/22/2021) What looked to be a promising run at the Bristol Dirt Nationals came to an abrupt end for Watertown, South Dakota’s Trevor Anderson. Anderson looked to be well on his way to a Main Event berth when suddenly with just 2 laps left in Saturday’s Last Chance Qualifier, his brakes locked up and sent him crashing into the outside wall.

Fortunately for Anderson, his 2018 Arrow Chassis limited him to just a concussion, keeping him from sustaining far more serious injuries considering the speed at which his car was traveling.

Like many of the divisions on the card this past week, rain played a big factor in scheduling, limiting the Open Modified class to just one night of heat races and preliminary features. Anderson’s heat race was pretty straightforward, as he went from 10th to 9th over the 10 lap race.

With his heat race result, Anderson would line up 18th in the 23 car preliminary feature field. Once the feature started, Anderson was on the move. Anderson would motor past 7 cars to grab 11th just 3 laps in. Only 2 laps later, Anderson found himself in 9th after the 2nd caution of the race waved. Anderson picked off 2 more to claim 7th before another caution with 11 to go. With 5 to go Anderson made his final pass of the feature to take 6th, where he’d eventually go on to finish.

Thanks to a strong prelim run, Anderson would be rewarded with the pole position in Saturday’s Last Chance Qualifier, needing to finish in the Top 4 to make the $10,000 to win finale.

Things were looking good for Anderson in the LCQ, leading the first 5 circuits before Trey Harris powered past for the top spot. Unfortunately for Anderson, his strong run would come to an end just 3 laps later due to the aforementioned crash. Anderson would remark afterwards about how happy he was to have such a safe, well built racecar.

Trevor Anderson would like to thank all of his sponsors and supporters including:

Dirt Track Supply

Taco John’s

Veeders Collision Center

Arrow Paper

Crawford Osthus Funeral Chapel

Results:

Heat Race: 9th

Preliminary Feature: 6th

Last Chance Qualifier: DNF

Oscar McCown Takes 5th At Inaugural Bristol Dirt Nationals

Bristol, TN (3/22/2021) For Whitesburg, Kentucky native Oscar McCown, just taking to the Bristol high banks was a dream come true. Matched up with over 100 of the best racers in his class, including multiple NASCAR Cup stars, McCown set out aboard his 2018 XR1 Rocket to prove that a small town racer could hang with the big dogs of the region.

Rain would play a big factor during the week, giving McCown just one night to try and qualify before Saturday’s finale. McCown was confident in his car and his team however, as the team set quick time out of 68 cars in Sunday’s tuneup practice session.

Due to a less than favorable pill draw, McCown would be forced to start 8th in his lone heat race of the week. This didn’t prove to be much of a hindrance though, as McCown quickly powered his way to 4th before a Lap 2 caution. McCown would continue to run in 4th until one last caution with 3 to go brought the field back together. On the ensuing restart, McCown would quickly dispatch of the 3rd and 2nd place runners, going on to finish in the runner up spot.

With passing points determining the starting grid in Wednesday’s rain delayed preliminary feature, McCown’s 8th to 2nd run in Tuesday’s heat race would reward him with the pole position.

The following 20 lap preliminary feature was marred with cautions and carnage, but McCown was able to hold off the only serious challenger he faced, as he cruised to the victory. The jubilant McCown mentioned in victory lane that he felt like he hadn’t breathed in the last 10 circuits.

Thanks to Wednesday’s preliminary win, McCown would lock himself into Saturday’s $7,500 to win finale, which would prove to be crucial with Thursday’s preliminary night rained out.

For the 20 lap finale, McCown would roll off 3rd. Over the opening 5 circuits McCown would drop one spot to 4th, then on a lap 5 restart, would drop another to 5th as contact with another driver nearly sent McCown around. With laps ticking off, McCown found himself on a bit of an island in 5th, with no cars coming to challenge for the spot, and 4th just slightly out of reach. That would be the story for the rest of the race, as Oscar McCown claimed 5th out of 100+ competitors at the Bristol Dirt Nationals.

Oscar wanted to send a big thank you to crew chief and longtime friend Greg Hampton, who was a key part of making this trip as successful as it was.

Oscar McCown would like to thank all of his sponsors and supporters for helping make this happen, including:

Eagle Race Engines

Pro-1 Gutters

Total Therapy Solutions

Farley Transport

Leggacy Motors

Joe Adams Heating and Cooling

STR Bodies

Level Construction

Wells Motorsports

Colten Burdette Racing

Most Nabs Top 5 Finish Against Some Of The Nation’s Best At Historic Bristol Dirt Nationals

Bristol, TN (3/21/2020) Already one of the most recognizable names in midwest dirt racing, Red Oak, Iowa native Josh Most once again thrust himself into the national spotlight with a stellar run at the Inaugural Bristol Dirt Nationals.

Most, who had been battling vertigo the week heading into the event, was a rocket out of the gate aboard his 2019 Edge going from 4th to 2nd in short order during Tuesday’s rain delayed heat race. Most would roll off 5th in his first preliminary feature. Just 2 laps in, Most was riding well in 4th, battling side by side with Adam Birck. As both drivers entered Turn 3 fighting for the same piece of real estate, the two touched wheels, sending both of them around to bring out a caution.

Over the ensuing 14 laps, Most would claw his way back from 24th to 11th, but a last lap spin to avoid a car chopping off his nose would ultimately give him a 21st place finish for the evening.

Wednesday’s heat race gave Most a bit harder of a climb to the feature as he started 7th. Within only 3 laps, Most had made his way to 2nd, where he’d go on to finish.

With passing points playing a big factor in preliminary feature lineups, Most would slot in 3rd in the starting order. Though he fell back to 4th early on, Most carried a big wave of momentum to go from 4th to 1st in a 2 lap span. Most would have to survive a late restart with just 3 laps to go, but he would successfully fend off a hard charging Matt Looft to win Wednesday’s preliminary feature.

By virtue of Wednesday’s win, Most had punched his ticket to Friday night’s $5,000 to win finale. With the 12 drivers who already transferred in being lined up by overall points for the week, Most would roll off 12th, as Tuesday’s rough feature really hampered his total points.

Most, the owner of Edge Chassis, wasn’t the only Edge driver that made the big show, as Ankeny, Iowa’s Austin Kaplan also grabbed a starting spot by winning one of 4 Sport Mod LCQ’s on Friday night.

Most made it look easy during the opening 2 circuits, driving from 12th to 7th before a Lap 4 caution bunched the field back together. Most would restart 6th and make quick work of Trey Stamper before settling in behind Zack Tate.

With just 7 to go, Most would finally get by Tate after a grueling battle. The field would bunch up one last time with 2 to go, with Tate regaining 4th on the following restart. Most threw everything he had at Tate over the final 2 laps, but would end up finishing 5th.

When asked about his thoughts on the event as a whole, Most said “I’d had a rough week before we got there. I was in and out of hospital being diagnosed with vertigo. The event was way more prestigious than most can imagine. I have won an a main at the Chili Bowl on qualifying night, made a Saturday night B main, I’ve won Deery Brothers and SLMR races in Late Models, I’ve ran upfront at usac midget and non wing sprintcar races and this event is right at the top with everything out there. I wish I could have sight seen more, but I was trying to take it easy. I hope we all get the opportunity to do it again.”

Josh Most would like to thank each and every one of his sponsors and supporters who made this one of a kind experience possible, including:

Gage Agronomy

Rolf Construction

Lance Most Trucking

Capital Signs

Dirt Defender

Fast Shafts

Advance Racing Suspension

Red Oak Welding Supply

Badger Racing

Monte Most

Bad Brad at Velocita

Tim Luv Tire Demon

Results:

Day 2 Heat: 2nd

Day 2 Feature: 21st

Day 3 Heat: 2nd

Day 3 Feature: 1st

Day 5 Main Event: 5th
Looking for a way to bring more attention to your race program? DRC Motorsports Media can provide short or long term Press Release, Website and Social Media Management services that are guaranteed to fit any budget. Contact DRC Motorsports Media at drcmotorsportsmedia@gmail.com, or here on Facebook to get started on a plan today!

Johnson Sweeps Super Late Model Double Header, Lipke Grabs Modified Gambler

-Schmidt A Two Time Winner on Sunday

Coos Bay, OR (6/29/2020) With racing still mostly on hold across the State of Oregon, Coos Bay Speedway provided fans and competitors alike with an action packed doubleheader weekend this past Saturday and Sunday night on the NASCAR oval.

Though the America’s Mattress Super Late Models saw a slight drop in car count this weekend, the racing remained just as intense as ever. Following up a strong 4th place showing his last time out, Gresham’s Jason Johnson found himself sweeping both nights of Super Late Model competition.

Despite leading all 30 laps of Saturday’s feature, it certainly wasn’t a cakewalk for Johnson, who had to contend with rookie driver Braden Fugate knocking on the door lap after lap. Fugate would make one last attempt at getting around Johnson for the win on the last lap, but it would ultimately cost the Bandon racer as former track champ Brody Montgomery was able to capitalize on Fugate’s error to grab 2nd. Fugate, Doug Elkins and Mike Taylor would complete the Top 5.

Sunday’s race proved to be much less stressful for Johnson. After quickly dispatching of early leader Dennis Souza, Johnson set sail, with Elkins and Montgomery in hot pursuit. Johnson would go on to win comfortably, ahead of Elkins, Montgomery, Fugate and Taylor. Pescadero, California’s Souza would be the last car scored, as last week’s winner BJ Donofrio wasn’t able to make the call for the feature.

The IMCA Modifieds took to the track for their 2nd appearance Sunday, with Yreka, California’s Jimmy Lipke claiming the 35 lap feature. While Lipke led every lap from the pole position, a fierce battle waged behind in the form of Jon Debenedetti and Bricen James. Debenedetti, last Modified event’s winner, had his hands full with the Albany star. In the end, experience won out as Debenedetti held on for 2nd. James, Sam Potter and Paul Rea rounded out the Top 5. Debenedetti and James won the earlier heat races.

Saturday’s Dwarf Car exhibition proved to be a wild event from the start. Though the race struggled to get going early, to the tune of 5 cautions in the opening 7 circuits. Once the race began to settle down, it was Eagle Point’s Brock Peters who paced the running order. Fellow Southern Oregon racer Ryan Smith proved to be Peters’s lone adversary, briefly swapping the lead back and forth in the early going before Peters pulled away.

While that all happened up front, Josh King and John Chrisman were locked in a heated contest for 4th. Over the final 15 laps of the race, the duo would swap spots a total of 7 times, with King eventually coming out on top. In the end, Peters would pick up an impressive victory over Smith, Chad Cardoza, King and Chrisman. Peters, Camden Robustelli and Chris Kress won their respective heat races.

The Street Stocks continued their strong car count from a week ago, with 16 competitors signing in Saturday and 10 making it back on Sunday. North Bend’s Ken Fox would grab the spotlight on Saturday, grabbing the lead from Dakota Godard at the midway point and never looking back. Godard should be commended for having another strong effort in just his 2nd weekend at the speedway. With the Top 2 pretty much gone, former Sportsman champ Dylan Siewell and Graig Osborne decided to put on a show of their own. For the race’s final 22 laps, these 2 drivers raced each other hard but clean, with the two finishing in a dead heat that saw Siewell grab 3rd by a nose. Phil Lovvorn would complete Saturday’s Top 5.

Gresham native Kevin Roberts was the star of the show Sunday, driving up from 6th, methodically picking off cars one by one before taking the lead with 13 to go and opening up a huge lead back to Steve Dubisar. Dubisar, who struggled with mechanical issues Saturday night, rebounded strong with a 2nd place finish, ahead of Godard, Lovvorn and Fox.

The Sportsman Late Models saw a nice boost this weekend by a few IMCA Sport Mods who wanted some extra seat time. Saturday’s event saw Jordan Henry pick up his first ever win, holding off a strong charge from Dave Schmidt. Doug Coffman would take 3rd in his first race since blowing a motor in a practice session earlier this year, while Corvallis visitor and Willamette regular Ryan Emry grabbed 4th. KC Scott would complete the Top 5.

Sunday’s event wasn’t as competitive, with Roseburg racer Dave Schmidt leading all 25 laps for his first of 2 wins on the night. Coffman would come home 2nd, holding off a stellar run from Emry over the last 10 laps. Henry and season opener winner Trace Fugate would round out the Top 5.

Speaking of IMCA Sport Mods, Dave Schmidt would grab his 2nd win of the night over an 8 car field. Schmidt once again led all 30 laps from the front row. Doug Coffman would yet again finish 2nd, having his hands full with Aaron Bloom for the majority of the race. Jordan Henry and KC Scott would be your Top 5.

The Mini Outlaws features were claimed by northern visitors again this week, with Portland’s Scott Beaudoin and Albany’s Tahlan Rogers both finding victory lane. Beaudoin actually looked to have the weekend sweep in the bag, but issues with 2 to go allowed Rogers to sneak by for the win. Jason Kellam and Beaudoin won the class’s heat race each night.

The Hornet division provided the closest feature finish of the weekend Saturday night, with Issac Stere narrowly edging Hannah Robison for the top spot. Both drivers started near the back of the field, so fans were treated to an awesome show as they both climbed up the race standings. Roseburg’s Seth Christian would pick up a dominating victory Sunday, winning by over a straightaway ahead of Stere. Kevin Rockwell and Dan Briesacher would be Sunday’s only other finishers.

Coos Bay Speedway returns to action Wednesday night for Hump Day Havoc. The Winged Sprints return to headline the card, while the Dwarf Cars, Street Stocks and Jr Stingers will also be in attendance.

Coos Bay Speedway is located in Coos Bay, OR a short jump off Hwy 101 then two & a half miles east on Hwy 42. The facility currently houses a 3/8-mile NASCAR dirt track, 1/8 mile NHRA drag strip, and hosts yearly Mud Drag events. For breaking news and updates on the 2020 season, visit our website http://www.coosbayspeedway.us and like the Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/coosbayspeedway

Gallaher Racing Looks To Build Off Exceptional 2019 Campaign

San Jose, CA (3/03/2020) Coming into 2020 with heaps of expectations after a stellar season this past year, the two headed monster of Rob and Joe Gallaher are ready to crush expectations and their competition. The San Jose, California based Father and Son Hobby Stock team once again claimed the Ocean Speedway Hobby Stock track championship in 2019, with Rob winning his 3rd in the past 4 years, and 4th total title in the previous 6.

The anticipation is building in the Gallaher camp as we grow closer to March 13th’s season opener at Ocean, and for good reason. The team was busy in the off-season building a completely new car for the patriarch of the Gallaher family, Joe. Pre-season testing this past Thursday at Merced Speedway couldn’t have gone much better, and the early results have the team ecstatic.

Gallaher Racing’s main goal for 2020 is simple, add another title to the family’s incredible list of accomplishments. They believe that putting a concerted effort to focus almost entirely on the local points chase will go a long way in helping accomplish the feat.

If 2019 is any indication, their fellow division racers will have trouble preventing another back to back title run for the Gallahers. Rob was phenomenally consistent in his latest championship winning season, finishing outside the Top 5 only twice across his 15 feature starts. While the consistency was certainly impressive, one could argue that his 7 main event wins were an even bigger achievement.

By far, the biggest win for either driver in 2019 was Rob’s win at the illustrious Pat and Jim Pettit Shootout. The Shootout is highly regarded as the most prestigious event at their home track, and Rob’s night 1 win last year marked his 2nd triumph in the race’s 9 year history.

Joe Gallaher wasn’t far from the track title himself this past year, but multiple early season mechanical gremlins ultimately wound up being the deciding factor in the title race. Even with the early season problems, only a 19 point gap separated the two after the final race. On top of that, both Gallahers were consistent to the point that there was over a 100 point difference between championship runner up Joe Gallaher and 3rd place in points, truly showing their stranglehold on the division in 2019.

In the midst of a stellar season, Joe also picked up career wins number 2 and 3 along the way in back to back races, including what has likely become their most infamous moment sharing the track. In late June, the two were racing intensely for the win in the late going, when Joe got a little aggressive and sent his son for a spin. Joe would hold off the competition for his 2nd win of the season. Joe acknowledged on the ride home that night that he “may have that one comin’ back around”.

When asked about his thoughts on the upcoming season, an excited Rob Gallaher had this to say: “We are fired up for the 2020 season. After Merced changed their hobby rules to exclude all the other hobby stocks in the state we decided to really focus on our home track in Watsonville. We have built a whole new car for my dad to maintain the competitive edge he had before damaging his frame at the McGowan race in Bakersfield last year. He has the pep in his step again that wasn’t there at the end of last year. Winning will be commonplace for both Gallaher cars again starting 2020. We have made setup changes and drivetrain improvements to help us stay on top. We know our competition is getting better so we have to be making changes to be better too. I can’t wait to hit the dirt circle on Friday the 13th of March.”

Gallaher Racing would like to thank all of their sponsors and supporters, including:

Gallaher Company

1 Hour Drain

Tire Time

Express Car Wash

Yeti Coolers

Coors

Snap On

Built by the Captain

Interested in having writeups like these done for your race team throughout the season? Contact Daren Ricks of DRC Motorsports Media here on Facebook, at darenricks999@gmail.com or at (530) 828-0112 to discuss a plan that fits your team’s needs.

Bryant Gaining On Competition, Nearly Claiming First Top 5 As He Moves Into 5th In Points

(7/22/2019) (Photo Courtesy of Jason Tucker Photos)

As we head into the last weekend of July, Jesse Bryant is turning heads and riding a wave of momentum after back to back 6th place runs at Placerville Speedway. With his finish Saturday night, the teen Pure Stock driver also moved into 5th place in the division’s overall points standings.

Bryant unfortunately struggled in heat race action early in the night, as he was unable to get into a steady rhythm, relegating him to a 6th place finish out of the 7 finishers.

Once the Main Event began, however, you could see a noticeable difference in the way Bryant attacked the track. After starting 7th in the 8 car field, Bryant quickly took 6th as he settled in behind fellow Rookie of the Year contender Stephanie Hanson.

Just as Hanson had begun to open a fairly sizeable advantage back to Bryant, a lap 10 caution brought the field back together for a restart.

Bryant wouldn’t waste any time on the ensuing restart, as he took 5th and started pulling away from Hanson and the rest. As laps wound down, multi-time winner Kevin Jinkerson began reeling Bryant in for 5th.

Bryant was able to hold him off for a few laps before Jinkerson finally made his move with 3 to go, forcing Bryant to once again settle for a 6th place finish.

Though Bryant would have loved a Top 5, the finish served him well, as he moved into the Top 5 in points, while also gaining 10 more ever-important points in the Rookie of the Year battle with Hanson with just 4 events remaining.

Jesse will be back in action this Saturday night for the Mark Forni Classic.

The Bryant Racing team would also like to send their best to veteran racer Mel Byers, who suffered a hard crash into the Turn 1 wall at Placerville Speedway Saturday night. Byers was able to walk away from the incident with no major injuries.

Jesse would like to thank all of his sponsors and supporters, including:

Jay’s Mobile Welding and Fabricating

DRP DeCarlo Racing Products

Chad Hammer Racing Engines

Daren Ricks

DRC Motorsports Media

Curran Scores 5th Victory on Emotional Weekend For The Curran Family

(7/8/2019)

While every victory obviously means a lot to a racecar driver, Saturday night at Antioch Speedway meant so much more for B Mod winner Brent Curran. In the past 4 years, Curran has lost 3 extremely close family members, each passing on in the first week of July. With Curran unsure if he’d be able to race Saturday, he knew they’d want him out at the track doing what he loves, thus Curran made the decision to race Saturday night.

The night kicked off with heat race action, with an unfortunate pill draw lining Curran up last in the 5 car race. In the first two laps Curran made 2 quick moves, passing last week’s winner Scott Savell and point leader Tommy Fraser to slide into 3rd position. Though he was able to catch 2nd place runner Les Friend, Curran would have to settle for 3rd in the heat.

For the feature, Curran would roll off 5th, but by the end of the opening lap, he was already up to 2nd. Just one lap later, Curran would capitalize on a mistake by race leader Kevin Brown to grab the top spot.

While Brown was able to hang close to Curran for a couple of laps, Curran quickly began pulling away and opening a huge gap back to 2nd. By the time the first caution waved 7 laps in, Curran had amassed a full straightaway’s length lead over Brown and the rest of the field.

Once the race got back underway it was right back to business for Curran, this time with a new challenger in Les Friend riding behind in 2nd. Just like before the caution, once a few laps had passed, Curran was once again ahead by a sizeable margin.

When all was said and done, Curran would go on to win the feature by nearly half a lap. The feature netted Curran an increased $500 win winnings, as well as narrowing the points battle with Fraser to just 2 points.

When asked for a comment about his night, Curran said “This last week has been a very tough week for me emotionally. I lost 3 family members very close to me within a few days of each other in the last 4 years. My Dena on 7/3/17, my Grandpa Barry on 7/5/17 and my Grandpa Jerry on 7/7/15… It was even up in the air that I was going to race Saturday with where my head was this week. They would’ve wanted me to race my heart out so I did. Had a solid heat race on one of the best track surfaces I’ve seen all year at Antioch. Car was solid and only needed to make a few minor adjustments for the main as the track dried out a bit. Went out with the intention in the main to take it easy the first few laps and keep the nose clean and go racing once everyone got sorted out. The car felt great the first few laps and within a couple laps found myself out front. Moved around a bit trying to see where the car felt the best but finally settled in on the bottom and never looked back. All in all another great week for points and an emotional win to top that.”

Brent would like to thank all of his sponsors and supporters, including:

Steel City Motorsports

Steadfast Construction

GRT Race Cars Inc.

Empire RC

89 Design

All Flow Muffler & Auto Repair

Jeff Fields (Brandit Designs)

Red Six RaceGear

Velocita-USA

Daren Ricks

DRC Motorsports Media

Sorensen Does it Again, Now a 5 Time Winner in 2019

(6/24/2019)

What a start to the 2019 race season it’s been for El Sobrante native Chris Sorensen. The defending Antioch Speedway Hobby Stock champ has set a ridiculous pace so far, picking up 5 wins and 5 runner up finishes across his 1st 10 starts of the season. Sorensen’s 5th and most recent win came this past Saturday night, extending his points lead to 50 points heading into the final weekend of June.

Sorensen’s night kicked off with heat race action, where he’d roll off 3rd of the 3 cars that made the call. Sorensen immediately took 2nd on the start, than settled in behind race leader Trevor Clymens. Though he looked to the inside of Clymens multiple times over the next 7 laps, he couldn’t find the right spot to make a pass, taking 2nd in the heat race.

For the feature, Sorensen would start 9th in the 11 car field. Sorensen was a busy man early, making 5 passes in the opening 2 circuits, including dodging a car that was sideways directly in front of him.

A lap later Sorensen found himself in 3rd, and knocking on the door for 2nd. The 10 lap battle for 2nd eventually evolved into a 3 car battle for the lead as Sorensen and Clymens tracked down race leader Breanna Troen.

With 8 to go, Sorensen grabbed 2nd from Troen, leaving just Clymens ahead. Sorensen and Clymens would race door to door lap after lap, with Sorensen gaining the upper hand as the leaders came to 2 to go. Sorensen would get lucky on the last lap. As he got out of shape coming out of turn 2, so did Clymens in 2nd, allowing Sorensen to maintain his advantage and walk away victorious yet again at Antioch Speedway.

Chris would like to thank all of his sponsors and supporters, including:

Brc Race Cars

GET OUT OF TOWN! Professional Pet Care

LRT Graphics

Lucky Dog Racing League

Hotshots Motorsports Photography

Montalvo Motorsports

Joe Gallaher Finally Reaches the Top as Gallaher Racing Places 1-2

(6/17/2019)

After a frustrating span of a year and a half without reaching victory lane, veteran racer Joe Gallaher is back on top. Joe had come close on numerous occasions throughout the early portion of the season, but late race issues always seemed to derail his hopes. That all changed Friday night.

The night started off with Rob Gallaher starting 3rd in the first heat, while Joe started on the pole for the 2nd heat. At the start of his heat race, Rob made it 3-wide for the lead in the first turn. Rob couldn’t get the drive off the turn to make the pass stick and fell back to 3rd. With 3 to go, Rob would pass Bobby Huckaby Jr for 2nd, and would go on to finish there.

Joe’s heat was much more of a breeze. After starting on the pole, Joe would lead all 8 laps to win by a healthy margin over Wally Kennedy, the driver he’s been battling for 2nd in points.

For the feature, Joe would roll off 3rd, while Rob had start last in 11th after winning the previous race. While Joe fell to 4th on the opening lap, Rob quickly passed two cars to take 9th.

Just 2 laps later, Joe would make a big move on the inside to pass both 2nd and 3rd, with a caution quickly waving after as the 3rd place car went around. For the restart, Joe would restart 2nd, while Rob had moved into 7th.

On the restart Rob was on the move, taking 6th and 5th in quick succession. All the while, Joe was all over race leader Bobby Huckaby Jr for the top spot. 2 short laps later, Rob was once again moving forward, this time claiming 4th.

After 6 laps of trailing, Joe finally took the lead on lap 7, using a big run on the high side to motor past Huckaby. Just after crossing the line as the leader, the 2nd and final caution of the race waved.

As he had done all night, Rob made quick work of his competition and swiped 3rd on the restart. While Rob began to work on Huckaby for 2nd, Joe began to pull away.

Once Rob took 2nd, he did everything he could to reel in Joe, but he just couldn’t find the speed as Joe finally overcame all the bad luck from the early portion of the season to find victory lane. Rob would ultimately finish 2nd to complete a stellar night of racing for Gallaher Racing.

Gallaher Racing would like to thank all of their sponsors and supporters, including:

Gallaher Company

1 Hour Drain

Tire Time

Express Car Wash

Yeti Coolers

Coors

Snap On

Built by the Captain

Daren Ricks

DRC Motorsports Media

Curran Returns to Victory Lane in Dramatic Fashion at Antioch Speedway

(6/17/2019) (PC Katrina Kniss)

In a wild finish that you’ll see discussed across social media over the next few days, Antioch native Brent Curran once again found victory lane at Antioch Speedway this past Saturday night. Curran’s last lap pass has already been a big point of discussion across Facebook the past two days, drawing loud responses from fans and friends on either side of the story.

Saturday night as always kicked off with heat race action, where Curran would start 2nd. Though pole sitter Tommy Fraser stayed side by side with Curran for the majority of the opening lap, Curran quickly found himself pulling away from the pack. Curran would hold a consistent four car-lengths lead for the remainder of the race, going on to win ahead of Fraser and Cameron Swank.

For the feature, Curran would roll off 5th. With the high line being the preferred line around the track Saturday night, Curran would fall back to 6th on the first circuit, before regaining 5th on Lap 2. A few seconds later, the first and only caution of the race would fly for a crash in turn 4.

Curran was on a mission on the ensuing restart, flying from 5th to 2nd in a matter of two turns. This left race leader Chris Sieweke as the only driver ahead of Curran. Once he had taken 2nd, Curran looked underneath Sieweke a few times before realizing there was little to no grip on the bottom, eventually settling in behind Sieweke.

While Curran practically traced Sieweke’s tire tracks for much of the next 16 laps, he began looking for a spot to make his move, trying to maybe find a weakness in the line Sieweke was running.

Curran would again look to the inside of Sieweke multiple times as the laps wound down, at one point pulling up to his door as the two battled through lapped traffic before having to back out to avoid a collision.

With one lap left, Curran had to make his move. Curran would carry a great run through Turns 1 and 2 as he sped down the backstretch. As both drivers drove into Turn 3, Sieweke left the bottom open, giving Curran the chance to dive to his inside. Curran would get just far enough ahead of Sieweke to complete the pass, and went on to take the win in one of the most thrilling finishes of 2019.

After the race, Curran said: “Well Saturday was definitely exciting to say the least. Already could tell in the heat that the car had speed and if the track was racey enough the fans were in for a good one to make up for the week before. Our invert draw set us back a bit but was confident enough in our long run speed that we could still get to the front. Had a great time racing the 74 car the whole race and sucks that the finish ended up the way it did but no racer shows up to finish second. I admit there was contact and rubbing involved but after asking officials and fellow racers I’m content moving forward. I’d expect the same hard racing from anyone when it comes to a win on the last lap. That’s what the sports about and it attracts fans one way or another. Everyone has their opinion and I respect all of them. Can’t make everyone happy. On to next week for 2 days in Oregon.”

Brent would like to thank all of his sponsors and supporters, including:

Steel City Motorsports

Steadfast Construction

GRT Race Cars Inc.

Empire RC

89 Design

All Flow Muffler & Auto Repair

Jeff Fields (Brandit Designs)

Red Six RaceGear

Velocita-USA

Daren Ricks

DRC Motorsports Media

Curran Perseveres Through Challenging Track Conditions to Take 2 Top 10’s at Merced and Antioch

(6/10/2019)

Though the team’s primary focus is on winning the Antioch Speedway B Mod title, Curran headed down to Merced Speedway this past Wednesday to compete in their annual Fair Race. The team wanted a chance to test their dry slick setup, and with the track’s water truck breaking down early on a hot night, Curran got a bit drier of a surface than he had been expecting.

Due to IMCA point average lineups, Curran would start last in his 9 car heat. With only 3 cars transferring to the feature he would have plenty of work to do if he wanted to transfer directly from the heat race. Despite being in a stacked heat race, Curran would climb up to 5th to set himself up with a solid starting position in the B Main.

Though Curran rolled off 4th in the B Main, he quickly found his way to the front. Once Curran took the lead, there wasn’t anyone even close to being able to catch him, as he lead the remainder of the race to win by nearly 5 seconds.

Curran’s B Main win would start him towards the back for the feature as he started 14th. Over the course of the 25 lap feature, Curran carefully picked his spots, moving into the Top 10 in the early going. As the laps wound down, however, Curran just couldn’t find the room to move much further forward, and would ultimately come home with an 8th place finish.

Saturday night at Antioch started much better for Curran, who drew the pole for his heat race. Curran would go on to lead all 8 laps, leading by nearly a straightaway, as he picked up the heat race win in dominating fashion.

Since Curran had won the previous race, he would be forced to start 10th for the main event. With track conditions drier than many had ever seen at the speedway, the thick cloud of dust made it difficult to make moves in traffic.

Despite the dust, Curran was on the move early, moving up to 7th before a Lap 5 caution. A few laps later, Curran would grab 6th after a fellow competitor spun ahead of him.

On the restart, Curran would quickly grab 5th from Chris Sieweke, and was all over the back of Kevin Brown for 4th. Though it looked like Curran easily had the speed to get around Brown, there just wasn’t room on the track to make a move stick. Curran would go on to run the remainder of the race in 5th, where he’d ultimately finish.

Brent would like to thank all of his sponsors and supporters, including:

Steel City Motorsports

Steadfast Construction

GRT Race Cars Inc.

Empire RC

89 Design

All Flow Muffler & Auto Repair

Jeff Fields (Brandit Designs)

Red Six RaceGear

Velocita-USA

Daren Ricks

DRC Motorsports Media

Rob Gallaher Posts 2nd Consecutive Win, Joe Gallaher Loses Top 3 Run Late

(6/9/2019)

We’re just 6 races into the 2019 season for Gallaher Racing, and Rob Gallaher is staking his claim atop the Ocean Speedway Hobby Stock division. While his father Joe has followed close behind, the San Jose native has claimed 4 wins in his first 6 starts, heading into the 3rd weekend of June with a commanding 31 point lead over Joe.

Joe has been in a rather close points battle of his own, with just 10 points separating he and Wally Kennedy for the runner up spot in the standings. If not for a few late mishaps, Joe would be right there challenging for the points lead.

Friday night kicked off at Ocean Speedway with heat race action, slotting Rob to start 4th in the first heat, while Joe sat on the pole for heat two. Over the course of his 8 lap heat race, Rob was only able to pass two cars and settle for 2nd after winning a close battle with Nick Triolo in the closing laps of the race.

Joe’s heat was far less competitive. Joe would lead all 8 laps from the pole to win by nearly a quarter of a lap when it was all said and done. Since Rob had won the previous race, he would have to start 8th in the feature (Though a car dropping back would move him to 6th), while the invert had Joe starting 3rd.

Three laps into the race, the first caution would wave as Joe and DJ Keldsen got together and looped around in Turn 2. The incident would force Joe to restart 7th, while Rob was moved up to 3rd thanks to those two restarting in the rear.

On the ensuing restart, 2 cars would get together to bring out another yellow, which moved Joe up two spots into 5th. Just after Rob finally cleared Jerry Skelton for 2nd, another mid race caution waved to bunch up the field.

Once the race got back underway, Joe was also able to pass Skelton for 3rd, as both Gallaher Racing cars began hounding race leader Nick Triolo for the top spot. With just a few laps left, Rob used a strong run on the high side to pull a quick dive under Triolo for the lead. Joe would attempt to follow suit, but with just 4 laps left, he would spin, taking himself out of contention.

As the final laps clicked off, Rob would be able to hold off a hard charging Triolo to pick up yet another victory. After his spin, Joe was only able to climb back up to 6th, falling just short in a drag race to the finish line for 5th.

Gallaher Racing would like to thank all of their sponsors and supporters, including:

Gallaher Company

1 Hour Drain

Tire Time

Express Car Wash

Yeti Coolers

Coors

Snap On

Built by the Captain

Daren Ricks

DRC Motorsports Media

Curran Returns to Victory Lane at Antioch Speedway For the 3rd Time in 2019

(6/2/2019) (PC Katrina Kniss)

As we head into the month of June, Antioch’s Brent Curran has found himself right where he wants to be, tied for the Antioch Speedway B Mod points lead. It’s been a strong run of finishes as of late for Curran, including 3 wins in his past 5 starts. If Curran is able to continue to ride this wave of momentum, he could very well find himself as the track champ at the end of the season.

Curran would start 4th in his heat race, before moving to 3rd on the opening lap. Curran then went to work on Tommy Fraser for 2nd, but as he looked inside, he clipped an inside tire, bending a few suspension pieces in the process. Noticeably slower for the rest of the race, Curran would limp across the finish line in 4th.

With plenty of work to do for the main, Curran and his crew went to work, getting the car as close to where it had been as possible. The team’s hard work would be worth it as the inversion gave Curran the pole for the feature.

From the drop of the green flag, Curran was gone. Curran had managed to open a nearly 4 second lead before the lone caution of the race waved 7 laps into the event.

On the restart, 2nd place runner Kenny Shrader gave Curran a good run for his money, but Curran would again begin to pull away after a couple laps, leaving Shrader and Todd Gomez to battle over 2nd. From there it was smooth sailing for Curran, who would lead all 20 laps en route to his 3rd win of the season, and 8th of his B Mod career.

After the race, Curran said: “This weekend was probably the most laid back I’ve felt at the track in awhile. Walked in the gate with no pressure on my shoulders, was just excited to be there and drive my racecar. Car felt good in the heat just made a rookie mistake running the bottom and clipped the infield tire. Bent a few things in the front end but we were able to get it back in working condition in the main. Still had a couple bent parts but it was drivable. For the main we made some changes on the car that we weren’t really sure of with the rear end still being a bit new to us. Starting on the pole I knew if I could get the start I needed I could get out front and hopefully get some clean laps with the setup changes we made and see how the car reacted. First few laps I could tell that the car was now doing what I needed it to through the dry and it was our race to lose at that point and was able to pull off another win. 3 wins this year is obviously pretty cool but still a long way from our long term goal of a championship this year. We still have some work to do and still need some solid finishes but I’m just glad the last few races have been much better than our first 2. The whole team has needed the runs we’ve had lately.”

Brent would like to thank all of his sponsors and supporters, including:

Steel City Motorsports

Steadfast Construction

GRT Race Cars Inc.

Empire RC

89 Design

All Flow Muffler & Auto Repair

Jeff Fields (Brandit Designs)

Red Six RaceGear

Velocita-USA

Daren Ricks

DRC Motorsports Media

https://www.patreon.com/drcmotorsportsmedia (New laptop fund)

Gallaher Racing Sweeps Top 2 Spots at Ocean Speedway

(6/2/2019)

Through the first 5 events of the season, it’s beginning to look like a two horse race for the Ocean Speedway Hobby Stock championship, as the father and son team of Joe and Robert Gallaher have begun to distance themselves from the rest of the field. One of this season’s more pleasant surprises so far has been the improvement of the elder Gallaher, Joe, who has put a rough 2018 behind him with a strong start to the 2019 campaign.

Joe has been impressive to say the least, posting 3 Top 5’s in his first 5 starts. The lone 2 finishes outside the Top 5 were both no fault of his own, as he suffered tire failures to take him out of contention. Friday night, Joe again looked to have a shot at the win, but one mistake on a late race restart would shuffle him back to 3rd.

Friday night started off with both Gallaher Racing cars in the 1st of the division’s 2 heat races, with Rob starting 3rd and Joe starting 7th. Joe was noticeably fast from the start, moving up 3 spots to 4th behind Rob in the first 2 laps. Both drivers would move up another spot a lap later to take 2nd and 3rd respectively. Though Joe was able to reel in Rob with 3 to go, he wouldn’t be able to complete the pass, as Rob and Joe finished 2nd and 3rd.

For the feature, Rob would roll off 3rd, while Joe started 5th. After the initial start was called back, Rob would be moved up to the front row for the next attempt. Rob would briefly hold the lead for the first lap, but a big shove up the track allowed DJ Keldsen to move to his inside and take the lead.

While Rob had his hands full with Keldsen, Joe had moved into 3rd in the opening 2 laps, and was quickly pulling in the Top 2. After a lap 4 caution, Joe used this opportunity to pull to the inside of Rob to challenge for 2nd. The two would remain side by side for the next 4 laps, before Joe was finally able to clear Rob and set his sights on Keldsen.

Though Joe was running quicker lap times than the leader, he just couldn’t find a way around until another caution waved with 8 to go. On the restart, however, Joe slightly over drove the first turn, dropping him back to 6th as a result. Meanwhile up front, Rob found his way around Keldsen for the lead with 6 to go. While Rob did all he could to hold off Keldsen, Joe had quickly sliced his way back up to 3rd.

Joe was able to get back to the bumper of the front 2 drivers but just ran out of time, as Rob picked up his 3rd win of the season to extend his points lead over Joe.

After the race, Rob had this to say: “The last restart helped me big time, because Keldsen and my dad had started to pull away a little, causing me to panic and over drive the car a bit. I wasn’t the fastest car on the track, (Joe was putting down laps 2/10ths faster than my car) but I was able to get In to the right lane at the right time and block a hard charging Keldsen. I felt him a few times but knew he would have to wreck me or go on the outside of me to beat me. I knew if I could just stay down on the bottom I would be able to fend him off until the checkers came out.”

Gallaher Racing would like to thank all of their sponsors and supporters, including:
Gallaher Company
1 Hour Drain
Tire Time
Express Car Wash
Yeti Coolers
Coors
Snap On
Built by the Captain

https://www.patreon.com/drcmotorsportsmedia (New laptop fund)

Sorensen Back in Victory Lane For 3rd Time in 2019

(5/27/19) (PC Katrina Kniss)

For the 3rd time in the early portion of 2019, El Sobrante native Chris Sorensen found himself in victory lane Saturday night. The defending Antioch Speedway Hobby Stock champ has set a torrid pace through the first 6 races, posting 3 wins and 3 2nd place finishes. Sorensen’s hot start has also secured him a 42 point lead as we head into the month of August.

The night as always started off with heat race action, where Sorensen started 4th. After quickly dispatching of 2nd and 3rd, Sorensen found himself right behind race leader John Wacht. It wouldn’t take long for Sorensen to clear Wacht, setting sail to pick up his 5th heat race win on the season.

For the feature, Sorensen would roll off 7th in the 12 car field. From the drop of the green flag, Sorensen was on the move, picking off 6th and 5th in the opening two laps. Sorensen’s next two passes would come a couple of laps later, as the 3rd and 4th place cars got together, allowing Sorensen to slip by both for 3rd.

Two short laps later and Sorensen was on the move again, using the low line in turns 3 and 4 to pass Will Buirch for 2nd. With the rest of the field out of the way, that left just Breanna Troen ahead in the race for the lead.

After a mid race restart, that battle for the win was on, as Sorensen and Troen raced side by side multiple times, with Sorensen just unable to complete the pass. After briefly falling back, Sorensen began reeling Troen back in with just a few laps left.

With 3 laps left, Sorensen and Troen made contact multiple times on the frontstretch and in turns 1 and 2, resulting in Sorensen taking the lead. Sorensen would lead the last 2 laps uncontested to win the main event.

Chris will be back in action June 8th at Antioch Speedway for the Jerry Hetrick Memorial.

Chris would like to thank all of his sponsors and supporters, including:

Brc Race Cars

GET OUT OF TOWN! Professional Pet Care

LRT Graphics

Lucky Dog Racing League

Hotshots Motorsports Photography

Montalvo Motorsports