Merced Speedway Heads Into May With A Five Division Show

One of the best shows in the state of California right now is happening at Merced Speedway every Saturday night. The track had big success with the annual Ted Stofle classic last week. The show hits the month of May with an exciting four division program featuring IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Sport Modifieds, Hobby Stocks and Mini Stocks.

Records will show that after four events in the IMCA Modifieds, there are four different feature winners. The hot driver at the moment is Bill Egleston. The 2012 Champion is coming off of a second place finish in the Ted Stofle Classic, which is his second runner up finish this season. He is also a Main Event winner and sits atop the point leader board at the moment.

It's likely that there will be other feature winners this year, and one who seems poised to be the next one is rookie Bruce "Bubba" Nelson. Nelson drove a solid race last time out and was rewarded with a strong third place finish. Considering he is a two time Hobby Stock champion and won features in that division and the IMCA Sport Modifieds last year, it's not a question of if but when he wins in the IMCA Modified division

Late Model veteran Derek Nance finally made his debut in the division last week with a fourth place finish. The more he races, the more likely it will be that he gets a win. Another driver you should be watching in the battle for victory is Ramie Stone. Though the multi time IMCA Modified champion has struggled a bit this year, it's only a matter of time before he gets it dialed in and scores a victory.

Other drivers that we'll be watching for this week include three time Street Stock champion Ricky Thatcher, Harley Turner, Tim Etchison III, season opening feature winner Paul Stone, feature winner Jeff Streeter and Randy Brown.

In the IMCA Sport Modifieds, there have been three different feature winners. Two of those winners, Rick Diaz and Steve Stone, are locked in a close battle for the point lead. Last time out, neither of these drivers grabbed a podium finish.  It was Bakersfield racer Nick Spainhoward collecting the big trophy and the $600 prize in the Ted Stofle Classic. Third place was the guy behind the wheel of the George Medeiros owned blue #07 car, Mike Drake. It was Drake's second top three finish of the year. He seems likely to be a Main Event winner at some point this year.

Chowchilla resident Tim Elias made his best showing of the year last week as he grabbed a fifth place finish ahead of a season best sixth for Danny Roe. Another driver with multiple top five finishes, Gary Tucker, is one we suspect will most likely be getting a win this year.

The IMCA Sport Modified division is stacked with talent, and other drivers we're watching for this week include Chris Falkenberg, 2015 champion Josh Hensley, Dwayne Short, Nick Tucker, Chase Thomas and Andy Welch.

Perhaps the surprise of the night in the Ted Stofle Classic was the winner of the Hobby Stock portion of the event. The two drivers battling for the win at the end were Phil Vaughn and Dexter Long. Long was coming off a best career finish in second the week before, and he was racing hard to get his first career win. However, that honor fell to past top ten Chowchilla point runner Vaughn. Vaughn's previous best feature finish at Merced was a third place last year, and he was ecstatic that his first win came in one of the biggest events of the year.

Though season opening feature winner Michael Shearer had to settle for third, it was enough to keep him in charge of the point standings after four events. Michael and his wife Kristie Shearer remain front runners in this division this year with Long a surprise second in front of Kristie. Another driver who has not failed to get a top five finish in his three starts was last week's fourth place finisher Andrew Krumm. The two time division champion could strike for victory at any time.

The Hobby Stock division is filled with talent from front to back, and other drivers we're looking for in the battle for victory include Austin Van Hoff, Kodie Dean, Garrett Corn, John Hensley, Darren Miguel and Cody Parker.

At this point, Mini Stock point leader Chris Corder doesn't seem like he wants to share in the victory experience. The 2014 champion has been the dominant force in the division so far. He enters this week as the man to beat, but there are some drivers poised to knock him off of his perch.

Among the drivers to watch for this week include teammates Mike Germait and James Stockton. Germait has had top three Main Event success this year and is poised to get his first career win. Two of the biggest contenders for victory are both out of the action. Past Mini Truck champion Kevin Lockerby sold his car recently, and Dennis Copus saw his new car get totaled in a crash last time out.

On the heels of her strong third place finish last time out, Joy Alger is hoping to grab her first Main Event win. Robert Jackson could have been another driver to watch as well as Steven Johnson and Paul Lauretti.  However, we just got word that the Jackson car has been purchased by 2014 point runner up Jennifer Corder. There is also rookie Destiny Carter, who is hoping to cross another milestone off of her list and grab a top five feature finish or a heat race win.

As legendary announcer Johnny Sass would say, action will be the attraction at Merced Speedway this Saturday night with IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Sport Modifieds, Hobby Stocks and Mini Stocks. For further information, check out the track's official website at www.racemerced.com.

Merced Speedway Points

IMCA Modified
Bill Egleston        151
Randy Brown         139  
Bruce Nelson         138
Ramie Stone         135
Ricky Thatcher        132
Jarod Fast        126
Paul Stone         116
Jeff Streeter         111
T.J. Etchinson III     103
Jerry Corn         88

IMCA Sport Modified
Steve Stone    150
Mike Drake     146
Rick Diaz     145
Josh Hensley     137
Tim Elias    129
Alex Odishoo     112
Gary Tucker    111
Dwayne Short    107
Chris Falkenberg 97
Paul Espino     93

Hobby Stock
Michael Shearer    85
Dexter Long    81
Kristie Shearer 76
Andrew Krumm     70
Garrett Corn     66
Austin VanHoff     65
Phillip Vaughn     54
Kodie Dean    53
Robbie Loquaci     53
Cody Parker    47

Mini Stock
Chris Corder    58
Joy Alger    48
Paul Lauretti     46
Dennis Copus     44
Mike Germait    43
Destiny Carter    40
James Stockton    40
Curtis Thornhill 29
Robert Jackson    29
Kevin Lockerby     25