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

Travis Petersen Racing Shows Promising Speed In First Start Of 2020

Susanville,CA (6/30/2020) After 9 months away from the track, Reno based Pro Stock team Travis Petersen Racing with driver Jay Sears finally made their first start of the season Saturday night at Susanville’s Diamond Mountain Speedway.

The race marked the 4th event of the 2020 Tri State Pro Stock Challenge slate, a series the team has only competed with once in the past.

With practically everything on the car being new, team owner Travis Petersen knew that Saturday’s event would probably feature a few hiccups along the way, so Petersen wasn’t too disappointed with the night ending early for a brake issue.

The night kicked off with heat race action, where Sears rolled off last in the 7 car field. Sears quickly moved into 5th on the opening lap, but would slide back to 6th a lap later as he battled handling issues.

Sears’s heat race would ultimately come to an early end as he spun to a stop in Turn 4.

Starting 12th in the 17 car feature, Sears found himself in the Top 10 early after an impressive 3 car pass.

Unfortunately for Sears, his strong run would come to an end just a couple laps later, as he pulled into the pits under caution for both a flat tire and a loss of brakes.

The Petersen Racing team would like to thank all of their sponsors and supporters, including:

NPSG Global
Reno Tahoe Auto Group
Rini Insurance Agency
Bruce Rayburn Racecars
Eternal Image
#teamnorespect56
#beatitnerdakatucker
#f🐾ckcancer cocostrong
Vatos Locos Performance
Competition Carburetion

Keep It Dirty Apparel

Cory Sample Racing

Jonesy’s All American

With a Special thanks to the boys that make up TPR for 3 midnighters to make this happen. Jesse Gonzales for the motor this weekend and NPSG Global for the renovation and powder coating!

Interested in having press releases like these written and dispersed 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.

Rob Gallaher Captures 3rd Straight As Gallaher Racing Stays Perfect

Marysville, CA (6/26/2020)

For a first time Marysville starter, Rob Gallaher could have fooled anyone. A rare solo trip for the San Jose racer, Gallaher made the most of his first trip to the Nor-Cal ¼ mile oval, leading 16 of the 20 scheduled laps en route to a dominant victory.

The heat race was a difficult one for Gallaher. Though just 8 laps in distance, Gallaher fell behind the 8 ball early. Thanks to a late race issue for two cars ahead of him, Gallaher was able to sneak in a 4th place finish.

Luckily for Gallaher, 4th place would be just where he wanted to finish, as the invert lined him up 3rd in the 18 car field for the 20 lap feature.

At the drop of the green flag, Gallaher wasted no time moving forward, as he grabbed 2nd just one turn into the race.

After 4 laps of shadowing Rick Etcheson, Gallaher took advantage of Etcheson’s mistake in turn 2 to grab the top spot. Gallaher would lead the next 6 circuits uncontested before back to back cautions on Lap 10.

Gallaher would once again open a commanding lead before one last caution waved on Lap 14.

With just 6 laps remaining, Gallaher would hold off multiple charges by local veteran Jimmy Ford before pulling away one last time to clinch the victory.

After the race,Gallaher had this to say regarding his night and Marysville as a whole: “The Marysville racers welcomed us with open arms. We loved the track and the promoter had a well ran operation. We would love to come back with a couple of cars again for a big show.”

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

Fugate Grabs First Super Late Model Podium Finish In Season Opener

Coos Bay, OR (6/22/2020)

While the jump to the Super Late Model class has had its fair share of early difficulties, Saturday night had to be an encouraging sign for Braden Fugate and the entirety of the Fugate Racing team.

2 of Fugate’s first 3 starts had ended with a DNF, so Saturday night’s 3rd place finish definitely felt like the team’s most complete Super Late performance to date. Even with the team’s occasional early struggles, Braden has shown the poise and persistence of a veteran racer, putting his team in as best position to succeed as possible.

Fugate started off the night with a strong run in the heat race. After starting 5th, Braden quickly passed Nathan Augustine for 4th, before settling in behind Rob Campos. After shadowing Campos lap after lap, Fugate finally made his move on the last lap to steal 3rd at the line.

Unfortunately for Fugate, the invert did him no favors, as he’d line up 9th on the starting grid. Within three laps, Fugate found himself knocking on the door of the Top 5.

For the next 17 circuits, Fugate continued to run 6th, before problems for a fellow racer helped him gain 2 spots to grab 4th. Lying just ahead in 3rd was defending Madras champ Jason Johnson, who managed to keep Fugate at bay lap after lap, regardless of Fugate’s numerous attempts.

With just 2 laps remaining, Fugate wrestled 3rd away from Johnson, going on to finish 3rd to improve on his previous career best finish of 4th.

When asked about his night, Fugate said: “We had a pretty solid night last night! We started in the back of both the heat race and main and were able to move forward in both which was huge for me! We are making steps in the right direction. Just super thankful to be able to be back at the track and get some more laps under my belt in that car! Overall it was a great night!”

Braden would like to thank all of his sponsors and supporters who make this possible, including:
Mike Redmon
Ken Ware Chevrolet Buick Cadillac GMC
Canaday Coffee
Troubles Construction LLC
Outdoor Living and Rental Center- Bandon, Oregon
Coos Curry Supply – Port Orford, Oregon
Napier Auto Body
API Coatings
WSK Machine – Jim Diemert Racing Engines

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

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.

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

Brown Grabs 5th Win of the Season in Susanville, Follows Win With Runner Up Finish at Quincy

(5/14/2019)

Coming in off his 4th win of the season last weekend at Quincy’s American Valley Speedway, Pittsburg racer Keith Brown Jr rode a big wave of momentum into this past weekend. That wave of momentum would carry him to another win on Friday night. After Friday’s win at Susanville’s Diamond Valley Speedway, Brown has now won 4 races in the past 3 weeks.

Friday’s win was another hard fought race at Susanville, with Brown having to come from an 8th place starting position in the feature. It didn’t take Brown long to move forward, moving up four spots into 4th in the first 2 laps.

After a lengthy red flag delay on lap 3, Brown went to work on the restart, going from 4th to 2nd in one corner before a caution waved to negate the move. Once again Brown began making moves on the restart, quickly taking 3rd, then 2nd over a 3 lap span. Just a lap later yet another caution came out.

Brown was all over the leader on the restart but just couldn’t find the room to pass. The cautions just kept coming, and with 10 to go, Brown took the lead. Once Brown had the top spot under his control, there was no one who stood a chance at catching him. Even with 3 more late restarts to give the field a chance to pass him, Brown drove away from the field each time, ultimately walking away with an emphatic win.

Saturday at American Valley Speedway unfortunately didn’t bring Brown as much success. After having to come from the back twice, Brown would go on to finish 2nd in the lone heat race.

Brown’s heat race finish then lined him up 4th for the 20 lap feature. In the first turn, Brown went from 4th to 2nd. Within no time at all, Brown had pulled to the bumper of the leader, before the first caution came out. Unfortunately for Brown, a few laps into the restart, he would spin in turn 4 and heave to restart at the rear of the field.

Brown was determined to at least finish towards the front, as he climbed up to 3rd before a late caution. On the restart Brown took 2nd. While it looked as though Brown may have had something for the leader for a moment, the car wasn’t handling nearly as well as Brown would have licked, which cost him. At the end of it all, Brown would walk away with a 2nd place finish.

Keith would like to send a special thank you to Riley Simmons and the Simmons Family, as well as Ryan Svensson for their help this past weekend.

This weekend’s plans are currently tentative.

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

My wife

Ricky Childress jr

My dad

Tim Barlow

Joe Glade

Darrell Hughes

Steel City Motorsports

JGE Motorsports

HRT Shock Service

Little J’s Burgers

Engine Quest

CTA Prints

Performance Bodies

Tire Demon

Competition Carburetors

Curran Notches Top 5 in First Career A Mod Start

(5/6/2019)

Though there wasn’t a B Mod race scheduled at Antioch Speedway Saturday night, Antioch’s own Brent Curran needed to get some laps in to test out the car’s new rear end. With that in mind, the team headed to Antioch Speedway to compete with the track’s A Mod class.

Despite running against a faster class, Curran was fairly competitive. Since he was just trying to make sure the car was ready to go for next week he didn’t push it too hard. He was able to gain one spot to finish 5th, but he easily had the speed to finish in the Top 3.

At the drop of the green flag in the Main Event, Curran was on the move. Curran would move from 8th to 6th on the opening lap, and was knocking on the door of the Top 5. Just one lap later, Curran again moved up two spots, this time taking 4th.

Buddy Kniss wasn’t going to give up 5th easily, however, pulling back alongside Curran to run side by side multiple times over the next few laps. The lone caution of the race would wave 7 laps in, bunching the field back up and meaning Curran would have Kniss to his outside on the restart.

On the ensuing restart Kniss would regain 4th, as Curran had to fend off a new challenger in Brian Pearce. After a few laps Curran was able to break free and maintain 5th. A short time later, Curran would catch early leader Terry Kaiser and pass him to move back into 4th.

While Curran was able to keep pace with the Top 3, he wasn’t finding ways around the car ahead of him. Curran would ride out the last half of the race in 4th, putting up a strong showing against the division above what he normally runs.

After the race, Curran said: “It was a good night altogether. Worked out some bugs in the new rear end and was able to fine tune a bit and see how the car reacted. Didn’t want to take a chance on a points day for us and have an issue arise with something we missed. Finishing top 5 and being able to race side by side with some of my A mod hero’s was just a bonus. Hopefully I’m able to do it again sometime soon or maybe even try it out in a real A mod.”

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 Catches Tough Break Late, Just Misses Out on 3rd Straight Win

(5/6/2019)

What a start to the 2019 race season it’s been for Chris Sorensen. Through 4 races, Sorensen’s worst finish has been 2nd, with 2 wins and 2 runner up finishes. Sorensen again had shot at victory lane Saturday night, but the stars just wouldn’t align for Sorensen late in the race.

The night started off with heat race action, where Sorensen started on the front row. Coming into Saturday night, Sorensen was perfect in his Heats so far this season, going 3 for 3. This wouldn’t change Saturday, as Sorensen lead every lap from the front row to win his 4th consecutive Heat Race.

Since Sorensen had won the previous week, he’d be forced to start 10th in the 20 lap Main Event. While Sorensen was mired in the back early, he was still making moves, moving up 2 spots to 8th on the opening lap and claiming 6th just 2 laps later.

The lone caution of the race would fly about halfway through the event. With Sorensen restarting 5th, he still had plenty of time to get to the front. Within a lap he was up to 4th, and was all over the 2nd and 3rd place cars.

With a few laps left, Sorensen finally got up to 2nd, but in the time it took him to get there, leader Brad Myers had opened up a sizeable lead. In just 3 laps, Sorensen completely erased the 2 second gap Myers had over him, and was right on Myers’s tail.

The two leaders took the white flag side by side, with lapped traffic just ahead. Unfortunately for Sorensen, the lapped car went low to attempt to get out of the way, inadvertently blocking Sorensen and ending his chance to win the feature. Sorensen gave it one last gasp in turn 4, but Myers held on for the win.

Chris’s next race will be at Antioch Speedway May 11th.

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

Cooper Grabs First Win of 2019 at Bill Brownell Memorial

(5/5/2019)

While Yuba City’s Brian Cooper has certainly showed plenty of speed in the early portion of 2019, feature wins have just slipped out of his reach. Whether it’s been mechanical failures, or a terrible redraw not giving him enough time to get through the field, Cooper had been held winless. That all changed Friday night.

Friday night was the site of the annual Bill Brownell Memorial at Chico’s Silver Dollar Speedway, one of the most prestigious races in the state. Cooper would be slotted in to start 4th in his heat race, but he quickly found himself 2nd behind leader Phil Marino. Though Cooper felt he had a quicker car than Marino, he thought it wasn’t worth risking an incident, and followed Marino to the finish in 2nd.

For the main, Cooper would redraw a 6. In just 1 short lap, Cooper went from 6th to 2nd,moving like a hot knife through butter. Once Cooper settled into 2nd, he began following the tracks of leader Keith Brown Jr, waiting for Brown to make a mistake.

Multiple times, it looked as though Cooper had taken the lead, but a caution would come out and nullify the move, handing the lead back to Brown. Finally, with 10 laps to go, Cooper made the winning move, as he cleared Brown for the lead. It wouldn’t be a cakewalk, however, as both Brown and Micheli trailed closely behind.

With just a few laps left, a late caution would bunch up the field one last time. Cooper wouldn’t be fazed though, executing a perfect restart and pulling away with the win.

After the race, Brian said “This sport can be very humbling. With everybody in the class getting better which makes for better races and better competition the wins are harder to come by. So you have to be on top of your game each week and after trying a bunch of new stuff that didn’t quite work like we had wanted so far we went back to basically having the same thing we had in the car last year. Started 4th in the heat and finished P2. Had the fastest car just didn’t want to push it and risk damage so just settled in and cruised. Started P6 in the feature and jumped to 2nd on the opening lap. Was rolling around the bottom and was waiting for the leader to make a mistake. Had the pass for the lead twice and the caution came out. 3rd time was a charm with around 10 to go. The car was really good but still have to make it better. Thanks to everybody that makes it possible for us to do what we love to do. It’s always special to win the memorial races.”

Brian’s next race will be May 25th and 26th at Marysville Raceway.

Brian would like to thank all of his sponsors, including:

Automaxx
Victory Circle Chassis
Five 1 seven designs

Jay’s Mobile Welding & Fabrication

R&J Landscaping

Alpine Roofing

And Supporters:

David and Rena cooper

My wife Stacey Bartlett-Cooper

Crew guy and friend Michael Sevigny
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.

Daren Ricks
DRC Motorsports Media

Brown Puts Together Dominant Weekend; Sweeps Nor Cal Doubleheader

(4/29/2019) Image by Krazy KC Photography

While the previous weekend was one Keith Brown Jr would rather forget, the Pittsburg native turned things around in a big way this past Friday and Saturday. Since Brown is chasing IMCA state points, the team made the nearly 5 hour trek to race at Diamond Valley Speedway in Susanville Friday, before heading to Quincy’s American Valley Speedway.

Friday night started off pretty well for Brown. After starting 5th in the heat race, he quickly found himself running 2nd. Unfortunately for Brown, Craig Nieman would pass him on a late restart to reclaim 2nd, relegating Brown to 3rd where he’d ultimately finish.

Brown would roll off 9th in Friday night’s feature, but with the adjustments he made after the heat, he was confident he could make a charge to the front. Within the first lap, Brown had made his way up to 7th, before the first of what could only be described as a multitude of cautions waved.

On the restart Brown was on the move again, picking off 6th and 5th before the 2nd caution came out less than a lap into the restart. Once again Brown claimed two spots on the ensuing restart, moving into 3rd before yet another caution came out.

After a lengthy delay, Brown would wind up as the leader on the next restart. As soon as Brown was in the lead, it quickly became clear that there was not a car on track that could hang with him. Despite a few more cautions in the late stages of the race, Brown would go on to win convincingly. After the race, Brown was awarded with the Competition Carburetors fastest lap award. On top of the cash prize he earned that night, he was also entered into the year end drawing for a $500 grand prize.

Saturday Night, Brown would visit the scenic American Valley Speedway in Quincy to close out the weekend. The car was a rocket from the moment it was unloaded from the trailer. Brown made quick work of his heat race, going from 3rd to 1st in the blink of an eye. Brown would go on to win the heat race by a large margin.

Brown’s speed would then carry over into the main event. After starting on the outside front row, Brown quickly staked himself out to a commanding lead. Lap after lap, Brown’s lead would continue to grow. Though there was a mid-race caution, Brown would once again pull away on the restart. Brown was in a league of his own Saturday night and it was on full display in the feature. Brown would again go on to win the feature in dominant fashion, sweeping the weekend and picking up his 2nd and 3rd wins on the season.

When asked about the weekend, Keith said “This last weekend on Friday we climbed the mountain to go try our luck at Jeff and Kim Olschowka’s Diamond mountain speedway in Susanville ,Ca. Awesome facility. After several early cautious and a few good moves we end up out front and we were able to get the win. We were also awarded the Competition Carburetors fastest lap award for the main event. On Saturday we made the drive over to American valley speedway, in Quincy, Ca. Started 3rd in the heat and got the win, pulled the outside front row for the main and even with a very tight race car we were able to keep it out front and put ourselves in the winner’s circle for the second night in a row. Special thanks goes to Riley Simmons and his family for letting us use their shop to get the car cleaned up and ready for Saturday.”

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

My wife

Ricky Childress jr

My dad

Tim Barlow

Joe Glade

Darrell Hughes

Steel City Motorsports

JGE Motorsports

HRT Shock Service

Little J’s Burgers

Engine Quest

CTA Prints

Performance Bodies

Tire Demon

Competition Carburetors
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.

Daren Ricks
DRC Motorsports Media

Curran Backs up Previous Week’s Win With 2nd Place Run

(4/28/2019)

After weeks of frustrating finishes and circumstances, Brent Curran’s season appears to done a complete 180 after 2 consecutive great finishes. The Antioch native won last week’s $500 to win race at Antioch Speedway, and was in the running for the $1,000 prize Saturday night.

At the drop of the green flag for his heat race, Curran was gone. Though a caution came out and caused a full restart, Curran once again used his front row starting spot to his advantage and jumped out to a big lead. For the next 8 laps, Curran’s lead would grow, before ultimately winning the heat race by a full straightaway’s length margin.

Since Curran had won the previous week, Curran would be forced to start the feature in 8th. Curran remained patient in the early portion of the race, only moving forward 1 spot in the opening 5 circuits. That’s when Curran began to go to work.

Over the next lap and a half, Curran would slice and dice his way to 5th. With a group of 3 cars ahead, Curran started to use the bottom part of the race track, the part that most of the field was avoiding, to make his passes. Curran had made his way to 4th when minor contact with another competitor dropped him back to 5th, right before a Lap 9 caution.

The upcoming restart didn’t last very long, however, as another driver spun on the backstretch to immediately bring the yellow flag back out. On the ensuing restart, Curran quickly moved into 2nd place. Curran then began what could simply be called an amazing battle with race leader Tommy Fraser, and that may be understating it.

Over the next 9 laps, Curran and Fraser remained side by side for the majority of each lap, with Curran just coming up short of clearing Fraser multiple times. The entire time the two drivers raced door to door, they were able to do so without touching once, truly a testament to the skill of both drivers.

Just as it looked as though Curran was possibly starting to gain an advantage, one last caution waved with 3 laps left. Curran would throw everything he had left at Fraser on the restart, but it just wasn’t enough, ultimately settling for a 2nd place finish.

When asked about his thoughts on the race, Curran said “It was another solid points night for us and the car went on the trailer in one piece again. That race though was by far the most exciting race I’ve ran in a modified. To run door to door for 8-10 laps without even the slightest wheel rub was amazing. Better yet the whole top 3 ran super clean and put on a show for the fans. It’s always a good night when the officials and the fans can come in the pits and thank you for the show you put on. Antioch is a tough track to pass on or even just run side by side. The track modifications really made the racing a lot better and opened up multiple grooves to work with. Made the ability to come from the rear of the field possible. Can’t wait to see what the rest of the year has to hold and hopefully keep our points run alive!”

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