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

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

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

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 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

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)

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

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

Curran’s Run of Bad Luck Comes to a Close, Puts on Clinic at Antioch en route to Win

(4/22/2019)

Ever since Antioch’s own Brent Curran declared his intent to chase the Antioch Speedway B Mod title, his luck on the track had fallen off the rails. 2 consecutive DNF’s later and with doubts arising, he and the team decided to take one last shot on Saturday night to see if the title was worth chasing.

The night of course started off with his heat race, where Brent started 4th. After passing Mark Garner for 3rd, Curran went to work on Todd Gomez for 2nd. Unfortunately for Curran, he ran out of laps and had to settle for 3rd.

The inversion would help Curran tremendously, as he would slot in to start on the outside of the front row for the feature. At the drop of the green flag, Curran was gone. Within 2 laps, Curran had staked out an almost straightaway’s length lead back to 2nd place.

It only took Curran 4 laps to hit lapped traffic, and once he caught them, he began maneuvering through them like a hot knife through butter. Curran was making multiple lines work while the rest of the field predominantly ran the high side. As the laps clicked off, Curran began running into heavier traffic. Though 2nd and 3rd were slowly inching closer, they couldn’t reach Curran.

With 7 laps left, the lone caution of the race came out. This would give his closest challengers one chance to contend for the win. On the ensuing restart, 2nd place runner Fred Ryland was able to keep Curran within striking distance. Ryland would look inside multiple times over the next few laps, but just could not find a way past Curran.

Curran then began pulling away again. Curran would amass a big enough lead to go on to win the race comfortably, picking up his first win in 2019 in the process.

After the race, an excited, but relieved Curran said “On Saturday, we just wanted to go to the track and have a solid finish with a straight car at the end of the night. We didn’t want to have to make the decision to run somewhere else to lighten the load on our wallets. Having a home track minutes from your house to go to every week with a solid fan base is definitely way more ideal than traveling every week. To finally end the bad streak with a win though was that much more special and huge for keeping our points run alive. To see all the smiles on my crew and families faces that know what I’ve been going through the last couple weeks was very emotional and special for me. That monkey is finally off our back and hopefully we can just keep the momentum from here.”

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

PC: Katrina Kniss

Cooper Takes 4th Despite Late Carb Troubles

(4/22/2019)

While Brian Cooper’s run of strong finishes continued Friday night at Chico’s Silver Dollar Speedway, his absolutely terrible redraw luck continued to rear its ugly head, leaving the Yuba City driver with more work than he’d envisioned.

Cooper started off the night’s action by drawing the pole for his 8 lap heat race. Over the course of the race, Cooper was never seriously challenged. Cooper would go on to win the race by just under 2 seconds. What followed was of course the low point of the night for Cooper, as he drew the dreaded 12 pill, meaning he’d be starting outside row 6 for the feature.

At the drop of the green, Cooper went to work. Taking advantage of a few incidents, and making a few passes, Cooper quickly found himself in 6th. It wasn’t long before Cooper was on the move again, taking 5th a few laps later.

Once Cooper made his way to 4th, he could tell there was something wrong with his car. The car just had 0 speed coming off the turns. The sudden carburetor issues would effectively end any hopes Cooper had of racing for the win. Despite the issues, Cooper would manage to hold on to 4th for the remainder of the race, taking his 2nd Top 5 this season.

Brian’s next race will be this Saturday at the Donnie Tilford Tribute at Placerville Speedway.

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 (916) 229-7474 to discuss a plan that fits your team’s needs.

Daren Ricks
DRC Motorsports Media

Brown Notches Back to Back Top 10’s Against Stiff Competition in Merced

(4/15/2019)

After a solid showing in Bakersfield the previous weekend, Pittsburg Sport Mod driver Keith Brown Jr headed down to Merced this past Friday and Saturday to compete in a special weekend doubleheader.

The team’s goal was simple: run well and keep the car in one piece. Based on those goals, it’s easy to say that this past weekend was a success.

Brown started off the weekend fast with an exciting heat race win Friday night. After inheriting the race lead on a mid race caution, Brown was able to hold off a spirited charge from Kevin Johnson take the win.

Though he won his heat race, the redraw did Brown no favors, lining him up 8th for the feature. Unfortunately for Brown, there wasn’t much passing to be made in Friday’s feature, ultimately settling for 9th.

After feeling the car was a bit off Friday, the team headed back home to make some adjustments to better attack the dry slick surface they encountered on night one. Those changes would ultimately put them behind the 8 ball in Saturday’s heat race, as the car struggled on a much heavier surface. Brown’s less than preferrable heat race run would result in him having to run a B Main if he wanted any chance of making the feature.

As soon as the green flag waved in the B Main, Brown was on the move. Brown would go from 8th to 4th on the opening lap, before eventually finishing 3rd and transferring to the main event.

Just like the B Main, Brown was on the move early and often in the feature. Brown quickly made his way into the Top 10 from his 15th place starting position. While Brown was steadily making progress, he started to encounter some slower cars as the laps went on, with those cars holding him back from what could have potentially been a Top 5 run. When all was said and done, Brown brought it home in 8th, his 2nd Top 10 in as many nights, and 3rd in the past 2 weekends.

Brown has another busy weekend planned this week, as he heads North to Chico’s Silver Dollar Speedway Friday night, before making the long trek down to Bakersfield Speedway on 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 (916) 229-7474 to discuss a plan that fits your team’s needs.

Daren Ricks
DRC Motorsports Media

Brown Survives Wild Night at Marysville to Take Top 5

(3/19/2019) (Photo by Krazy KC Photography)

After last week’s win at Marysville Raceway, Pittsburg driver Keith Brown Jr decided to go back and attempt to win his 2nd straight race. Unfortunately for Brown, this past Saturday would go nothing like the previous event.

With an unlucky pill draw setting Brown up towards the back of his heat race, he knew he’d have plenty of work ahead of him to claim a solid finish. At the waving of the green flag, Brown was on the move, making quick work of his fellow competitors to win the heat race after a intense run through the field. Brown would win by just over 2 seconds ahead of Patti Ryland and Todd Cooper.

Despite his heat race victory, a less than preferable re-draw would line Brown up 8th in the 13 car field. Things appeared to be going well for Brown on the opening lap, as he made his way up to 5th before a caution came out. On the restart Brown again appeared to be moving forward, but would spin in turn 3 after contact with another driver, bringing out another yellow.

After restarting in the rear, Brown would quickly make his way back up towards the front, moving up to 6th within a few laps, before yet another caution. Brown would pick off 5th and 4th on the ensuing restart, before settling into a great side by side battle with Danny Roe for third. The two would race next to each other for multiple laps before one last caution came out. Brown would go on to finish 4th in the feature.

After Saturday’s finish, Brown now heads into Points Race #3 tied with Guy Ahlwardt for the points lead.

When Keith was asked about his night, he said: “Our night started off pretty decent picking up the heat race win , the main event was rough we started 8th. At one point I spun and had to start in the rear and was able to work my way back up to a 4th.”

Up next (if weather permits) for Keith Brown Jr will be Silver Dollar Speedway Friday and Marysville Raceway Saturday. If Chico rains out early we will head to Watsonville or Kcrp Friday then Marysville 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

Cooper Takes Podium Finish at Sherm and Loree Toller Memorial

(3/11/19)

Yuba City’s Brian Cooper came into Saturday Night’s Sherm and Loree Toller Memorial looking to rebound from a disappointing finish in his previous outing at the Stockton Dirt Track, and he certainly did so. Cooper and the Automaxx Motorsports team put together a solid night that would culminate in a podium finish.

The night started off well for Cooper, with a good pill draw lining him up on the front row for his 6 car heat race. This would be bad news for his fellow competitors, because as soon as the green flag waved, Cooper was gone. Cooper would go on to win by over a straightaway.

Once again, Cooper’s redraw woes came back to bite him, as he’d be forced to start the main 9th after a less than preferable redraw. From the drop of the green flag, Cooper was on the move, quickly passing two cars to claim 7th before an early caution waved. As cautions littered the early portion of the race, Cooper continued his forward progress.

Cooper was up to 5th by lap 5, then settling into a short battle with his brother Todd for 4th. Once he was clear of Todd, he quickly dispatched of Jimmy Ford for 3rd. Though he had a quick car, Cooper was never quite able to reel in the top 2, ultimately finishing 3rd in the 15 car field.

When asked about his night, Cooper said: “We had a pretty good night. Track was very tricky to adjust for because it drizzled on and off all night, so this made it tough to make the right adjustments. We needed more drive in the feature and I was struggling to get a rhythm and hit my marks. All in all it was a solid night though. I gotta thank all my family, friends and sponsors for allowing me to do this.”

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 (916) 229-7474 to discuss a plan that fits your team’s needs.

Daren Ricks
DRC Motorsports Media

PC Krazy KC Photography

Brown Claims Sherm and Loree Toller Memorial for First Win in 2019

(3/10/19)

Keith Brown Jr’s patience has finally paid off. The Pittsburg racer had shown an abundance of speed in his first 11 starts of 2019, but one way or another, Brown had been taken out of contention in almost every race by mechanical gremlins or an incident with another racer. All of that changed this past Saturday night, as Brown led all but one lap en route to a Sherm and Loree Toller Memorial victory.

A total of 18 IMCA Sport Mods checked in for the night’s action, being split into three 6 car heat races. Keith Brown would roll off 4th in his heat race. Despite moving up to 2nd relatively quickly, Brown was unable to move any further forward, settling for 2nd behind Todd Cooper.

A great redraw lined Brown up on the outside of the front row, and at the drop of the green flag he was gone. Even with multiple early cautions, Brown would pull away on each ensuing restart. As the race went on, however, Guy Ahlwardt slowly began making his presence felt. With just 4 to go, Brown had issues with a lapped car, allowing Ahlwardt to get by for the race lead. This only appeared to light a fire under Brown, who drove right back by for the top spot with 2 to go. Brown would lead the final two laps to pick up his first win of 2019.

The race also served as the first race in the Pacific Sport Mods Nor Cal era. PSM Nor Cal is a club of racers who tally points for racing Chico, Marysville, Merced and Quincy to crown a club champion at the end of the season. With Brown’s victory, he now leads the club’s standings.

When Keith was asked about his thoughts on the night, he said: “We decided Saturday morning to go to marysville . Despite the bad weather, we headed out. After hot laps & me stuffing the car in the wall , I was kinda thinking it was a mistake. Thanks to Guy Ahlwardt who loaned me the A frame I needed to fix the car we stayed to race. Went out for our heat and made a good run at it . I felt we had a good car for the main. Just needed a good draw and we pulled the 2. Led most of the main till I made a mistake which gave the lead to Guy. But with 2 to go I saw an opportunity to take back the lead and I did, And finally got this car in to victory lane.”

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

Another Exceptional Season Cements Braaten’s Status As Most Dominant Sport Mod Driver In Pacific Northwest

(3/1/2019)

It’s hard to understate just how dominant Jorddon Braaten has been in the Sport Mod class since the division made its way to the state of Oregon. The Central Point native has more than double the wins over 2nd place in the division’s existence in the state, racking up numerous track and state titles in the process.

Braaten’s dominance was on full display once again in 2018, putting together a 17 win campaign across a 30 race slate in Oregon and Northern California. Braaten’s high win totals and consistency helped rake in other accolades as well, including another state title, and a Top 10 placement in IMCA national standings.

The 2 time Southern Oregon Speedway Champ doubled his career number of championships in just 1 year. Braaten became the inaugural champ for the division at Willamette Speedway in 2018. Braaten took home 7 wins across the track’s 13 race schedule, 5 more than the next highest driver.

On top of his Willamette title, Braaten claimed the Cottage Grove Speedway championship in impressive fashion. After a rough early season run, Braaten went on a 7 race win streak to completely run away with the title. Braaten would wind up with 9 wins over the 13 race season, including an impressive weekend sweep of the Mark Howard Modified Nationals in late August.

Braaten kicked off his 2018 at the Arizona Mod Tour in Mid-February, and it was a big learning experience for the team. Facing some of the nation’s top talent in the Sport Mod division, Braaten made the feature on all but one night, finishing between 11th and 16th in the 6 features he started.

One accomplishment that Braaten couldn’t match in 2018 was repeating as the R Charles Snyder Salute winner. This past year’s edition saw over 50 cars enter, with Braaten coming up just short of a $2,000 payday, taking 2nd.

As we look to 2019, there’s no question that Braaten will once again be the favorite week in and week out wherever he decides to race. You can expect to see Jorddon Braaten in victory lane plenty again this season.

Jorddon Braaten Season Stats:

Starts: 37

Wins: 17

Top 5’s: 27

Top 10’s: 29

Best Finish: 1st (17 times)

Oregon IMCA Northern Sport Mod State Champion

10th in IMCA Northern Sport Mod National Points

Pacific Sport Mod Club Champion

Cottage Grove Speedway (Track Champion):

April 14th: 1st

May 5th: 2nd

May 19th: 14th

June 2nd: 1st

June 30th: 1st

July 4th: 1st

July 20th: 1st

July 21st: 1st

July 28th: 1st

August 4th: 1st

August 10th: 3rd

August 25th: 3rd

September 15th: 1st

Willamette Speedway (Track Champion):

April 21st: 1st

May 12th: 2nd

May 25th: 8th

May 26th: 1st

June 1st: 1st

June 16th: 3rd

June 23rd: 4th

July 6th: 1st

July 27th: 1st

August 11th: 1st

August 17th: 4th

August 18th: 2nd

September 22nd: 1st

Southern Oregon Speedway:

September 1st: 8th

September 2nd: 2nd

Siskiyou Motor Speedway:

April 14th: 1st

September 23rd: 2nd

Arizona Mod Tour:

February 9th: 12th

February 10th: 12th

February 11th: 11th

February 12th: 10th in B Main

February 15th: 16th

February 16th: 16th

February 17th: 15th

Brown Nabs Top 10 Points Finish Against Top Sport Mod Drivers in the Nation at Arizona Mod Tour

(2/23/19)

Even after a Top 10 finish in points in the annual Arizona Mod Tour, Pittsburg Sport Mod driver Keith Brown Jr will look back on this year’s tour as a week of “what ifs”. The veteran racer had 4 mechanical DNF’s in a 7 race span, heavily affecting what should have been a highly successful week for Brown.

The 2019 edition of the Arizona Mod Tour kicked off with a 2 day stop at Queen Creek’s Arizona Speedway. After a solid 2nd place finish in his heat race, Brown was running comfortably in the Top 5 before getting put into the backstretch wall to end his strong Night 1 run. Night 2 didn’t start nearly as well, with a 6th place finish in the heat race forcing Brown to run a B main. This proved to not be a problem for Brown, however, as he easily won to advance to the feature. Unfortunately for Brown, his bad luck continued, as an early flat tire ended his night.

For the next two nights, the tour would head to Casa Grande’s Central Arizona Speedway. Night 3 of the tour would see Brown finish the feature for the first time in 3 nights, taking home a nice 8th place finish in a race that went green to checkered. That change in fortune didn’t last long. After a good heat race that saw Brown transfer directly to the feature, Brown inadvertently hit his rev box while working on the car before the main, dropping it to 4200. Brown would attempt to fix the problem under an early caution, but a track rule prohibiting cars from exiting and re-entering the race ended his night in disappointing fashion.

After a rest night, the tour moved to Canyon Speedway Park for a 1 night event. Once again, Brown couldn’t shake the mechanical gremlins. Brown looked to be well on his way to a Top 5 finish when he suffered a flat left rear tire that would end his race.

From there the Arizona Mod Tour would run 2 final nights at the newly re-opened USA Raceway. These 2 nights would easily be the 2 best of the tour for Brown. The first night at USA Raceway was a great one for Brown. After transferring directly to the main, Brown moved to the front early, and though he wasn’t able to chase down the leader, Brown was very happy to take 2nd. For the final night of the tour Brown once again had a great showing. Though he started mid-pack, Brown was able to race his way forward throughout the race to take home another Top 5.

After all was said and done, Brown took 9th place in the overall points standings for the tour. When asked about his thoughts on the tour, Brown said: “Over all I think the tour was a success, I have no disappointments in going, we had a fast car all week, we qualified for every main, we end the tour with some good finishes 2nd & 5th ,a 9th in points. We will take everything we learned on the tour and carry this momentum throughout the rest of the racing season.”

Results:

February 8th (Arizona Speedway): 18th DNF

February 9th (Arizona Speedway): 24th DNF

February 10th (Central Arizona Speedway): 8th

February 11th (Central Arizona Speedway): 22nd DNF

February 13th (Canyon Speedway Park):18th DNF

February 15th (USA Raceway): 2nd

February 16th (USA Raceway): 5th

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 (916) 229-7474 to discuss a plan that fits your team’s needs.

Daren Ricks
DRC Motorsports Media

Cooper Brothers Kick Off 2019 Successfully

(1/28/19)

After a shorter than usual offseason, Brian Cooper and the AutoMaxx Racing team headed down to the Stockton Dirt Track to get in some early racing. The team originally didn’t plan to run, but Brian’s brother Todd, who had raced once since 2017, was presented an opportunity by fellow racer David Pierce to drive his new car at the event, so Brian got his car ready to race as well.

Brian started on the front row of his heat, proceeding to take the lead at the drop of the green flag and never looking back, claiming the easy heat race win. Todd on the other hand had to start last in his heat. Since he was still getting adjusted to his new ride, Todd was only able to move up one spot to finish 4th.

Unfortunately for Brian, the redraw did him no favors as he had to start 10th in the feature. With Todd also starting 16th, both brother’s had plenty of work to do if they wanted a solid finish. Brian quickly went to work once the race began, moving into the Top 5 within the first 5 laps, where he settled into battles with the likes of Jason Nation and Tommy Fraser over the spot. Meanwhile, Todd was steadily moving forward, moving up to 10th by the halfway point in the race.

As the laps began to wind down, cautions began flying left and right, which helped Todd move further and further up the running order. Then, as the race went under yellow with 5 to go, Brian, who was running 5th at the time, had to pull off with a right front flat that would ultimately end his night. Over the final 5 laps, Todd was able to move from 8th up to 4th to take home a Top 5 in his return to dirt racing.

Todd was happy with his performance Saturday night, saying “It started out with a bad pill draw. Finished 4th in the heat, so that put us starting 16th in the main. Car was good. Was able to make it up to a 4th place finish. This all wouldn’t be possible without David Pierce asking me to wheel his badass hot rod. We had a blast racing together and am hoping to team up some more in the future.”

Brian remained positive despite the result, saying “Night started out with a good pill draw which had us starting P2 in heat 1 and checked out for the heat race win. Then drew the 10 for the redraw. Was up to 5th at one point and started having some carburetor issues with it loading up in the corners. Eventually got a right front flat ending our night. Was really happy with the car after we made wholesale changes in the front end. I want to thank all my sponsors, crew and my wife for allowing me to do what I do”

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

HRT Shock Service by Bobby Hogge

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 (916) 229-7474 to discuss a plan that fits your team’s needs.

Daren Ricks
DRC Motorsports Media