Antioch Speedway
April 12, 2014
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BOBBY HOGGE IV BEATS KELLEN CHADWICK TO REMAIN UNDEFEATED IN NORTHERN ALL STAR COMPETITION



Oval Motorsports
ANTIOCH, Calif. (April 12) – Bobby Hogge IV, of Salinas, proved again he is the master of the 3/8 mile Antioch Speedway clay oval as he out-dueled rival Kellen Chadwick of Oakley in the 20 car Northern All Star Modified Stock Car feature event Saturday night. Hogge IV is undefeated this year in the elite series.

With the high-banked oval still seeping moisture from the spring rains, drivers were faced with a choice of riding high on the track for better traction, or staying low where it was smooth. With 12 laps to go, a restart after a caution flag saw Chadwick out-power Hogge IV down the front stretch to steal the lead.

Two laps later, another caution flag gave Hogge IV a chance to take back what was his.

“The track was so rough up on top, I decided to keep the car pinned on the bottom,” Hogge IV explained in victory lane. “If you can beat the guy next to you to the first turn, you can choose whatever lane you want.”

Hogge IV did just that on the second restart.

“I thought I would have better traction at the top of the track,” Chadwick said. “That last caution did me in. I didn’t clear him (HoggeIV) enough to get in front of him. He took the bottom of the track away from me.”

Duane Cleveland of Plumas Lake was right behind Chadwick, fighting off challenges from four-time track champ Troy Foulger, who finished fourth. Nick DeCarlo of Martinez rounded out the top five.

Decker Untouchable

Jeff Decker of Morgan Hill had the smoothest running car in the Northern All Star Late model feature event, and he easily cruised to victory after his only challenger, Richard Papenahusen of Chico, spun coming out of the second turn early in the race.
Papenhausen was second at the line, but was far behind Decker.

“When I realized it was going to be a rough track, I made changes to ‘free-up’ the suspension so the car would not have as much forward traction,” Decker explained.

Decker’s technical expertise gave him the advantage over his competitors. Papenhausen, also with a well handling car, finished second. The remainder of the field struggled with the rough track surface.

Damitz Celebrates Another First

Larry Damitz of Vallejo, the oldest driver in the United States continuously racing in a competitive division, proved he’s still a force to contend with at age 85. He won his first feature of the 2014 season in the Limited Late Model division.

Damitz began his racing career in 1952, and credits his daily exercise and workout routine in keeping himself fit.

“I’m happy being here and being able to race,” Damitz said in victory lane after topping a field of drivers whose parents were children when he started racing.

Damitz uses leaf springs in his stock car.

“They are far more forgiving on a rough track,” he explained.

Second place Cecil Henry of Oakley congratulated Damitz after a hard fought battle.

“It is great racing with you,” Henry said to Damitz. “It is the ultimate honor to be beaten by Larry Damitz.”

Former pavement stock car driver Peggy Sue Jarred of Stockton had her best finish on dirt in taking third. Jarred converted her heavier pavement car to a dirt car, which puts her at a slight disadvantage when competing with the Antioch regulars.

Fill-in McCown Takes Hobby Stock win

Dan McCown of Oakley hasn’t driven a Hobby Stock in three years. He’s been busy as crew chief of daughter Megan Ponciano’s SportMod. Since her class wasn’t running this week, and Oakley neighbor Steve Rogers was sick, he jumped at the chance when Rogers offered him a “ride.”

McCown, a retired machinist, fought off Kimo Oreta of Vacaville and Patti Ryland of Brentwood in a closely contested race. The leaders weaved through lapped traffic at the finish, testing eachother’s skills.

“All I needed was a few more laps,” third place Ryland laughed in victory lane. “It is so frustrating to be right there, with no chance to pass Kimo.”

Oreta was disappointed with second – mainly because he wanted a special win.

“It is my daughter’s birthday. She wanted me to win, but second two weeks in a row is not a bad thing,” said Oreta.

“Four-Banger” Mentor Wins First Main Event

When Carlos Gonzalez of Bethel Island pulled into victory lane, second place Brent Curran of Antioch ran up to him and gave him a big hug.

“He’s my mentor. He gave me pointers last year when I was a rookie,” Curran explained as he told Gonzalez he was proud of him.

Despite five years of trying, Gonzalez never won a race. Yet, he had helped previous victors, like Curran become winners.

“It’s my first first-place,” were the only words Gonzalez could utter in the emotional win. “I am so happy.”

And so was Curran.

IMCA Modifieds and SportMods Headline Saturday Program

Two types of modified stock cars sanctioned by the International Motor Contest Association (IMCA) will be featured Saturday night (April 19) at Antioch Speedway. Joining the two permier divisions will be Limited Late Models, Hobby Stocks, and Dwarf Cars. All five divisions will have qualifying races and a feature event. Racing begins at 6 p.m.

Antioch Speedway is located within the Contra Costa County Fairgrounds, 1201 W. 10th St. in Antioch, Calif. Admission is $14 for adults, $10 for children 6-12, and $8 for senior citizens. Children under six years old are admitted free. A family four pack of tickets is $40. Secured parking is offered by the Fairgrounds for $5.

Race Results
April 12, 2014

Northern All Star Modifieds
1 2 Bobby Hogge
2 83 Kellen Chadwick
3 2C Duane Cleveland
4 49 Troy Foulger
5 17 Nick Decarlo
6 71 Rob Norris
7 4X Anthony Slaney
8 2JD Jake Dewsbury
9 16M Michelle Byron
10 1C Aaron Crowell
11 50 Michael Paul Jr
12 7 Sean Wilson
13 6 Dan Gonderman
14 74 Chris Elby
15 93 Johnny Curtis
16 73 Scott Busby
17 59 Randy Metzler
18 25DD Danny Dozier
19 46 Dustin Himes
20 44 Dean Devolder

Late Models
1 84 Jeff Decker
2 4P Richard Papenhausen
3 22G Paul Gugliemoni
4 28GG Clarke Gugliemoni
5 4 Dave Newquist
6 58B Randy Shafer
7 22GX Dale Kuntz
8 74 Dennis Souza
9 2C Duane Cleveland

Limited Late Models
1 15 Larry Damitz
2 67 Cecil Henry
3 313 Peggy Sue Jarred
4 48 John Evans
5 2X Danny Aves
6 76A Mark Garner
7 5 Mike Hynes
8 99 Jim Freethy
9 10X Ron Brown
10 22 Paul Hanley

Hobby Stocks
1 25 Dan McCown
2 3 Kimo Oreta
3 7 Patti Ryland
4 17 Nick Baldwin
5 1 Dan Jones
6 2 Jason Coe
7 6 Robert Sharp
8 25X Calvin Louis
9 24 Mitchell Locicere
10 11 Christopher Brown
11 12 Bob Brown
12 57 Michael Cooper

4 Bangers
1 66 Carlos Gonzalez
2 89 Brent Curran
3 11 Michael Christopher
4 73 Jordan Swank
5 28 Colin Nelson
6 98 Janelle Barlow
7 3R Robbie Senn
8 26 Tayler Swank