Antioch Speedway
October 12, 2013
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FOUR FIRST TIME CHAMPIONS CELEBRATE AFTER ANTIOCH SPEEDWAYʼS FINAL PROGRAM OF THE 2013 SEASON



Oval Motorsports
ANTIOCH, Calif. - First time champions were crowned in four out of five divisions of stock cars racing at Antioch Speedway Saturday night.

Concordʼs Jimmy Robbins not only became a first-time champion in the Super Hobby Stock division, but he did so in his rookie year. Kimo Oreto of Vacaville (Hobby Stock), Jim Freethy of Danville (Super Stock) and Ken Radabaugh of Antioch (Four- Banger), are all first time champs. Danny Wagner of Bay Point took the championship in the Dwarf Car division for the second year in a row.

If you ask Kimo “The Flyinʼ Hawaiian” Oreta why he always has a smile on his face, heʼll tell you he just loves racing – itʼs as plain and simple as that. Oreta, 49, just has to start the race this Saturday night and he wins his first Hobby Stock Championship.

How much does it mean to him?

“It means so much, I canʼt put it into words,” he replied.

Oreta, who began as a hobby stock driver eight years ago, first shared the same car he drives today with his father-in-law, Phillip Gibber. As Kimo progressed as a driver, Gibber promoted himself to crew chief. Both men still own the car and work on it together, night after night.

They have no sponsors. They have no money. Junkyard parts and ingenuity propel the blue Camaro to the front week after week.

“If we need something we canʼt find in the junkyard, we fabricate it,” Oreta explained.

Itʼs all about winning the championship.

“Thatʼs why Gibber and I work on the car. Thatʼs why we donʼt miss any races,” he said. “We are constantly trying to make our car better and faster.”

Freethy battled one of the nationʼs most revered drivers, Larry Damitz of Vallejo, to win the Super Stock title by four points. Damitz, who has been racing since 1952, was the reigning champ. The two were side by side through three restarts in Saturday nightʼs feature, Freethy winning in the end.

“Our crew has been working and striving for that championship all season,” said Freethy. “Iʼve only been racing in this division for three seasons, and it was cool to race with such seasoned veterans like Larry.”

Jack Jonker, crew chief for Freethy, had his work cut out for him throughout the season. Freethy flipped his car on the front stretch during a June race, and crashed into a car that had spun out in another race. Nevertheless, he was back the next week racing again in the same car.

Robbins came back from a crash on Saturday night. He wrecked in the first turn during a heat race, almost rolling his car over. Damages were extensive. Many people thought he would not make the feature, which would have handed the championship to Gene Haney of Brentwood.

Crews from other cars swarmed on Robbinsʼ damaged car, making repairs just in time for him to start in the main event and win the championship by four points. Even Danny Jones, who later beat Robbins in the feature, was there to help.

“It was awesome to see everyone jumping in to help me,” Robbins said. “Being a rookie, I heard that racing was that way, but I did not experience it yet. It restored my faith in mankind.”

Ken Radabaugh topped his uncle, Fred, in the “Four-Banger” championship battle.

“Itʼs a blast racing with family,” Ken Radabaugh said. “I wasnʼt even planning on racing this year. I jumped into a car my dad had on the first night of the season. I had so much fun I found a car for myself by the next weekend and I was back on the track.”

Troy Foulger won Saturday nightʼs open modified stock car feature event. Danny Naron won the “Four-Banger” feature. Nick Viscusi III was first in the Hobby Stock main event.

The speedwayʼs International Motor Contest Association (IMCA) Modified and SportMod championships were wrapped up at the end of September, as mandated by IMCA rules. Foulger, of Martinez, repeated as four-time champion in the Modified division, and Jeremy Hoff of Copperopolis was a first-time champion in the SportMod division.

Gary Nelson, Jr., of San Jose, became champion of the All-Star Wingless Sprint Car division after that divisionʼs final race in the Delta Classic Program on Oct. 5.

Plans for the Antioch Speedway awards banquet will be announced soon.

Modifieds

A-Main
1 49 Troy Foulger
2 U81 Bobby Motts
3 4X Anthony Slaney
4 2JD Jake Dewsbury
5 68 David Michael Rosa
6 50 Michael Paul Jr
7 68C Jeremy Crebs
8 76 Sean Wilson
9 8 Randy Metzler
10 68X John MacDougall
11 141 Trent Wentworth
12 26 Ed Davies
13 66 Kevin Fitzgerald

Heat #1
1 49 Troy Foulger
2 U81 Bobby Motts
3 4X Anthony Slaney
4 8 Randy Metzler
5 76 Sean Wilson
6 68 David Michael Rosa
7 2JD Jake Dewsbury

Heat #2
1 50 Michael Paul Jr
2 141 Trent Wentworth
3 68C Jeremy Crebs
4 68X John MacDougall
5 66 Kevin Fitzgerald
6 26 Ed Davies


Super Stocks
1 99 Jim Freethy
2 15 Larry Damitz
3 5 Mike Hynes
4 67 Cecil Henry
5 2 Mike Gustafson
6 76A Mark Garner
7 10X Ron Brown

Super Hobby
1 1 Dan Jones
2 40 Jim Robbins
3 45 Gene Haney
4 24 Mitchell Locicere
5 84 Russell Shearer
6 88 Eric Berendsen
7 44 Jon Haney

Hobby Stocks
1 13 Nick Viscusi
2 17 Nick Baldwin
3 32 Brad Myers
4 6 Robert Sharp
5 3 Kimo Oreta
6 25 Steven Rogers
7 57 Michael Cooper
8 11 Christopher Brown
9 24 Frank Furtado
10 58 Michael Rolandelli

4 Bangers
1 99N Danny Naron
2 68 Chris Corder
3 73 Jordan Swank
4 12 Michael Christopher
5 5 1/2 Ken Radabaugh
6 24 Jennifer Corder
7 3 Fred Radabaugh
8 55 Brian Schafer
9 0 Louie McNally
10 28 Colin Nelson
11 21 Chase Madden
12 66 Carlos Gonzalez
13 2X Danny Aves

Dwarf Cars
1 2J Jack Haverty
2 11D Danny Wagner
3 3 Duane Jordan
4 0 Charlie Correia
5 0 Mike Corsaro
6 55C Kurtis Craig
7 4 Brian Tilseth
8 70 Michael Crommie
9 47 Mario Marquez
10 40 Kevin Miraglio
11 8 David Teves
12 10 Adam Teves