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Tracks >> ANTIOCH SPEEDWAY >> Winged 360 Sprint Cars Back In A Big Way At Antioch Speedway
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Message started by C.W. on 04/01/16 at 2:38pm

Title: Winged 360 Sprint Cars Back In A Big Way At Antioch Speedway
Post by C.W. on 04/01/16 at 2:38pm

This one started out as a Sprint Car article, but I added some on the other divisions. Not much, just wanted to support the cause. As always, I am unofficial.

Winged 360 Sprint Cars Back In A Big Way At Antioch Speedway

Promoter John M. Soares has thrown in with the Winged 360 Sprint Cars in a big way at Antioch Speedway this season. Since expanding the track to a three-eighth mile clay oval in 2009, the goal has always been to establish a Winged Sprint Car class. Last season was the busiest season yet for the division with eight events. This year, Soares has doubled that with 16 race dates, and the season kicks off this Saturday night.

One of the things the track has going for it is a tacky, hooked up racing surface most nights, which is something Soares prides himself on. The track last season was also generally very smooth. Another strong suit was that Soares paid as advertised last season with a minimum $150 to start and $1200 to win, even when car count dipped to five cars one night. The bottom line is that Soares and Oval Motorsports wants Sprint Car racing at Antioch Speedway.

For those who doubt the track's commitment to open wheel racing, the Wingless Spec Sprint division that several tracks currently run started at Antioch Speedway in 1999. Soares had a vision of Sprint Car racing for the low buck racer, and he put Don O'Keefe Jr. in charge of spear heading the establishing of the class in what was a successful launch back in 1999. It turns out that Soares was right as that division will enter its 18th season with their opener set for April 9th.

One of the Winged 360 Sprint Car competitors anticipated this week will be third generation racer Shawn Arriaga. Arriaga was able to win the championship last season on the strength of his second win of the season in the second to last race. Shawn comes from a long line of competitive racers, starting with his grandfather, Gill Richardson, in Hardtops at Vallejo Speedway. His mother, Cheri Hill, is a past 360 Sprint Car competitor and feature winner at Antioch. Has father, Fred Arriaga, raced Super Modifieds at San Jose Speedway. In fact, Fred will probably see some Sprint Car action this season.

The one driver who has been there for the Oval Motorsports Sprint Car races at Antioch going back to the first races in 1998, Art McCarthy, is anticipated as well. McCarthy's impressive racing pedigree includes two Petaluma Speedway championships (Arriaga won one there as well) and an Antioch title. Art opened and closed last season with feature wins, but a couple of tough breaks during the season forced him to settle for second.

Another driver with impressive credentials who is anticipated this week is Dan Gonderman. The Gonderman family has raced at Antioch for decades. Dan's father, Ken Gonderman, is the 1970 Sportsman champion, and he continues to pit for him. Dan has won Main Events and ranked Top 5 in Dirt Modifieds and Hobby Stocks, and he won several features and two championships in Wingless Spec Sprints. Last season's finale probably would have gone to Gonderman if not for misfortune in lapped traffic while leading half way through the event. He is coming off of a solid fourth place ranking.

Chris Magoon was the champion in 2014, and he is also a past Spec Sprint champion at Marysville. Last year was a season that saw the team struggle and fall out of the chase with mechanical issues. However, the team has regrouped and is ready to come back strong this season. While these four have been strong supporters of the division these past two years, who else is coming is subject to speculation.

The Haulot Racing Team is likely to see at least some action this year. Last year, Jake Haulot ranked third in points with two feature wins. This season, we hear rumblings that Jake's younger brother might be making his division debut. Speaking of young up and comers, Robby McMahon was seen at playday making some laps. The second generation racer finished last season strong with a second place finish in the season finale. 2015 Chico Winged Economy Sprint Car champion Brandon Powell was also seen at playday and could be on hand for the opener.

One thing is for sure, Antioch Speedway is committed to building this class, and drivers will see a smooth and hooked up racing surface more often than not when they come racing. This division has produced some exciting and interesting results these past two seasons, and that should continue to be the case this year.

Also On Tap At Antioch Speedway This Week

The BCRA Midget Lites will make their first of two appearances this Saturday, while Hobby Stocks, Sport Mods and Dwarf Cars are also in action. The Hobby Stock division promises to be a wide open affair this season, which is good news for the fans.

Danny Jones definitely brings the experience over the rest of pack, having raced on and off since the late 1970's. Danny finally got the monkey off his back last week with an impressive feature win. His 2015 season featured several second place finishes, but that win eluded him. Last week, Michael Cooper shadowed him for most of that race. Cooper is still searching for his first win, and if he keeps driving like that, he'll get it soon. Likewise, brother in law Jordan Swank looked good in his third place battle with rookie Guy Ahlwardt, Guy is hoping to succeed Swank as the division's top rookie this year.

These lead four cars aren't the only ones to watch in the quest for victory this season. Certainly, 2010 division champion Chris Sorensen has to be considered. Chris had two wins last season, and he finished fifth last week. Jason Jennings looked good in preliminaries but his night ended too early. Steven Rogers also started off well, but his night sort of went down hill. Both of these drivers should not be counted out in the quest for victory. It wouldn't be a big surprise to see several drivers win this season.

There are drivers in the Sport Mod division hoping for the same, but they have a problem. Defending champion Fred Ryland is still in the pack and has notched over 40 feature wins in his Antioch career. In fact, "Fast Freddy" is tenth on the track's all time win list, having just passed legend Bobby Hogge III. One driver hoping to thwart Ryland's repeat plans is Trevor Clymens. When you can't win, finishing second doesn't hurt, and Trevor did just that after his heat race win earlier in the evening.

Patti Ryland normally does pretty well when things are running right, and her season opening effort produced a solid third place finish ahead of Brian Pearce. Pearce hasn't been seen at the speedway in recent seasons, but he is a past Top 10 driver in Dirt Modifieds. The Sport Mods fit better with his budget, and he looked good in his first time back. K.C. Keller also got it to the line in the Top 5. Anthony Giuliani had four wins last season, but his opener ended with him on the sidelines. It will be interesting to see if F. Ryland's luck continues to hold and if somebody will emerge to challenge him this season.

David Teves entered the first Dwarf Car race as the defending champion and presumptive "Man To Beat" this year. However, his first race ended too early. One of the drivers looking to make his mark on the championship battle this year is Mike Corsaro. Coming off of his Top 5 effort last season, Mike beat the competition handily in the opener. However, second place finisher Kevin Miraglio had to be heartened by the fact that he just had his best Antioch finish ever. That win is lurking right around the corner.

Josh Miler was on a mission last week, but the laps wound down before he could make a move on Miraglio. His late charge still netted him a strong third place finish. It was Miranda Chappa notching a career best fourth place finish ahead of Brian Gray. Fifth was one of Gray's best efforts in a Dwarf Car, but Brian has won features in his career in Winged 360 Sprint Cars, Wingless Spec Sprints and Late Models. He's just out there having fun, but he could still surprise the competition and make a bid for a win on any given night.

Through several racers headed to Marsyville to compete with the Nor Cal Dwarf Cars last week, the Dwarf Cars still had 13 cars. Charlie Correia was a welcome sight after being sidelined last season with a separated shoulder from his crash in the Merced Speedway Fairtime race. Car count is likely to have a slight bounce this week in Dwarf Cars, and if Correia and Teves have their cars running late in the race, it just might be that the #0 and #08 cars are running at the front of the pack. Whatever the case, the Dwarf Cars put on an exciting show every week.

Racing at Antioch Speedway always has something to offer the fans. For more information on the coming show and other happenings, check the web site at www.antiochspeedway.com.

2015 Antioch Winged 360 Northern All Star Points

Shawn Arriaga 390
Art McCarthy 374
Jake Haulot 332
Dan Gonderman 280
Chris Magoon 264
Ricky Brophy 172
Jeremy Burt 132
Chase Wood 130
Brandon Powell 112
Dustin Golobic 86

Past Champions

1998-Gary Geving
2007-Art McCarthy
2010-Craig Smith
2013-Chris Magoon
2014-Chris Magoon
2015-Shawn Arriaga

Last 24 Feature Winners

August 29, 2015: Art McCaarthy
August 8, 2015: Shawn Arriaga
July 11, 2015: Jake Haulot
June 20, 2915: Austin Liggett
June 6, 2015: Shawn Arriaga
May 16, 2015: Jake Haulot
April 25, 2015: Alissa Geving
March 7, 2015: Art McCarthy
August 2, 2014: Zack Lynskey
June 21 2014: Bradley Terrell
June 10, 2014: Chris Magoon
April 5, 2014: Kurt Nelson
May 4, 2013: Shawn Arriaga
April 13, 2014: Chris Martin
September 17, 2011: Billy Aton
July 30, 2011: Craig Smith
September 15, 2010: Jeremy Burt
August 25, 2010: Craig Smith
April 24, 2010: Craig Smith
March 27, 2010: Craig Smith
March 20, 2010: Ryan Risconi
September 26, 2009: Jeremy Burt
August 29, 2009: Jeremy Burt

2016 Northern All Stars Winged 360 Sprint Car Schedule

April 2
April 23
May 7
May 21
June 4
June 11
June 18
June 25
July 16
July 30
August 6
August 20
August 27
September 10
September 17
September 2