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Saturday Night Racer >> SATURDAY NIGHT RACER >> Antioch Speedway Preview And Results August 9
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Message started by C.W. on 08/10/18 at 6:37am

Title: Antioch Speedway Preview And Results August 9
Post by C.W. on 08/10/18 at 6:37am

Late Models, Modified Classes Highlight
Antioch Speedway Program Saturday Night

Antioch, CA...Antioch Speedway has a five division program on tap for this Saturday night. The All Star Series B Modifieds are back after a month off. DIRTcar Late Models will be there for their fifth appearance of the season. The A Modifieds, Limited Late Models and Hobby Stocks will make this a great night of Stock Car racing on the three-eighth mile clay oval.

The B Modified championship seems to be well in hand for Trevor Clymens. Clymens leads the division with five feature wins and holds a 200 point advantage over top rookie Ryan DeForest. DeForest won his first Main Event last time out with Clymens chasing him in second. The win moved DeForest 28 points ahead of Chuck Golden in a closer race for second. Golden is still looking for his first win of the season, but his third place position isn't in jeopardy at the moment. The next driver is 78 points back.

Kenny Shrader got off to a late start, but he has five Top 5 finishes in the last eight races, including a pair of third place finishes. He seems to be running well enough to win. After less than desired results at Watsonville last week, Shrader loaded up, came to Antioch, started in the fifth row and finished fifth in the A Modified Main Event. It's a bit closer in the race for fourth as Brent Curran is 14 points back and Tommy Fraser trails by 19 points. Curran has a win at Antioch, but he's been testing his skills at over ten different tracks and recently won at Quincy. The roster has some good drivers, and some who could make an appearance include Guy Ahlwardt, Todd Gomez, Aaron Crowell, Kevin Brown, reigning champion KC Keller and Matt Taylor.

The DIRTcar Late Model winner's board now finds three-time reigning champion Jeff Decker and Richard Papenhausen tied up at two wins each. Papenhausen has missed a race, but Decker is leading the standings by just 20 points over Marysville star Rod Oliver. Oliver has done it with consistency as he has one third and three fourth place finishes so far. Kimo Oreta is set to compete in two divisions Saturday night. Last year's "Rookie Of The Year" is 26 points behind Oliver in third and also has a third place feature finish. He's just four points ahead of Mike Hynes and six in front of Papenhausen.

Dennis Souza may be the best candidate to become the third different winner. He has a second this season. If he were to win, it would be his first win ever at Antioch. Past Modified champion Rob Norris is ready to go this week, and other drivers to watch for include David Newquist, Joey Olschowka and Paul Guglielmoni.

The battle for the championship in the A Modified division remains close. Four-time feature winner Nick DeCarlo had a rough night last week, while reigning champion Bobby Motts Jr. earned his sixth podium finish of the season in third. DeCarlo's lead over Motts is just ten points. Sean O'Gara has a tenuous hold on third in the standings, just 20 points ahead of four time winner Kellen Chadwick and 36 ahead of Bobby Montalvo. You never know when Chadwick is coming, but it could be this week.

Top rookie Buddy Kniss opted to get some experience in a big show environment last week, which dropped him from fifth to 26 points behind Montalvo. The stars of last week were two-time champion Carl Berendsen II and Anthony Slaney, who scored a 1-2 finish. This was the second win of the season for Berendsen, who made the decision to race at Antioch in order to race in front of his grandfather, who is moving out of the state. For Slaney, it was his second straight runnerup finish as he continues to run strong. Other drivers who might make an appearance this week include Trent Wentworth, David Zeiter, Raymond Lindeman and Shawn DeForest.

If you are a fan of close point races, you need look no further than the battle taking place in the Limited Late Model division. Mark Garner and Kimo Oreta are dead locked for the lead with Mike Walko just six points behind them. Garner and Oreta both have three wins after Garner's impressive drive to victory last week, but Oreta wins the tie breaker with two seconds to one for Garner. Walko, meanwhile, has been the most consistent of the three. He has two wins, and his one non Top 3 finish in ten races was a fourth place finish. This is a battle that may just go down to the final checkered flag.

Ryan Cherezian can see the three drivers ahead of him, but he needs some luck to go his way and a win or two. Cherezian is 40 points out of the lead and has one second and three thirds so far. He's had his moments, and the win may be just around the corner for him. You can never count out the division's all time win leader and two-time champion Mike Gustafson, who has one win this year. Other drivers to watch for include the steady John Evans, Chad Hammer and Jon Haney.

The big announcement this week was centered around an increased money race for the Hobby Stocks on September 8th. The 50 lap race will pay $1,000 to win and $125 to start based on 20 cars. The track's Big 3 may seem to be the favorites, but rules may allow for some big name visitors to come to town. When they get there, they will have to deal with Chris Sorensen. Sorensen is having an amazing season in the car he got this year from the shop of Fred Baker. Chris has six wins, five seconds and four thirds. He has only missed the Top 5 once in 17 starts. With those kinds of numbers, it's no big surprise to see him leading his closest challenger, Michael Cooper, by 100 points.

Cooper has four wins, but after scoring his fifth win of the season, reigning champion Cameron Swank is only 31 points out of second. Any of these three drivers could make a run at the money at the September race, and they go into Saturday as the drivers to beat. Two drivers knocking on the door to victory lately are rookies Breanna Troen and Anthony Wellborn. In recent races, Troen has notched two season best thirds, while Wellborn has six Top 5's in his last eight starts. A win could happen at any time for either one them. Billy Garner and top ranked rookie John Wacht would love to earn their second wins this week, and others to watch in the quest for victory include Josh Leach, Tom Cline, Haley Gomez and Ed Letterman. Long time racer Bob Brown finished second last week, and it wouldn't be a surprise to see him get a win if he keeps coming back.

Saturday night is a night that fans of Stock Car racing can get exited about. It's a great lineup of All Star Series divisions you won't want to miss. For further information, go to www.antiochspeedway.com.

Berendsen, Fatu, Garner Win Antioch Speedway Main Events

Antioch, CA...August 4...William Fatu won the 20 lap All Star Series Winged 360 Sprint Car Main Event Saturday night at Antioch Speedway. In the past few seasons, Fatu has moved up from Mini Stocks to Wingless Spec Sprints and now into a 360 Sprint Car, and this was his first win in this division. Fatu shared the front row with David Dias and sprinted into the lead. Heat race winner Billy Aton's quest for his third win of the season ended when he spun on the back stretch on lap three with broken steering. After failing to finish the previous race, point leader Art McCarthy made a charge from the third row into second by lap seven. Fatu held a huge lead by then, but McCarthy steadily gained on him until catching him at the white flag. McCarthy made a run at him down the back stretch and into the final turn, but Fatu brought it home to a satisfying victory. McCarthy was a season-best second, followed by James Ringo, Jacob Tuttle and Matt DeMartini.

Carl Berendsen II earned the victory in the 20 lap A Modified Main Event. Berendsen is a two-time division champion, and this was also his second win of the season. He started back in eighth and quickly worked his way to the front of the pack. When he got there, he had to battle a determined Anthony Slaney, who was trying to get his first win of the season. However, Berendsen pulled ahead on lap six and collected the win, followed by Slaney, reigning champion Bobby Motts Jr., Chuck Golden and Kenny Shrader.

Mark Garner snapped out of his three-race slump and put his championship bid back on track with his third 20 lap Limited Late Model Main Event win of the season. Garner shared the front row with Lori Brown and bolted into the lead at the start. Brown spun from second for the only yellow flag slow down of the race on lap five. Mike Walko moved into second and challenged Garner on the restart. However, Garner pulled away to a straightaway advantage, and even a pair of slower cars in the final five laps didn't stop his charge to the much-needed win. Walko collected his third runner-up finish of the season, followed by Ryan Cherezian, point leader, Kimo Oreta and Mike Gustafson.

Reigning Hobby Stock champion Cameron Swank collected his fifth 20 lap Main Event win of the season. Swank started back in the fourth row, and Bob Brown was the early leader. Swank made an inside pass on Breanna Troen in Turn 4 for second on lap 4 and beat Brown back to the line for the lead on lap six. From there, Swank set a blistering pace and held a half-lap lead at the checkered flag. Brown finished second, followed by a season-best third for Josh Leach, point leader Chris Sorensen and Anthony Wellborn.

David Michael Rosa earned his third 20 lap Dwarf Car Main Event victory of the season. Rosa and point leader Mike Corsaro started mid-pack, and both drivers made a charge to the front. Corsaro is looking for his first win since the fifth race of the season, but Rosa made him settle for his fourth second place finish in the last six races. Street Stock legend David Rosa finished third ahead of Mario Marques and Jacob Williams.

All Star Series racing action resumes next Saturday night with the DIRTcar Late Models back along with the A Modifieds, B Modifieds, Limited Late Models and Hobby Stocks. For further information, go to www.antiochspeedway.com.

Unofficial Race Results
All Star Series Antioch Speedway
Winged 360 Sprint Cars
Heat Winners (8 Laps)-Art McCarthy, Billy Aton. Main Event (20 Laps)-William Fatu, Art McCarthy, James Ringo, Jacob Tuttle, Matt DeMartini, Joey Ancona, David Dias, Tim Burcher, Billy Aton, Jeff Strole.

A Modifieds
Heat Winners (8 Laps)-Robbie Senn, Nick DeCarlo. Main Event (20 Laps)-Carl Berendsen II, Anthony Slaney, Bobby Motts Jr, Chuck Golden, Kenny Shrader, Eric Berendsen, David Zeiter, Bobby Montalvo, Nick DeCarlo, Josh Combs.

Limited Late Models
Heat Winners (8 Laps)-Kimo Oreta, Ryan Cherezian. Main Event (20 Laps)-Mark Garner, Mike Walko, Ryan Cherezian, Kimo Oreta, Mike Gustafson, Lori Brown, John Evans.

Hobby Stocks
Heat Winners (8 Laps)-Cameron Swank, John Wacht. Main Event (20 Laps)-Cameron Swank, Bob Brown, Josh Leach, Chris Sorensen, Anthony Wellborn, Breanna Troen, Michael Cooper, Ed Letterman, Mike Matheson, John Wacht.

Dwarf Cars
Heat Winners (8 Laps)-David Michael Rosa, Mike Corsaro. Main Event (20 Laps)-David Michael Rosa, Mike Corsaro, David Rosa, Mario Marques, Jacob Williams, Tony Carmignani, Chris Becker, Jessie Pfeiffer, Chuck Conover, Giovanni Bortoli.