Antioch Speedway
November 24, 2013
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Antioch Speedway honors 2013 Track Champions at Awards Banquet

Antioch Speedway PR
ANTIOCH, CA (November 24) -Troy Foulger of Martinez, Calif. was honored for an unprecedented fourth straight championship at the 2013 Antioch Speedway Awards Banquet. Champions and Rookies of the Year in the speedway’s eight divisions were applauded at the Contra Costa Fairgrounds on Saturday night (11/23).

Foulger, 22, who drove a car owned by Billy Bowers of Oakley, scored five wins and 13 top five finishes in the highly competitive International Motor Contest Association (IMCA) modified stock car division. He heads to Lincoln, Nebraska this week to be honored by the organization.

Foulger praised the work of Bowers and his crew.

“They worked on the cars every night of the week, all season long,” said Foulger. “We sometimes raced both cars, back to back, and it isn’t easy to maintain and race two cars. Their dedication to preparation made the difference.”

Rookie of the Year in the IMCA modified division is Antioch’s David Michael Rosa. He’s hoping to end Foulger’s streak.

“When I started out in the modifieds this year, it was my goal to be rookie of the year,” said Rosa. “My next goal is to win a championship.”

In the IMCA sanctioned SportMod division, champ Jeremy Hoff towed his car from the hills of Copperopolis, just to compete at the delta high-banked 3/8-mile oval.

“I was new at Antioch Speedway and everyone made me feel welcome,” he said. “In fact, if it weren’t for the Bowers crew, I might not have been champ. They fixed my car in time for the feature after a crash in a qualifying race late in the season.”

Hoff held off Megan Ponciano of Oakley, who finished second in the point battle. Ponciano was named Rookie of the Year.

Wingless Sprint Car champion Gary Nelson, Jr., of San Jose, never finished out of the top five.

“If anyone told me four years ago that I would be champion of this division this year, I would think they were crazy,” said Nelson. “I have to thank my dad. He believed in me from day one.”

Jim Freethy of Danville won the Super Stock championship by four points after fighting off veteran driver Larry Damitz of Vallejo. He thanked crew chief Jack Jonkers and his dedicated team.

“I’ve been waiting a long time for this championship. Championships are hard to come by,” Freethy said. “It was an honor to race with Larry (Damitz).”

Hobby Stock champion Kimo “The Flyin’ Hawaiian” Oreta of Vacaville gave a passionate speech after receiving his award.

“When you have strong competition, as I did, winning a championship feels even better,” Oreta said. “Number one is what we shot for at the beginning of the season, and number one is what we got.”

Nick Baldwin of Oakley made forward progress through the season to become one of the Hobby Stock division’s top drivers and its Rookie of the Year.

“A year earlier I was sitting in the stands and thinking I would like to do this,” Baldwin said. “I never raced before. I can’t believe I’m rookie of the year.”

Another four-point championship went to Jimmy Robbins of Concord, who topped Brentwood’s Gene Haney in Super Hobby Stocks. Robbins was offered a ride in Steve and Natalie Perry’s car early in the season.

“It was a very interesting season,” Robbins said. “Natalie told me to drive the wheels off of the car. Steve told me to pace myself, and I would do better. The combination of advice worked.”

Mitch Locicero of Martinez was named Rookie of the Year in the Super Hobby Stock division.

“I raced on two wheels (motorcycles) for years, and switched to four wheels this year,” Locicero said. “And I had more fun this year than I ever had before.”

Ken Radabaugh of Brentwood, champion in the four-cylinder “Four Banger” division, thanked his fiancé, Shawna Vannucchi for her support.

Four Banger champ Radabaugh and fiance Shawna Vannucchi

“She was always there, scraping mud, helping every night,” Radabaugh said. “It’s our first championship. It’s an amazing feeling.”